How to use your art books

Summary

In this video, the creator shares their journey as a serial art book buyer, reflecting on the challenge of using the art books they've accumulated over the years. They emphasize the importance of selecting books with meaningful content, focusing on behind-the-scenes materials and the creative process rather than just aesthetic appeal. The creator discusses how they use art books for inspiration and reference, offering insights into the process of analyzing and learning from art. Ultimately, they encourage viewers to embrace 'stealing' ideas from art books to build their own unique style and improve their work.

Takeaways

• 😀 Art book collecting isn't just about owning books—it's about making use of them for inspiration and reference.
• 😀 Being selective when buying art books is important; avoid filler content like marketing art, screenshots, or repetitive designs.
• 😀 Art books are valuable not only for inspiration but also as a resource for understanding the creative process, with behind-the-scenes materials being the most useful.
• 😀 Inspiration and reference are interconnected. Analyzing what inspires you in a book is essentially treating it as a form of reference.
• 😀 To truly understand your preferences, you need to train your eye and be able to articulate what you like in art (e.g., color, composition, design).
• 😀 Just like a car's performance can't be explained simply by engine size, art appreciation involves deeper qualities like composition, design, and color that contribute to liking a piece.
• 😀 Studying and analyzing art repeatedly—both liked and disliked pieces—helps develop a deeper understanding of your taste and improves your decision-making in creating art.
• 😀 Learning to like something is a skill that can be honed through careful observation and analysis of art's underlying qualities.
• 😀 You don't need to be a skilled artist to improve your art. Simply looking at and analyzing art can inform your future creative decisions.
• 😀 Art books are functional tools for artists. Each book, no matter how niche or specific, offers something useful—whether it's line work, composition, or color choices—that can be incorporated into your own artwork.

Q & A

Why does the speaker refer to themselves as a serial art book buyer instead of a collector?

The speaker emphasizes that they buy art books frequently but does not necessarily collect them in the traditional sense, as they rarely use or reference many of the books they own.

What has changed in the speaker's approach to buying art books over the past couple of years?

The speaker has become more mindful of the art books they purchase, using them more often, and ensuring they get more value and inspiration out of the books they own.

What criteria does the speaker use to select art books?

The speaker is selective about art books, preferring those that offer meaningful content, particularly behind-the-scenes materials like concept and production art, and avoiding books filled with marketing or promotional art.

How does the speaker distinguish between 'inspiration' and 'reference' when it comes to art books?

The speaker initially separates inspiration from reference, but later realizes that inspiration is essentially a form of reference. Inspiration stimulates creativity, which can be translated into reference for one's own art.

What is the significance of 'eye training' in art appreciation, according to the speaker?

Eye training refers to the ability to recognize and analyze the qualities in art that evoke a strong response. The speaker suggests that artists should be able to identify what specifically attracts them to a piece of art, which can then be applied to their own work.

Why does the speaker encourage careful observation and note-taking when studying art?

The speaker believes that repeated observation and documenting insights helps artists better understand their own preferences, refine their taste, and gain deeper insights into what makes certain art resonate with them.

What is the connection between inspiration and reference in the speaker's perspective?

Inspiration is seen as a form of reference because it often triggers a specific visual or emotional response that can be studied, understood, and replicated in one's own creative work.

How does the speaker use art books as functional tools for their own art practice?

The speaker uses art books as a resource for reference, often extracting elements like line flow, design, and color combinations to inform their own art. Even if the book's subject is different from their style, the principles and techniques can still be applied.

What does the speaker mean by 'stealing' from art books?

The speaker refers to 'stealing' as adopting and incorporating elements from art books into their own artwork. This includes borrowing ideas, techniques, and inspiration to improve their own artistic practice.

What role does studying story, composition, design, and color play in developing an artist's style?

These elements are crucial building blocks for creating art. The speaker suggests that by analyzing these aspects in art books and applying them to one's own work, an artist can develop a unique style that reflects their personal tastes and artistic vision.