Constructive Anatomy (Dover Books on Art Instruction)

Book Description

This invaluable anatomical reference shows important parts of the human body, both in motion and in repose: hand, wrist, fingers, forearm, neck, high, leg, and more. Drawings of bone and muscle structure are also covered in detail. Over 500 illustrations. "Best book on artist's anatomy." — Art Students League News.

Customer Reviews:

One of my favorite anatomy books around.......2007-02-10

This still remains as one of the top anatomy books I use the most. I actually like the fact the figures and illustrations are not super detailed and more loose sketches. A beginner might find this frustrating, but as a person that is trying to develop my own style I find it more important you get a loose interpretation and fill in your own details and personal touch. Otherwise you'll just have clone artists of these anatomy books.

The other reason I love this book is the price. It's small size makes it very easy to carry around too.

I feel I've improved tenfold since I've purchased this book on making my anatomy look more real.

QUICK AND EASY.......2007-02-07

This is a good quick reference guide and is easy to read as is all of Bridgman's books. The Complete Guide to Drawing From Life is more indepth and might be better if you want a little more explaination.

One of my Top 3 Bridgman books- great in drawing from memory..........2006-04-03

Mainly for intermediate-level artists- it's actually *GREAT* for enthusiastic beginners. It has a little bit of *everything* depicting anatomy construction from memory. It's also great for general improvement; a few tips & tricks- an *excellent* reference for all working artists.
This is the book that really turned me on to the genius that is Bridgman. At first glance it may not be immediately impressive, but flip to page 167 for a quick look at his cubed-construction of the head. It's Bridgman's brief but effective treatment of cube-construction in this book that really, really impresses me. Many books *mention* cube-construction for heads; many books show a brief picture or two. But not many show it with the precision & detail that Bridgman conveys in just a few short pages. It deals with figure construction mainly in its parts- for full-figure movement, check out Bridgman's Complete Guide, or his less overwhelming Bridgman's Life Drawing. Constructive Anatomy begins with hands, which in my opinion is the weakest part of the book. (Bridgman's 100 Hands is much, much better.) Arms are next and they're easily among Bridgman's best, although not all the drawings are crystal clear. Many of the BEST drawings in Bridgman's Complete Guide are taken from this book, and his depiction of arms here is definitely among them. The shoulder & neck briefly follow, and are above average in their depiction. Then it's time for that excellent section: the cubed-construction of the head. It's only a FEW pages- I don't want to oversell it. But in my opinion at least, it's worth the price of the book. Individual features follow: eyes, nose, ears and mouth are simply & accurately treated. This is a more *in-depth* book than Heads, Features and Faces- which is mainly a simple introduction to the basics. Maybe the BEST section in Constructive Anatomy involves the Torso. He describes more in a few pages than most books ever do- and with a precision & beauty that few seem to match. The pelvis, legs, knees, feet & toes finish this truly excellent work. If anyone's overwhelmed by Bridgman's Complete Guide, Constructive Anatomy is a simple & effective choice to make- Highly Recommended!
In short: Along with Book of a Hundred Hands & Bridgman's Complete Guide, Constructive Anatomy is currently in my Top 3 by Bridgman.

Kinda hard to understand.......2004-02-10

This book is filled with pictures. George B. Bridgeman did a great job with this book. The reason I gave only 4 starts is beacuse it was kinda hard to understand. I mean I spent 20 min. figuring out the introduction and still dont full understantd it. But farther into the book it was easier to understand but still difficult. I am only 13 and this book may have been written for college students or adults so that may have been one reason I dont unerstand so well but once you start picking it up you learn a lot of stuff about the human anatomy. THIS IS GREAT FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER ARTIST.

Not what I hoped for!.......2003-12-16

I expected more from this book based on the reviews that I read before buying it. Although it has some good information about what specific muscles jobs are, the illustrations are not clear enough for good understanding. As an artist specifically working with the human form I find this book very mickey mousey and incomplete. If you already have all the books ever created on human anatomy that are needed to put together the information that is required to have a comprehensive knowledge on how the human body is constructed and moves then get this to finish your collection, but if you are looking for a clear understanding and accurate information on human anatomy for the artist look elswhere.

