New Visual Arts Books from Perpich Library
August 17, 2026
The Perpich Library has an extensive collection of visual arts books to be utilized for teaching, creating, and learning. Here are a few of the amazing books we added to the collection this summer.
All items on this list are available at the Perpich library. Click on titles for more information.
1. Anatomy of Color: The Story of Heritage Paints & Pigments by Patrick Baty
Drawing on his huge specialist archive, historian and paint expert Patrick Baty traces the evolution of pigments and paint colors together with color systems and standards, and he examines their impact on the color palettes used in interiors from the 1650s to the 1960s. He charts the creation in paint of the common and expensive colors made from traditional earth pigments between 1650 and 1799. He then explores the emergence of color systems and standards and their influence on paint colors together with the effect of industrialized production on the texture and durability of paints. Finally, Baty turns his attention to twentieth-century color standards.
2. Art for All: Planning for Variability in the Visual Arts Classroom, Second edition by Liz Byron Loya
Offers teachers classroom-ready advice on how to transform their art instruction practice in sustainable ways with the inclusive principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Readers learn to set meaningful UDL-based learning goals in their classroom connected to National Core Arts Standards (NCAS) or state standards, measure progress, customize instruction, and engage learners at every grade. Art for All provides art teachers with the tools to discover new and inspiring ways to help all students appreciate and embrace themselves as artists. Whether you’re just discovering UDL or looking to deepen your expertise, this book is an essential resource offering actionable insights for every art educator, from newcomers to veterans.
3. Art of Still Life: A Contemporary Guide to Classical Techniques, Composition, Drawing, and Painting in Oil by Todd M. Casey
Written by a well-known artist and expert instructor, The Art of Still Life offers a comprehensive, contemporary approach to the subject that instructs artists on the foundation basics and advanced techniques they need for successful drawing and painting. In addition to Casey’s stunning paintings, the work of over fifty past and present masters is included, so that the book will do double duty as a hardworking how-to manual and a visual treasure trove of some of the finest still life art throughout history and being created today.
4. Artist’s Palette: The Palettes Behind the Paintings of 50 Great Artists by Alexandra Loske
What can the palette an artist used or depicted tell us about their artistic process, preferences, and finished works? From traditional wooden boards to paint pots, ceramic plates, and studio walls, these deceptively simple yet potent tools provide vital evidence. The Artist’s Palette presents fifty unique palettes alongside paintings by the celebrated artists who used them, gathering expert analysis of color, brushstroke, and technique to offer new histories of these artists and their work.
5. Color Charts: A History by Anne Varichon and Kate Deimling
The need to categorize and communicate color has mobilized practitioners and scholars for centuries. Color Charts describes the many different methods and ingenious devices developed since the fifteenth century by doctors, naturalists, dyers, and painters to catalog fragments of colors. With the advent of industrial society, manufacturers and merchants developed some of the most beautiful and varied tools ever designed to present all the available colors.
6. Counternarratives From Asian American Art Educators: Identities, Pedagogies, and Practice Beyond the Western Paradigm edited by Ryan Shin, Maria Lim, Oksun Lee, and Sandrine Han
Collects and explores the professional and pedagogical narratives of Asian art educators and researchers in North America. Few studies published since the substantial immigration of Asian art educators to the United States in the 1990s have addressed their professional identities in higher education, K-12, and museum contexts. By foregrounding narratives from Asian American arts educators within these settings, this edited volume enacts a critical shift from Western, Eurocentric perspectives to the unique contributions of Asian American practitioners.
7. How to Draw People: Step-by-Step Lessons for Figures and Poses by Jeff Mellem
Teaches beginning artists how to draw the human figure, from stick figure to anatomically accurate person, in clear, easy-to-follow lessons. More than just a reference, this book provides the step-by-step instruction to teach you to draw the human figure and the anatomical knowledge to draw it realistically.
8. Polymer Clay for Beginners: Inspiration, Techniques, and Simple Step-By-step Projects for Making Art with Polymer Clay by Emily Chen
Professional artist and owner of Cat Bear Express, Emily Chen, demonstrates how to make adorable animal figurines, flowers, cookies, cakes, beads, and more through easy step-by-step projects. Each project features colorful, styled photographs demonstrating how finished pieces can be used, displayed, and gifted. A comprehensive tools and materials section and detailed information on techniques, baking, and glazing guide artists in their quest to become polymer clay pros.
9. Teaching Visual Culture: Curriculum, Aesthetics, and the Social Life of Art, Second edition by Kerry Freedman
This is an updated edition of the first book to focus on teaching visual culture. The author provides the theoretical and practical basis for developing a curriculum that lays the groundwork for art education at all levels (K–12 and higher education) and across school subjects. Drawing on material, social, cognitive, aesthetic, and curricular theories, Freedman offers a framework for teaching the visual arts from a cultural standpoint. New content includes applications of new materialism, ways to document and assess tacit knowledge in students, and uses of AI image generation.
10. To See Clearly: A Portrait of David Hockney: A Portrait of David Hockney by Evan Turk
Featuring vibrant artwork and engaging storytelling, To See Clearly: A Portrait of David Hockney introduces young readers to the life and work of an artist known for his bold colors, inventive perspectives, and joyful approach to seeing. Readers will learn how Hockney explored painting, drawing, photography, and new technologies while always encouraging people to slow down, observe carefully, and appreciate the world around them. Perfect for aspiring artists, classroom collections, and families who love art, this inspiring picture-book biography celebrates imagination, perseverance, and the power of looking closely.
All items on this list are available at the Perpich Library.
Title descriptions are provided by Amazon and/or the publisher.
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