Finding a Likeness: How I Got Somewhat Better at Art

The understated and art-filled latest from novelist Baker (Baseless) chronicles how he learned to paint and draw. Burnt out after writing a book on “horrible government programs” and seeking artistic “rehabilitation” in May 2019, Baker proposed a book about painting to his editor. To research it, he embarked on a quest that led him down a rabbit hole of YouTube how-to videos, onto the Instagram pages of artists he admired, and to a four-day art workshop where he learned to better see (“In every direction, the world seemed freshly canvas-worthy”). After abandoning oils for less toxic gouache paint, Baker moved on to pencil drawings of faces and was rewarded with a thrilling “vibration of newfound proficiency... strange little rushes of almost confidence.” Elsewhere, he discusses his 2020 decision to trace images, a taboo practice for many artists (“containment-breech buzzers went off in my head”) yet one that led to visible progress in his art. By December 2021, “I had plenty of notes. It was time to write.” Baker details how he met his artistic goal without freighting the narrative with extended metaphors or self-aggrandizement, making for an ode to the ups and downs of the creative process that’s refreshingly direct if sometimes a bit surface-level. Generously interspersed with the author’s work (his amateurish early efforts hearteningly improve), this will fortify anyone learning a new skill. Agent: Melanie Jackson, Melanie Jackson Agency. (Apr.)