Best 3 Artist Magazines to Subscribe To And Why

I frequently get asked by students, "what art magazines should I be subscribing to that will keep me up-to-date on things happening in the art world and give great inspiration and tips that will help me create better art at the same time?"

So, after a lot of thought and careful comparison, I have narrowed it down to my three favorite artist magazines that I personally subscribe to and what I like about them. All are full of inspiration, instructional guidance, excellent art, quality publications, good images, great articles, cover all mediums and subject matter.

1. Southwest Art Magazine

Subscribe on Amazon -->

Southwest Art Magazine began as a western art magazine but has become much more and offers a wider variety of art. I love this since so many other magazines don't offer the quality of both art and articles anymore. Too many magazines focus on just one art style; this one has so much more to offer and is available in both digital and print format!

You'll want to keep every issue for their excellent variety of articles on different paint styles including oil, watercolor, pastel, mixed media, acrylics, etc. as well as their how-to articles on painting, drawing, collecting, and art techniques and trends. They also visit studios and interview the artists on their work, studio set up, and creation process. The featured artists are usually high caliber, accomplished artists with excellent technique and good advice. Regardless of your level of skill, this magazine is an excellent learning and reference tool.

Art styles you will see in this magazine: wildlife, figurative, landscape, cityscapes, florals, seascapes, still life, sculpture, contemporary, Native American, abstract, etc.

2. The Artist's Magazine (USA)

Subscribe on Amazon -->

Artist's Magazine offers excellent how-to articles on a broad spectrum of media, including graphite, charcoal, colored pencil, watercolor, oils, acrylics and more. They have exhibition information, workshop listings, yearly competitions, and more! This magazine is a great learning and reference tool, regardless of whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced.

Art styles you will see in this magazine: portraiture, wildlife, figurative, landscape, still life, floral, abstract, etc.

3. International Artist Magazine

Subscribe on Amazon -->

International Artist is unique in that they continually showcase practicing artists around the world on a diverse number of media, including drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, abstract and more. They have a lot of step-by-step demonstrations in which the artists describe their working process so that you can gain inspiration and learn from them.


This magazine offers bi-monthly issues but because is large, it's more like a book than a magazine. Each issue features a self-study painting lesson, more articles that most magazines, and each issue showcases a themed competition. Regardless of your skill level, it is an excellent reference tool and offers something for every artist.

Some of the competitions featured in this magazine: wildlife, people and figures, landscape, still life, florals and gardens, abstract / experimental art, etc.