SOME GREAT BOOKS FOR THE BEGINNING MURAL ARTIST

Because I am a self taught artist, books were (and still are) an invaluable resource for me, and I'd like to share some of them here. Most of them I have purchased but you can find a lot of them at your local library as well. These I've linked the titles to Amazon.com. PAINTING MURALS by Patricia Seligman
is full of helpful tips and techniques, my favorite is a page with diagrams of how to create different style arches...very helpful.
Graham Rust's PAINTED CEILING and PAINTED HOUSE
are just wonderful to look at. In the Painted Ceiling he shares some putti (cherubs) designs with us along with lots of other helpful information. I've talked about ANIMALS by Jim Harter
before, and its worth mentioning again. Its full of images of mammels, birds, fish, insects, etc that are all copyright free so you can use them to your hearts content. Another good book for the beginning mural artist is Trompe L'oeil by Roberta Gordon-Smith. Its a good starting point with basic techniques.
I'm not really sure what the difference is between 'realism' and 'trompe l'oeil' painting.....is there any? When you're ready to take your trompe l'oeil work to the next level or paint in a more realistic way, check out John Agnew's PAINTING THE SECRET WORLD OF NATURE, its my new favorite book.
Another great trompe l'oeil book is SKY AND SEA by Ursula E. and Martin Benad. They actually have a few books so look into that.
PERSPECTIVE by J.M. Parramon I've also mentioned before, its an excellent book on perspective. Try to find a copy. Perspective is so important in mural work and when you try to avoid it, it shows in your work.
Also look for books on color theory and composition, two other important ingredients for creating better than average work....nobody wants to be average, and in this business you can't afford to be.
New books come on the market all the time. Visit your local bookstore often and just browse the shelves in both the 'art' section and the 'decorating' section. A lot of the mural books are found in the 'decorating' section. And don't forget Amazon.com or ebay for finding bargain prices on used books.