Average customer rating:

Short, but very good book of techniques
This would be a start for me
Great for beginners!
Awkwardly worded but still interesting
It was great!

Heads, Features and Faces
George B. Bridgman
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486227081

Book Description

Helpful approach to difficult area. Almost 200 drawings plus text and examples from work of Vermeer, Hals, Rembrandt, others.

Customer Reviews:

Short, but very good book of techniques.......2007-08-10

For the price, I don't think you can get a better book on drawing human heads. Bridgman illustrates a structural approach to the head and its features. (I agree that his language it sometimes a bit difficult to follow, but the sketches show everything you need to know about his technique).

The book covers basic proportions of the head, an introduction about how to approach the head as a series of planes, how to draw the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth in a structural way, a brief comparision of adult to child head proportions, and an introduction to how to draw the heads at different perspectives.

Overall, it's a short book, but it's packed with valuable techniques that have definitely improved my portrait drawings.

This would be a start for me.......2007-02-27

to explore and capture some facial expressions when drawing pictures of people. I'm an artist and I want to take my artwork to a higher ground and this book would be the template for future drawings.

Great for beginners!.......2006-03-19

This really isn't an *in-depth* book- Very slim & brief, it's definitely great for a quick intro to the basics...
Bridgman gets right into it: starting with the basic outline, he proceeds to planes and basic shading, then follows with a decent look at the various features we all need to be familiar with. Eyes, nose, mouth & ears are simply & accurately treated. Basic proportions are touched upon. This is actually great material for beginners (recommended!), in contrast to his usual intermediate-level stuff. With *very high* paper quality (thank you!!!), the drawings here seem to be a bit more clear than in his other books. Stylistically speaking, this is very different & interesting for Bridgman. He actually displays representations of various famous figures: Vermeer of Delft; Frans Hals; Sir Joshua Reynolds; Rembrandt Van Ryn; George Washington; Abraham Lincoln; and Louise Elisabeth LeBrun. This tends to be my least favorite aspect of the book, although the accompanying text is actually sometimes pretty interesting. Miscellaneous drawings here also include: men; women; children; a chef; a clown; a small Leonardo Da Vinci self-portrait sketch; and Jolly St. Nick a.k.a. Santa Claus. I kinda like these miscellaneous drawings! Like I said, this is all *very* different from his usual, uniquely-conceived, figure drawing efforts. Facial expressions are barely touched upon. This is a basic-level book in pretty much every single respect.
He describes *introductory* methods of construction in the last few pages- perspective, cube-construction & oval construction. This book will *not* teach you to construct heads from every conceivable point of view from memory. For a more detailed look at constructing heads from memory, check out his truly excellent & more famous works: Constructive Anatomy and Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing From Life. Bridgman is famous for his cube-construction of the head, but we only get a little of it in these very brief pages. Great for beginners! Also great & more *in-depth*, 5-star works for beginners: Drawing the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm, and Andrew Loomis' Drawing: The Head. All currently available here on Amazon!

Awkwardly worded but still interesting.......2002-03-11

The art, in my person opinion, is rather ugly but it serves it's purpose. I did have a problem with the wording. It was often too technical and a bit awkward. The sentence structure was a bit odd. I guess the point of the writing style was to be different and not seem oversimplific. However it was not simple enough. A book like this should be simple and easy to understand. I also think there are some terms that should have been clarified or defined but they were not. I got the impression that this book was not aimed at beginners but more at intermediates who were familiar with some of the terminology. Don't get me wrong, the terminology was not that difficult to guess the meaning of, but it did detract from my enjoyment of the book. I am just not fond of this particular style of writing. Other people may like it. And the book has some valuable information.
Mildly recommended.

It was great!.......2000-09-13

This was a great guide, it really had structure. It helped a lot. George B. Bridgmam realy knows what he's talking about.

Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life

Average customer rating:

A GOOD COMPLIMENT TO HOGARTH
great product, for any skill level, any drawing class.
A must have
One of my Top 3 Bridgman books- great in drawing from memory...
Amazing

Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life
George B. Bridgman
Manufacturer: Gramercy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0517255464
Release Date: 1992-04-19

Book Description

“An indispensable volume...published for the first time in paperback....More than 200 illustrations of hands and hundreds of images of arms, shoulders, heads, torsos, legs, knees, and feet.” —Library Journal. “It will...meet a deeply felt need to draw the human figure from a vantage point of understanding and visual acuity.”—Arts & Activities.

Customer Reviews:

A GOOD COMPLIMENT TO HOGARTH.......2007-02-07

This book goes good with Hogarth's Dynamic Anatomy. I have gained better understanding from studying this book as well as Hogarth's. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to know a little about human anatomy.

great product, for any skill level, any drawing class........2006-11-10

This is a very helpful and thorough book. It's a great book to draw from, great for structural help. Great price on amazon! It's worth it because buying the individual books is much more expensive!

A must have.......2006-06-26

I also own Contructive Anatomy and his books on HANDS. This is a must have. Not just for the content, but also for the style. Any serious artist should diligenly copy the sketches in this book, as a daily sketch exercise.

One of my Top 3 Bridgman books- great in drawing from memory..........2006-03-26

Mainly for intermediate-level artists- I *might* have to pick this as my #1 Bridgman book. It has a little bit of *everything* depicting figure construction from memory. It's also great for general improvement; a few tips & tricks- an indispensable reference for all working artists.

And Bridgman appeals to a *very* wide-ranging audience: fine & commercial artists; illustrators; comicbook pencilers; animators; video-game designers; fashion artists; sculptors; computer graphics designers; students; intermediate-artists; experts; and professionals. This Complete Guide represents the best of 6 out of his 7 individual books. Drawing the Female Form is the book that gets left out. Designed by editor Howard Simon in 1952; Bridgman passed away in 1943, so it's not Bridgman's fault if anyone has issues with the layout(!).
Here's a quick breakdown of his 6 individual books, from my very favorite to least...
1. Book of a Hundred Hands- His *best* representation of hands; if hands are your main interest, skip all else & buy 100 hands.
2. Constructive Anatomy- His *best* individual work on figure construction- especially with cubed-construction of the head.
3. Heads, Features and Faces- Great for beginners; it isn't in-depth, and it isn't nearly overwhelming like this Complete Guide.
4. Human Machine- Genius in concept- drawings exceedingly sketchy. These are the sketchiest drawings in this Complete Guide.
5. Bridgman's Life Drawing- Like a mini Complete Guide. Treats the figure in its parts as well as with basic, full-figure movement.
6. Drawing the Draped Figure- *Very* basic. Everything you need from this exceedingly thin book is included in this Complete Guide.

In short: The basic *point* of Bridgman's Complete Guide is to help people to draw figures more convincingly, and even from memory. To a great degree, at least in my opinion, this book still succeeds in a very effective way...

P.S. This book is definitely *not* for beginners! Only *Intermediate-level* artists need apply.

Amazing.......2006-01-09

I would rate this ten stars if I could. Speaking as someone who has gone to some school and trying to complete my portfolio through books and tutorials, this book is absolutely indispensable. Its a little hard to understand as navarro states earlier. But once you actually work through an exercise, any exercise, his method clicks very quickly and easily. I am amazed by the amount I learn and skill I gain with every page of this book. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in any area of art.

Average customer rating:

The human machine
Helpful but Constructive Anatomy is much better
Its what I expected
Genius conception-- sketchy implementation
Poor Drawings, Poor Printing, Save Your Money

The Human Machine
George B. Bridgman
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486227073

Book Description

Each section of body from skeletal level through adding muscles to "life" form. Over 400 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

The human machine.......2007-05-14

where is my book?,,, i never reviced.
or Tell to me, where can i call or send a email, to ask about it.

Helpful but Constructive Anatomy is much better.......2007-02-23

I've been a fan of George Bridgman's books ever since I bought Constructive Anatomy, and followed it with the 100 hands book. I found the Human Machine and ordered it because I wanted to see more references in regards to how the body movies. I'm not severely disappointed but I suppose I was expecting a bit more. I was hoping for more full body references which would separate the book from Constructive Anatomy. Unfortunately it didn't deliver.

