Books about artistic characters

Bandersnatch · Post by **Bandersnatch** » 03 Jan 2017, 11:07

I love books/movies/TV shows that contain characters that draw or paint. I myself draw and for some reason I always love to read about other characters who do, and they always give me this burst of inspiration to draw. It doesn't have to be the focal point of the storyline. For example, Clary from the Mortal Instruments (although I didn't really like those books, but it is a good example in this case)
Currently reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and I love reading about Karou's drawings.
Does anyone have any recommendations? I know it's weirdly specific. Does anyone else like this or something similar, or is it just me?

Bad Macaw · Post by **Bad Macaw** » 03 Jan 2017, 11:22

Hi there,

I am an artist too, and I do like this subject. same as you, I haven't found many books on this...

Have you read The Moon and Sixpence, by Somerset Maugham? It's based on Gauguin's life. I loved that one. Also by Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage- some parts of the story are in Paris during the impressionists period. This is a big book and only focuses on painting for a while, but it's a really good one. I've read it a few times and sometimes I actually skip the character's childhood to get to that part...

Some people tell me they find Maugham boring and way too descriptive, but I absolutely love it. For some reason, I find his books really comforting.

Off the top of my head, these are the two I can think of.

Bandersnatch · Post by **Bandersnatch** » 03 Jan 2017, 11:39

Bad Macaw wrote:Hi there,

I am an artist too, and I do like this subject. same as you, I haven't found many books on this...

Have you read The Moon and Sixpence, by Somerset Maugham? It's based on Gauguin's life. I loved that one. Also by Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage- some parts of the story are in Paris during the impressionists period. This is a big book and only focuses on painting for a while, but it's a really good one. I've read it a few times and sometimes I actually skip the character's childhood to get to that part...

Some people tell me they find Maugham boring and way too descriptive, but I absolutely love it. For some reason, I find his books really comforting.

Off the top of my head, these are the two I can think of.

No, never heard of those! They sound really interesting, I think I'm gonna see if I can check out The Moon and Sixpence somewhere, thanks!

Bad Macaw · Post by **Bad Macaw** » 03 Jan 2017, 13:50

You're welcome! I hope you like it. Like I said, his stories are very descriptive and if you don't like that it could take you a little while to get into them. But they are worth it! Have fun!

Goddess of Gab · Post by **Goddess of Gab** » 03 Jan 2017, 15:34

One of my favorites is I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. Its about a teenage brother and sister who are both skilled artists and have recently lost their mother. They're both a bit odd, as artists are wont to be, and catch flack from that on top of having to deal with their mother's death and the family secrets that come out through that. I found both characters unique and interesting, and Nelson's poetic writing avoided many of the artist tropes I feel give seen too much of.

Bandersnatch · Post by **Bandersnatch** » 03 Jan 2017, 17:48

Goddess of Gab wrote:One of my favorites is I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. Its about a teenage brother and sister who are both skilled artists and have recently lost their mother. They're both a bit odd, as artists are wont to be, and catch flack from that on top of having to deal with their mother's death and the family secrets that come out through that. I found both characters unique and interesting, and Nelson's poetic writing avoided many of the artist tropes I feel give seen too much of.

Oh, really? I've wanted to read that book for a while now. Now I'll really have to read it.. Thanks for the suggestion!

Artiste8 · Post by **Artiste8** » 05 Jan 2017, 14:59

I am also an artist and love to draw and love books that have that element in them. The series Simon Serrailler by Susan Hill are very good mysteries. Simon Serrailler is the main character and a detective. He also loves to draw. These books usually have talk about his drawings.

Bandersnatch · Post by **Bandersnatch** » 05 Jan 2017, 22:37

Artiste8 wrote:I am also an artist and love to draw and love books that have that element in them. The series Simon Serrailler by Susan Hill are very good mysteries. Simon Serrailler is the main character and a detective. He also loves to draw. These books usually have talk about his drawings.

Oooh, this sounds like a perfect series for me.. Definitely gonna check it out, thanks for the suggestion!

Toria Mason · Post by **Toria Mason** » 17 Jan 2017, 04:37

Another artist here! Sadly I don't think I've read too many stories with artists. There was a fairly good focus of art in Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. My favorite novels, the Landry series by V.C. Andrews, has a main character that's an artist. It's not the main focus by any means but certainly a big part of who the character is, and I always find myself inspired by the ideas of what she paints.

Bandersnatch · Post by **Bandersnatch** » 18 Jan 2017, 12:41

Toria Mason wrote:Another artist here! Sadly I don't think I've read too many stories with artists. There was a fairly good focus of art in Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. My favorite novels, the Landry series by V.C. Andrews, has a main character that's an artist. It's not the main focus by any means but certainly a big part of who the character is, and I always find myself inspired by the ideas of what she paints.

Yeah, I have the same thing. Always inspires me to draw or paint something new, even if it's not even really relevant to the storyline or nothing more than a background character. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check them out!