My favorite books to inspire you to sketch

Why am I passionate about this?

Stephen Silver has been a professional working artist, character designer, and teacher in the industry for over 30 years. He developed intellectual properties for some of the largest media companies in the world; such as Disney, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon, Sony, MAD Magazine, Reel FX, Bento box, Hasbro, Universal, DreamWorks, and more. Stephen is responsible for the visual character development and design of some of animation’s most iconic shows; including Disney’s Kim Possible, Nickelodeon’s Danny Phantom, and Disney’s Clerks: The Animated Series, to name a few.


I wrote...

The Silver Way: Techniques, Tips, and Tutorials for Effective Character Design

By Stephen Silver,

Book cover of The Silver Way: Techniques, Tips, and Tutorials for Effective Character Design

What is my book about?

The Silver Way: Techniques, Tips, and Tutorials for Effective Character Design by Stephen Silver offers invaluable instruction from one of the best teachers in the industry. Whether you’re a professional artist interested in improving your drawing skills, or an aspiring designer fresh out of high school looking to add to your portfolio, The Silver Way will help you build your confidence and strengthen your work in order to successfully design characters for any project, in any style.

Chockfull of helpful—and entertaining!—drawing techniques and easy-to-follow tutorials developed through his decades of experience as an artist on popular animated shows (Kim Possible, Danny Phantom, The Fairly OddParents) and as the owner of Silver Drawing Academy, The Silver Way is the kind of educational art book you’ll revisit again and again for guidance, encouragement, and inspiration.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Marc Davis: Walt Disney's Renaissance Man

Stephen Silver Why did I love this book?

This book is filled with artwork and sketches that are filled with energy. I love that Mark Davis offers a variety of different styles and development roughs that are so inspiring and make you want to sketch. The value I received from acquiring this book was giving me a greater sense of appreciation for playing with different mediums.

By Disney Book Group, Marc Davis (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Marc Davis as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?


Walt Disney once said of Marc Davis, “Marc can do story, he can do character, he can animate, he can design shows for me. All I have to do is tell him what I want and it’s there! He’s my Renaissance man.” As such, Davis touched nearly every aspect of The Walt Disney Company during his tenure. He began as an animator, whose supporting work on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Bambi inspired Walt to promote him to full animator.

In the ensuing years, Davis breathed life into a bevy of iconic Disney characters, including Cinderella, Alice (in…


Book cover of How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way

Stephen Silver Why did I love this book?

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way teaches artists step by step how to build construction and energy into their poses. Helping you create more dynamic versions. I love that it is really clear and simple to understand giving the artists extreme value that will guide them whenever they draw from imagination or from life.

By Stan Lee, John Buscema,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Illustrates hitherto mysterious methods of comic art using as examples such Mighty Marvel heroes as Thor, The Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, and The Hulk.


Book cover of Cartoon Animation with Preston Blair: Learn Techniques for Drawing and Animating Cartoon Characters

Stephen Silver Why did I love this book?

I believe this is one of the greatest books for breaking down and understanding the emotion and simplicity of construction. I love that it offers a variety of animals and humans to draw from and it can save you so much time by teaching you the basic fundamentals of drawing cartoon faces that will guide you throughout your career.

By Preston Blair,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cartoon Animation with Preston Blair as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

By following the lessons in Cartoon Animation with Preston Blair, you can make any character—person, animal, or object—come to life through animated movement!

While animators must first know how to draw, the animation process involves much more than just good drawing skills. In this new edition, acclaimed cartoon animator Preston Blair shares his vast practical knowledge to explain and demonstrate the many techniques of cartoon animation. Learn the knowledge and skills animators must have, including: How to construct original cartoon characters by developing a character’s shape, personality, features, and mannerisms How to animate movements such as running, walking, dancing, posing,…


Book cover of The Illusion of Life

Stephen Silver Why did I love this book?

This book offers so much knowledge into the animator's role in the animation process. I love that it covers a variety of positions in animation and offers some really fun sketches in there that inspire you to practice drawing. A book like this can be so valuable that you may not even have to take an animation class after reading it.

By Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Illusion of Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The most complete book on the subject ever written, this is the fascinating inside story by two long-term Disney animators of the gradual perfecting of a relatively young and particularly American art from, which no other move studio has ever been able to equal.

The authors, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, worked with Walt Disney himself as well as other leading figures in a half-century of Disney films. They personally animated leading characters in most of the famous films and have decades of close association with the others who helped perfect this extremely difficult and time-consuming art form. Not to…


Book cover of Drawing the Head and Hands

Stephen Silver Why did I love this book?

I feel like this book lays down the original context in how to draw the human head and body that thousands of teachers use to teach others. I love how he goes step by step giving you the opportunity to really learn what is important. A book like this can save you hundreds of dollars as it is the original source in my opinion.

By Andrew Loomis,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Drawing the Head and Hands as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The human head and hands are the most difficult elements in figure drawing, but world-class illustrator Andrew Loomis' classic primer offers the solution. Revered among artists for his mastery of figure drawing and clean, realist style, Loomis' hugely influential art instruction books have never been bettered. "Drawing the Head and Hands" is the second in Titan's programme of facsimile editions.


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Book cover of Adventures in the Radio Trade: A Memoir

Joe Mahoney Author Of Adventures in the Radio Trade: A Memoir

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Broadcaster Family man Dog person Aspiring martial artist

Joe's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Adventures in the Radio Trade documents a life in radio, largely at Canada's public broadcaster. It's for people who love CBC Radio, those interested in the history of Canadian Broadcasting, and those who want to hear about close encounters with numerous luminaries such as Margaret Atwood, J. Michael Straczynski, Stuart McLean, Joni Mitchell, Peter Gzowski, and more. And it's for people who want to know how to make radio.

Crafted with gentle humour and thoughtfulness, this is more than just a glimpse into the internal workings of CBC Radio. It's also a prose ode to the people and shows that make CBC Radio great.

By Joe Mahoney,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Adventures in the Radio Trade as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"In dozens of amiable, frequently humorous vignettes... Mahoney fondly recalls his career as a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio technician in this memoir... amusing and highly informative."
— Kirkus Reviews

"What a wonderful book! If you love CBC Radio, you'll love Adventures in the Radio Trade. Joe Mahoney's honest, wise, and funny stories from his three decades in broadcasting make for absolutely delightful reading!
— Robert J. Sawyer, author of The Oppenheimer Alternative''

"No other book makes me love the CBC more."
— Gary Dunford, Page Six
***
Adventures in the Radio Trade documents a life in radio, largely at Canada's…


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