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Alla Prima II: Everything I Know About Painting – and More (Expanded Edition)
by Richard Schmid

I cannot begin to describe how important this book is, nor how valuable the material offered has been to my career as an artist, and my development as a painter. This is quite simple the most important book I have read as an Artist, and I cannot strongly enough recommend this book.

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Richard Schmid Paints Landscapes: Creative Techniques in Oil

This was the first book by Richard Schmid that I was able to find, and although the black and white photographs were highly disappointing, many of the images in this book are in “The Landscapes” below. Much of the information included in this book is also included in “Alla Prima” however this is still a great resource for landscape painters.

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Richard Schmid Paints the Figure: Advanced Techniques in Oil

I found this book in the public library. In addition to general painting advice, there is a good amount of information in this book about dealing with the figure and portraiture.

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Richard Schmid: The Landscapes

While not an instructional, any landscape painter would do well to look through this book. Gloriously illustrated, this documents the long career of a master artist, who shares tidbits of information about each painting and some of his painting methods.

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Ways of Seeing
by John Berger

This is a very short read, but it is an excellent way into understanding Art, how it is made, and how it is valued. Based on the BBC Television Series, this is a series of essays about Art.

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Gruppe On Painting Direct Techniques In Oil
by Emile A. Gruppé

Emile Gruppé ran the Gloucester School of Painting from 1940 until 1970 working with over 7,000 painters who studied there and attended his demonstrations. Gruppé was a passionate teacher of painting and is remembered by many artists for his personality and inspirational teaching style. The books that he wrote are excellent resources for developing painters.

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Brushwork for the Oil Painter
by Emile A. Gruppé

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Gruppe on Color: Using Expressive Color to Paint Nature
by Emile A. Gruppé

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Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
by Scott McCloud

This is a remarkable book. Presented in graphic novel form, it is essentially an art history book through the lens of comics (sequential art). McCloud lays out the principles of comics, and creates a vocabulary for describing the many different styles of narrative storytelling. Even if you’re not particularly interested in comic art, this is a worthwhile read.

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Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels
by Scott McCloud

In this book, McCloud takes the reader through the techniques of writing and illustrating a comic. Great insights for those interested in this type of Art.

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Reinventing Comics: How Imagination and Technology Are Revolutionizing an Art Form
by Scott McCloud

In this book, McCloud examines the nature of digital content, the Internet, and the future of comic art and graphic story telling. Although now a bit dated, this is still a book worth reading, as the ideas he presents should be a concern to most artists.

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Hi-Fi Color for Comics: Digital Techniques for Professional Results
by Brian & Kristy Miller

This is an excellent resource for those interested in learning about digital art in general, and digitally coloring comic art specifically. There is also a disk included with time saving settings for Photoshop. A worthwhile read.

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Editing by Design: For Designers, Art Directors, and Editors–the Classic Guide to Winning Readers
by Jan White

This is an extensive book that deals with typography, graphic design, page layout, style, and the aesthetics of print design. Whether it is for a business card, a one page flyer, a poster, or a catalog, the author walks the reader through the principles of communication design. I highly recommend this.

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Oil Painting Secrets From a Master
Prominent Artist/Teacher David A. Leffel Shares His Secrets For Making Professional-Quality Paintings
by Linda Cateura

While not as profound as Richard Schmid’s Alla Prima, there is a good deal of useful advice in this book. Whether it is an example of how he painted at the time it was written, or due to the editing of the author, it seems to me that this is a description of the method he uses when he paints. Richard Schmid’s book is more useful as the advice is not particular to one style, method or type of subject matter.