FMS Bookcase, Vol. 1 – Graphite & Doodling

Posted by on Jan 31, 2022 in Art, Books, Finding My Style

I’m a book person. Love everything about ’em.

I don’t think there’s a room in our house that doesn’t have at least one book tucked away somewhere.

Photo of office bookshelves with miscellaneous books and storage containers, as well as jars of shells, rocks, and minerals.
Some of my art-related books. (There’s overflow throughout the house.)

Strangely enough, not a single one is dedicated solely to working in graphite pencil. So, I was challenged a bit trying to find books to share as part of the first volume of the FMS (Finding My Style) Bookcase.

That’s when my mom stepped in to save the day. (Funny how often moms save the day, isn’t it?) She leant me Katie Lee’s gorgeous, instructive Fundamental Graphite Techniques (available on her site). It’s the most comprehensive resource I’ve found yet on working with pencil. (And three cheers for spiral binding, and laying flat!) If you’re looking to hone your graphite skills, this is the book to buy.

Photo of cover of FUNDAMENTAL GRAPHITE TECHNIQUES, by Katie Lee against wood background.
The best resource I’ve found for learning to draw with graphite.

So, what other books have I found helpful in my pursuit of all things pencil-drawn? First off, a couple of drawing books have provided fun doodle inspiration.

DOODLING WITH JIM HENSON and 50 WAYS TO DRAW YOUR BEAUTIFUL ORDINARY LIFE book covers
Two fun books for drawing inspiration

Doodling with Jim Henson is as fun as you might imagine. Inside, it’s filled with all sorts of quirky, silly, pure-fun drawing prompts, preceded by several spreads featuring Henson’s own doodles. (It seems this book is no longer in print—bummer—but you can still pick up copies of it online.)

50 Ways to Draw Your Beautiful Ordinary Life: Practical Lessons in Pencil and Paper, by Irene Smit, Astrid Van Der Hulst, and illustrated by the folks at Flow magazine, is similarly joyful. (It even includes pull-out paper fun in the form of draw-it-yourself postcards, paper doll art fun, and other goodies.)

Want to be inspired without a whole lot of creative structure already built in? I love books of lists for sparking ideas.

Photo of two book covers—CURIOUS LISTS: A CREATIVE JOURNAL FOR LIST-LOVERS, and MY FUTURE LISTOGRAPHY: ALL I HOPE TO DO IN LISTS:
Books of lists can be a huge source of inspiration for any creative project you’re taking on.

Curious Lists: A Creative Journal for List-Lovers, (Chronicle Books, illustrated by David Hopkins), is total fun. You create lists based on the prompts—everything from “Decorations for National Whale Appreciation Day” to “Attributes of a Threatening Cloud” to “Bitter Liquids.” You’ll find yourself researching dictionary authors, and pondering unpromising haiku beginnings and before you know it, these off-the-wall contemplations might lead to all sorts of artistic inspiration. (This book also seems to be out of print. As of right this moment, there is one copy available on Amazon.)

My Future Listography: All I Hope to Do in Lists, (by Lisa Nola, illustrated by Nathaniel Russell), puts the “list” in “bucket list.” With prompts like “Future Halloween Costume Ideas” and “Cuisines You Want to Try,” this book does a deep (fun!) dive into what you want to accomplish and experience in your lifetime. Those kinds of aspirations and priorities are a great starting point for creative enlightenment, too. Because what’s most important in your life is likely to also be of huge importance to your artistic style.