Art Books Every Character Designer Should Own: A Review of My Top 10 Picks

Whether you’re just starting your journey as a character designer or you’ve been crafting unique personalities for years, building a library of essential art books is one of the most powerful ways to sharpen your skills.

Art Books Every Character Designer Should Own

Books give you the opportunity to study the masters, break down techniques, and absorb years of knowledge without stepping into a classroom.

But with so many incredible resources available, it can be overwhelming to decide which ones are truly worth your investment.

I’ve curated a list of 10 essential art books that I believe every character designer should have on their shelf. These selections cover everything from figure drawing and poses to animation theory and world-building, blending classic resources with modern gems.

Each one has influenced my work, and I hope they can inspire your creative journey too.

1. Figure Drawing for All It’s Worth by Andrew Loomis

No list of essential art books is complete without Andrew Loomis. This book is a timeless classic for a reason. Loomis breaks down the human form in a way that is both technical and highly accessible, making it easier to understand proportions, gestures, and anatomy.

For character designers, understanding the structure beneath the surface of your designs is critical.

Loomis doesn’t just give you rules; he gives you a system for creating believable figures, whether you’re drawing a heroic adventurer or a quirky cartoon sidekick.

Why it’s essential: Strong figure drawing skills will make your characters feel alive, expressive, and convincing. Loomis is the foundation.

2. Character Animation Crash Course! by Eric Goldberg

Eric Goldberg, legendary animator at Disney and Warner Bros., shares his insights into bringing characters to life in this fantastic resource. This book isn’t just about drawing; it’s about thinking like an animator.

Goldberg emphasizes expression, personality, and movement, all of which are key for designing memorable characters.

With clear examples and exercises, it teaches you how to translate character traits into poses and expressions, a skill that can make even simple designs feel dynamic.

Why it’s essential: It’s a bridge between static illustration and character animation, which is invaluable for anyone designing characters that need to feel alive.

3. The Animator’s Survival Kit by Richard Williams

This one is required reading for anyone serious about character design. While it is framed as an animation guide, it’s a masterclass in understanding motion, weight, timing, and exaggeration.

Even if your characters will never move beyond the page, studying how a character behaves in motion informs everything from facial expressions to posture. Richard Williams’ examples are incredibly practical, showing how subtle shifts in pose can completely change the perception of a character.

Why it’s essential: Understanding the mechanics of movement gives your characters credibility and personality that jumps off the page.

4. Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas

This classic book offers insight into the Disney approach to character design and storytelling. Written by two of Disney’s legendary “Nine Old Men,” it explains the twelve principles of animation and how these principles inform character personality.

The book is packed with sketches, model sheets, and behind-the-scenes insights, making it both inspirational and educational. It teaches you to consider how design, gesture, and emotion work together.

Why it’s essential: It’s a deep dive into the philosophy of character, not just the technical aspects—perfect for designers who want characters that resonate emotionally.

5. Force: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators by Michael D. Mattesi

Mattesi’s Force books focus on dynamic drawing, a technique that emphasizes movement, energy, and flow rather than static anatomy. For character designers, this approach is invaluable because it prioritizes action and personality over perfection.

Through exercises and examples, you’ll learn to inject your characters with life and momentum, ensuring they feel like they could step off the page.

Why it’s essential: Static, stiff characters are forgettable. Learning to convey force and energy transforms your designs.

6. Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers by Marcos Mateu-Mestre

Character designers often think only in terms of individual poses or expressions, but your characters exist within a world and narrative. Framed Ink teaches visual storytelling, composition, and framing, helping you design characters that not only look interesting but also tell a story through placement and interaction with their environment.

Mateu-Mestre’s book emphasizes how composition and design choices reinforce character and narrative, a concept often overlooked in standard figure-drawing books.

Why it’s essential: It teaches you how to make characters visually compelling in context, elevating your designs from sketches to scenes.

7. Creating Characters with Personality by Tom Bancroft

Tom Bancroft, a former Disney animator, focuses explicitly on creating memorable, appealing characters. This book is a blend of theory, practical exercises, and inspiration. Bancroft dives into silhouettes, shapes, expressions, and visual storytelling, giving you actionable tools to create characters that stand out.

His approach is approachable and highly practical for character designers, especially those working on animation, illustration, or comics.

Why it’s essential: It teaches you how to design characters that are instantly readable and full of personality, a must for any professional designer.

8. Designing Characters with Proportions and Shapes by David Colman

Colman’s book is a modern approach to understanding shape language in character design.

He breaks down how different shapes communicate personality—squares for stability, circles for friendliness, triangles for danger—and how proportions affect audience perception.

This book also includes pose studies and exercises, helping you integrate theory into practice. Shape and proportion are often underestimated, yet they’re central to designing instantly recognizable characters.

Why it’s essential: Learning shape language allows you to communicate personality at a glance, a vital skill in games, animation, and comics.

9. Disney's The Art of… Series (e.g., The Art of Zootopia, The Art of Moana)

These books offer behind-the-scenes looks at modern animation character design. They show the design process from concept sketches to finished character models and explore how designers iterate and refine their work.

For modern character designers, these books provide insight into contemporary practices, giving you ideas for color palettes, textures, and stylization techniques that resonate with today’s audiences.

Why it’s essential: They bridge the gap between classic principles and modern workflows, offering inspiration and practical knowledge.

10. Character Mentor: by Tom Bancroft

Learn by Example to Use Expressions, Poses, and Staging to Bring Your Characters to Life

This book focuses on action and storytelling through poses, providing hundreds of reference sketches that are perfect for character designers looking to add energy and believability to their characters.

Using these references, you can experiment with exaggeration, movement, and emotional expression in your designs.

Why it’s essential: Characters are defined as much by how they move and hold themselves as by their faces or costumes. This book gives you the tools to make every pose tell a story.

Building Your Library: Tips for Using These Books

Owning these books is only half the battle. Here’s how to maximize your learning from them:

1. Practice regularly: Don’t just flip through pages—copy, study, and experiment with the exercises.

2. Mix theory and practice: Apply animation principles to static illustrations and see how movement and energy enhance your designs.

3. Study the masters: Compare different approaches across books to find what resonates with your style.

4. Keep a sketchbook: Use it to experiment with ideas inspired by these resources, building a personal reference library.

5. Revisit often: Your understanding of these books will evolve as your skills improve, revealing new insights each time.

Final Thoughts

A strong library of art books every character designer should own is like having a team of mentors at your fingertips.

From the timeless wisdom of Andrew Loomis and Disney’s old masters to modern character design insights from Tom Bancroft and Marcos Mateu-Mestre, these ten books offer a comprehensive toolkit for building characters that are expressive, memorable, and believable.

Whether your goal is animation, comics, video games, or illustration, these books will elevate your craft, fuel your creativity, and inspire you to take your characters to the next level.

So, which book will you start with? Grab one, open your sketchbook, and start bringing your characters to life—because every character deserves to be unforgettable.