I have a rule that if I find myself taking something out of the library more than once, I should probably buy it. Most of these books fall into that category

  • Hebborn's master class in the art of faking, published posthumously. "By the time his career as forger concluded, Hebborn had produced by his own account approximately a thousand fake drawings, purportedly by such hands as Castiglione, Mantegna, Rubens, Breughel, Van Dyck, Boucher, Poussin, Ghisi, Tiepolo, and Piranesi."
  • One of the best art histories I have ever read. Takes you from cave art to the digital age through a scientific exploration of pigment.
  • "A Complete Practical guide to the visual arts". Beautifully laid out, clearly explained, Ray Smith really knows his stuff and can present it well.
  • First published in 1930, this book is still available in paperback. It is quite simply the best book on pen and ink technique ever written and the only one you will need. Mostly I tend to prefer newer art books because colour reproduction has improved so much, but the black and white nature of this medium makes this a moot point. A great book.
  • Subtitle: "Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters" takes Philip Steadman's premise one step further. He make the argument that the use of camera like devices went all the way back to the Van Eycks.
  • This one may be out of print, I got mine through Amazon.ca. This covers almost all media, with detailed directions for making your own paints, pastel and gessos. Indispensable.
  • Subtitled "Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces", this book explores the evidence that Vermeer did in fact use a camera obscura in the production of his art.