Best art books for cutting out pictures
October 9, 2022 3:14 AM Subscribe
Does anyone have any recommendations for cheaply available art books that I could use to cut out pictures from?
Any genre of art is welcome. Ideally the book would have lots of (preferably large) pictures and the minimum of text. Nothing too nice that I would feel bad about desecrating!
I’d go to a used bookstore. They often have tons of $3 coffee table art books. Choose a couple
you like the art in.
posted by david1230 at 5:05 AM on October 9, 2022 [7 favorites]
you like the art in.
posted by david1230 at 5:05 AM on October 9, 2022 [7 favorites]
Smithsonian magazine is good for pictures
posted by Ardnamurchan at 5:12 AM on October 9, 2022
posted by Ardnamurchan at 5:12 AM on October 9, 2022
When you say "art book", do you mean you are looking for a book that has pictures of paintings (or sculptures, etc) by fine artists? If so, I agree with Taschen as Mizu mentioned. I used to find those fairly cheaply at Barnes & Noble in their bargain books section. Not cheap enough to buy a bunch just to cut up though, probably. But you might look for them in used bookstores.
I like to do collage so I'm always on the lookout for books or magazines with interesting pictures to cut out. One good source has been my local Goodwill stores, as they sell hardcover books for $1.79 and soft cover books for less than that. It's been a good source for travel books with beautiful scenery pictures, science books, old encyclopedias, sometimes art books and what have you. I also looked for books from used booksellers on Amazon. For example, I wanted a book with pictures of space, so I searched for that and then checked each one that looked interesting to see if there was a used copy available for a cheap price.
I went on Etsy and bought some old magazines in lots, as well, old National Geographics and Reminisce magazine. Another thing I've gotten from Etsy is magazine cut outs to use in artwork. You can often find themed sets such as animals, people, flowers, etc. These have been nice to have a variety of pictures on hand to choose from and not have to cut them out myself.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 5:15 AM on October 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
I like to do collage so I'm always on the lookout for books or magazines with interesting pictures to cut out. One good source has been my local Goodwill stores, as they sell hardcover books for $1.79 and soft cover books for less than that. It's been a good source for travel books with beautiful scenery pictures, science books, old encyclopedias, sometimes art books and what have you. I also looked for books from used booksellers on Amazon. For example, I wanted a book with pictures of space, so I searched for that and then checked each one that looked interesting to see if there was a used copy available for a cheap price.
I went on Etsy and bought some old magazines in lots, as well, old National Geographics and Reminisce magazine. Another thing I've gotten from Etsy is magazine cut outs to use in artwork. You can often find themed sets such as animals, people, flowers, etc. These have been nice to have a variety of pictures on hand to choose from and not have to cut them out myself.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 5:15 AM on October 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you go to a thrift store you should be able to find used kids’ encyclopedias, art books, travel books, and cookbooks that often have great photos.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 5:20 AM on October 9, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by nouvelle-personne at 5:20 AM on October 9, 2022 [4 favorites]
Public library book sale or thrift store.
posted by cupcakeninja at 5:22 AM on October 9, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by cupcakeninja at 5:22 AM on October 9, 2022 [5 favorites]
Consider calendars. There are millions of art calendars sold every year, and they aren't meant to be kept, so you wouldn't have guilt from cutting them up. If those are too expensive for you new and there's a store that sells calendars in your area, you could ask when they get discounted. I used to always buy calendars from Borders on January 2 because that was the day they went to half price. You could also try waiting until December and posting on NextDoor or Freecycle that you're looking for 2022 art calendars (or probably Facebook - I've never been on Facebook, so add "and Facebook" when I mention NextDoor). I always found it painful to throw those away, and I'm sure there are people who would be delighted to feel they were going to some use.
I haven't been to a Barnes and Noble since before the pandemic, but they used to have extremely cheap art books in their heavily discounted section. This is how I got a beautiful book of all the Pulitizer Prize–winning photographs for like $5.
Many chapters of the American Association for University Women run book sales in the fall. When I've gone to those, books were heavily marked down on the last day - like $2 for a grocery bag full. My local Friends of the Library also has sales like that a few times a year. Google "AAUW book sale" and "used book sales" for your area. (You don't have to wait for the extreme sales - obviously, the AAUW is going to have better choices on the first day, and unless this changed for the pandemic, my local Friends of the Library runs sales every weekend.)
As someone who has been downsizing books, I can say that no one wants used encyclopedias - and I wish people would quit running articles saying to donate them to thrift stores and libraries. Post on Freecycle, NextDoor, or Facebook that you're looking for some. You would have to go through a lot more pages to find artwork, but you would get those for free and, for the guilt factor, there is seriously no other use for those. (When I tried to give mine away, I even put "for collages" in the description - no responses.)
Speaking of NextDoor, I found a weird local used book business only because of posts there (it's run by a family that doesn't have a traditional store). You could try posting a question asking for the best place to buy used art books.
Or just post to Freecycle, NextDoor, or Facebook that you're looking for art books. Older people especially (like myself) may find it a bit overwhelming to get rid of things. And there are always people moving or downsizing or just looking at that giant Georgia O'Keeffe book for the 500th time and thinking, I haven't opened that in fifteen years.
posted by FencingGal at 5:48 AM on October 9, 2022 [8 favorites]
I haven't been to a Barnes and Noble since before the pandemic, but they used to have extremely cheap art books in their heavily discounted section. This is how I got a beautiful book of all the Pulitizer Prize–winning photographs for like $5.
