What kind of art teacher are you this winter? Maybe you’re craving big ideas and quiet reflection. Or maybe your hands are itching to draw again. Or perhaps (let’s be honest), you just want a relaxing, creative pick-me-up. Whichever description resonates with you, approach the reading lists below as your very own “choose-your-own-adventure.” Whether you want to feed your mind, hands, or soul, these books will help you recharge so you can return with fresh perspectives, sharpened skills, and renewed creativity.
What kind of art teacher are you this winter? Choose your reading mood below!
The Thoughtful Artist: Feed Your Mind
You love exploring ideas, connecting disciplines, and reflecting on their meaning. A deep and insightful conversation with a fellow creative is refreshing. There’s nothing more fulfilling than fueling your students’ brains with critical thinking exercises and intentional art journaling prompts. Over break, you’re happiest with a book that stretches your understanding of art, learning, and the human experience.
Add these books to your reading list:
- All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley
If you’re looking to find purpose and meaning in art, this memoir is poignant and reflective, perfect for a quiet break. - Steppingstones: Pivotal Moments in Art Education History by Paul E. Bolin, Ami Kantawala, and Mary Ann Stankiewicz
For the teacher side of your art teacher identity, discover how art education evolved through the ages. You may be surprised by how your classroom today stands on those foundations. - Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
Learn how creativity literally rewires your brain and strengthens your emotional well-being. Use this scientific data to build an inspiring case for art advocacy to grow your program. - The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen
Take a fascinating deep dive into how humans used notebooks to think, experiment, and dream. Then, play with some of the ideas in your own sketchbook.
The Hands-On Creator: Feed Your Hands
After a whole day of making art with students, it’s the last thing you want to do when you go home. But now that the break is here, you’re ready to make art again! You crave the texture of pencil on paper, the smell of paint, and the meditative quiet of studio time. These books will remind you what it feels like to be both artist and student.
Bookmark these must-reads:
- The Practice and Science of Drawing by Harold Speed
Reset and reconnect with your drawing practice through the fundamentals of seeing and form with this timeless guide. - Beginning Drawing Atelier: An Instructional Sketchbook by Juliette Aristides
Learn (or relearn) classical techniques with a modern twist. Try your hand at structured lessons to help you get started and sketchbook play to stay energized. - The Artist’s Sketchbook: Inside the Creative Mind by Jenny Gaschke (V&A Museum)
Peek inside the sketchbooks of artists throughout history and rediscover the magical process of creating beauty.
- The Artist’s Palette by Alexandra Loske
Feast your eyes on gorgeous pigments, color theory, and painterly inspiration. This book features stunning spreads that effectively blend visual and historical information. - Draw Your Day: An Inspiring Guide to Keeping a Sketch Journal by Corinna Luyken
Enhance your hand-eye coordination by cultivating a simple yet powerful habit of daily sketching. - Keep Going! 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon
Gain inspiration and practical tips on how to stay creative and engaged no matter what life throws at you. If you enjoy Austin Kleon’s books, be sure to catch his presentation at the next Art Ed NOW Conference!
The Joy-Seeking Maker: Feed Your Soul
The winter months can bring darkness and dreariness. Bring a little color and play into your break with the light and spontaneous side of art! Tap into the freeing act of making without an end product and experimenting without a goal. Set aside some time to explore because these reads will have you full of wonder in no time.
Snag one of these books to kickstart your next exploration:
- The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair
Discover the surprising stories behind colors to inform the color palettes around you. Think of it like an artist’s trivia night in book form. - The Art of Noticing: 131 Ways to Spark Creativity, Find Inspiration, and Discover Joy in the Everyday by Rob Walker
Try these creative mindfulness exercises to slow down, observe, and find inspiration in everyday life. - Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art by Stephen Nachmanovitch
Step into the joy of making with this cult classic on creative flow and intuition. - ArtCurious: Stories of the Unexpected, Slightly Odd, and Strangely Wonderful in Art History by Jennifer Dasal
Enjoy these quirky, entertaining art history stories that will reignite your curiosity and pique the interest of your students. - The Art Lover’s Sticker Book by Kelly Lynch
Who doesn’t love a sticker book? Grab this one for low-stakes fun and lots of collage delight!
No matter what kind of art teacher you are this winter, it’s important to pause and refill your creative well. Whether you’re deep-thinking, sketchbook-filling, or sticker-playing your way through break, these books remind us all of one truth: to teach art well, we have to experience the depth and joy of art ourselves.
Which of these books will you read over winter break?
Share one art book you think every art teacher should check out.
To chat about these art books with other art teachers, join us in The Art of Ed Community!
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.
