This is a selection of books I find useful when I'm looking for inspiration or to browse through for a general injection of creativity.
1. The Creative Artist by Nita Leland
This book is crammed with ideas and activities to try -- it’s actually awesome how much there is in here. The information is presented through text descriptions, sketches, finished paintings, and some step-by-step examples. It’s a book for sitting down to read when you’ve time, for flipping through when you’ve only a moment, and for opening randomly when you’re stuck creatively. There chapters with ideas specifically for realistic and abstract artists. (View some pages from the book.)
2. 100 Creative Drawing Ideas
Don’t get distracted by the fact that this is a drawing book, the 100 ideas can easily be applied to painting. The creative ideas were sourced from art teachers (mainly in the USA) as alternatives to familiar and overused art exercises. Each gets two pages: one for an example drawing and one for the description of the idea. The ideas are arranged into chapters from ice breakers to self portraits to unusual subjects to reconsidering traditional issues. With 100 ideas, which are usable whatever level your painting skill, there are sure to be enough that appeal to you to keep you busy for some time!3. Painting as a Language
The blurb for this book says it “places as much emphasis on your development as an artist as on the work of art itself” that it “will help you discover content for your paintings while you are acquiring basic painting skills”. It’s a book packed with information and ideas, though at times it can be slightly heavy reading and it’s a pity that most of the illustrations are in black-and-white (color is limited to two color sections). Read it slowly, spending the time to absorb it, and you’ll be rewarded with all sorts of fresh and unexpected ideas.4. Photo Idea Index
If you’re after ideas for composition or fresh perspectives, this is it. It’s aimed at photographers and graphic designers, but isn’t a “how-to” book but a rather book of “what if…” ideas presented as a photo with a short paragraph of explanatory text. You’ll find ideas for intriguing still lifes, for radical cropping of landscapes, for portraits, for backgrounds. Page through here and you’ll quickly have ideas for paintings and renewed inspiration. And if you take your own reference photos, you’ll find the photography tips helpful too.