Many chapters of the American Association for University Women run book sales in the fall. When I've gone to those, books were heavily marked down on the last day - like $2 for a grocery bag full. My local Friends of the Library also has sales like that a few times a year. Google "AAUW book sale" and "used book sales" for your area. (You don't have to wait for the extreme sales - obviously, the AAUW is going to have better choices on the first day, and unless this changed for the pandemic, my local Friends of the Library runs sales every weekend.)
As someone who has been downsizing books, I can say that no one wants used encyclopedias - and I wish people would quit running articles saying to donate them to thrift stores and libraries. Post on Freecycle, NextDoor, or Facebook that you're looking for some. You would have to go through a lot more pages to find artwork, but you would get those for free and, for the guilt factor, there is seriously no other use for those. (When I tried to give mine away, I even put "for collages" in the description - no responses.)
Speaking of NextDoor, I found a weird local used book business only because of posts there (it's run by a family that doesn't have a traditional store). You could try posting a question asking for the best place to buy used art books.
Or just post to Freecycle, NextDoor, or Facebook that you're looking for art books. Older people especially (like myself) may find it a bit overwhelming to get rid of things. And there are always people moving or downsizing or just looking at that giant Georgia O'Keeffe book for the 500th time and thinking, I haven't opened that in fifteen years.
posted by FencingGal at 5:48 AM on October 9, 2022 [8 favorites]
Yes, Barnes & Noble still has a big bargain section with art books, and now they more frequently put them on clearance even cheaper. Calendars are also a great idea. If you wait until 2023, people will be practically paying you to take them away.
posted by BibiRose at 5:58 AM on October 9, 2022
posted by BibiRose at 5:58 AM on October 9, 2022
Are you looking for specific books, rather than places to find them? Have you considered the Dover Art Books? As far as I recall, these don't have any text.
And if you are in the UK and would like some books, MeMail me - I quite often Oxfam art books and would be happy to post to you, as I just generally want them to go to someone who wants them.
(Re your question in 2013 - it wasn't Mary Treadgold's The Winter Princess, was it? Illustrated by Pearl Falconer, Puffin Books. I can't remember the princess's name in that, but she does shake things up.)
posted by paduasoy at 5:59 AM on October 9, 2022 [3 favorites]
And if you are in the UK and would like some books, MeMail me - I quite often Oxfam art books and would be happy to post to you, as I just generally want them to go to someone who wants them.
(Re your question in 2013 - it wasn't Mary Treadgold's The Winter Princess, was it? Illustrated by Pearl Falconer, Puffin Books. I can't remember the princess's name in that, but she does shake things up.)
posted by paduasoy at 5:59 AM on October 9, 2022 [3 favorites]
Post on freecycle and buy nothing groups asking for antiques and art magazines.
posted by theora55 at 6:54 AM on October 9, 2022
posted by theora55 at 6:54 AM on October 9, 2022
Any of the large art-history survey texts used in college courses (Gardener's Art Through the Ages, Stokstad's Art History, Janson's History of Art, Rosenblum's A World History of Photography, etc.) have gone through multiple editions and the older editions are often available for super cheap since they aren't used in current classes anymore - despite being equally beautiful and packed with reproductions of all the art.
posted by niicholas at 7:59 AM on October 9, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by niicholas at 7:59 AM on October 9, 2022 [4 favorites]
Look for the biggest books available at your local thrift store, like Goodwill. Among those will be art books, and they'll be cheap.
posted by Rash at 8:23 AM on October 9, 2022
posted by Rash at 8:23 AM on October 9, 2022
For the same price as a used book (maybe), you might be able to find decent large-format art for free at certain museum or public interest sites -- I'm talking just the legal stuff -- and pay a local print shop to print it pretty large (in the US, that's actually FedEx -- a shipper that bought up the largest chain of print shops -- or Staples -- an office supply store that also does printing).
posted by amtho at 8:23 AM on October 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by amtho at 8:23 AM on October 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
In the late 80s I took out a sub to The Sciences published by the New York Academy of Sciences 6x a year because they had interesting general science essays liberally illustrated with themed arty illustrations. Gorgeous. Now I've got a cu.ft. of these magazines, which I'm never going to read again but are too nice for landfill. Nobody would know the artistic delight within from the covers. Also complete set of 1959 Encyclopedia Britannica quietly going furry in a shed.
posted by BobTheScientist at 9:05 AM on October 9, 2022
posted by BobTheScientist at 9:05 AM on October 9, 2022
Yes, I was going to suggest an older edition of Janson! Another thing you can do is wait til the end of the year when the Met puts its various calendars/daily appointment books on sale. There's a weekly one in particular that might fit your needs, if ~5"x7" images work.
posted by praemunire at 10:56 AM on October 9, 2022
posted by praemunire at 10:56 AM on October 9, 2022
In NZ bookstores will give you whole unsold magazines for free, they just remove the cover so they can claim as unsold. Great for doing collage on a budget!
posted by unearthed at 11:09 AM on October 9, 2022
posted by unearthed at 11:09 AM on October 9, 2022
Thrift shops have such a lot of coffee table art books, all kinds of peculiar ones, and they do NOT seem to sell. I’m sure they get junked by the dozen. Go cruise! Find unexpected inspiration!
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:53 PM on October 9, 2022
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:53 PM on October 9, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
The Taschen art books are ubiquitous and you may be able to find a stash of used ones for a batch price. They are fairly well curated so if you have a specific artist or movement in mind you might just look for one in particular on abebooks and the like.
If you live near a university with an art history program, check out their bookstore, and if their library is ever doing a sale of old editions of references. Similarly, art museum gift shops often have a section of books on clearance of old exhibits or visiting artists.
posted by Mizu at 3:30 AM on October 9, 2022 [1 favorite]