I did find the information in this book highly useful, but I have to agree that the print quality of the illustrations can be frustrating for some people. I am not bothered by it because I want something that is loose and interpretive, but explanatory. The problem with many art books is that they get so detailed in anatomy an artist trying to learn life drawing isn't learning to interpret the information but simply copies it.

You need illustrations like this to help your juices flow and act more creatively. If everything is drawn out for you in explicit detail how do you learn to fill in the gaps and experiment? That is why I found Bridgman's books more valuable to me than the super detailed anatomy books. His methods of construction have helped me out greatly in learning to flesh out my figures from stick forms.

The other value of this book is it's price. Why waste 30 dollars or more when these books are usually 10 dollars or less? My other book is becoming worn from extreme use, but at least I know I can easily replace the book at a low cost!

Its what I expected.......2006-11-10

In reality, this book didn't teach me anything I didn't know already. The illustrations may be handy for someone who hasn't had much experience with body-mechanics, bending, joints, etc. This book was neither outstanding nor worthless, thus my bland 3 star review...

Genius conception-- sketchy implementation.......2006-03-18

Maybe 3-1/2 stars. (Idea & Layout= 5 stars. Drawing quality= 2 stars.)

Bridgman's The Human Machine is *exceedingly* ambitious in its scope, and could have been exceedingly successful to match, were it not for its *one* pretty obviously glaring problem: these drawings are exceedingly sketchy!

Originally published in 1939, Bridgman passed away in 1943. He was approximately 75 when he made this- possibly a factor in the lack of clarity throughout. If only he had made this at the height of his career(!)- This book is a perfect example of 'what could have been'.

Many people revere this work in spite of all this. It may not compare at 1st glance with the slick, computer-aided & enhanced books of today, but if you're willing to get past the obvious sketchiness here you'll find a veritable gold mine of visual information. Take the overall layout & structure for example. In my opinion, this book's presentation easily rivals that of his more polished & refined work- Constructive Anatomy, which has a more awkward interplay between its words & pictures. The Human Machine moves rapidly & logically, building the figure with simple lines first, then showing how bones & muscles interact with eachother & with the figure's simplified outline, to give an impression of the whole figure & its parts, all at once in a few detailed pages. It's this *overall* conception of the human figure that appeals to the many who give this work a chance. Bridgman applies all this to the figure's actions & mechanisms as well- it's not just about bones & muscles here, like so many anatomy books tend to be. And Bridgman's lines, though sketchy here, still tend to be an accurate record of the figure, worthy of study. He *usually* chooses his lines with the precision & beauty we've come to expect. But the overall lack of visual clarity here hurts; leaving this genius idea still somewhat unrealized.

Overall: The basic *point* of Bridgman's Human Machine is to help people to draw figures more convincingly, and from memory. To a great degree, at least in my opinion, this book still succeeds in a very effective way...

P.S. This book is definitely *not* for beginners! Only *Intermediate-level* artists need apply.

Poor Drawings, Poor Printing, Save Your Money.......2006-02-01

I bought 16 different Anatomy Drawing books and this is the only one that I actually felt compelled to give away. When the other people say the drawings are faded and sketchy that is an understatement. This is not a good book to learn by and it was not very effective in the design approach. Your much better off with some Dynamic Figure Drawing, Dynamic Hands, Dynamic Wrinkles, Artistic Anatomy, Anatomy for Artists, An Atlas of Anatomy For Artists, etc etc etc. Some of the other books I listed are almost the same price and are 10 times better. Its night and day between this book and the other Anatomy Drawing books.

Average customer rating:

Never Equaled
The QUALITY is here, but the QUANTITY of illustrations is missing.
What can I say?
Like a 'mini-version' of his 'complete guide'
OUTSTANDING!!!

Bridgman's Life Drawing
George B. Bridgman
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486227103

Book Description

More than 500 drawings and text teach you to abstract the body into its major masses. Also specific areas of anatomy.

Customer Reviews:

Never Equaled.......2007-01-23

This was the second drawing book I'd ever bought, after Buscema's "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" -- which is where I first stumbled across Bridgeman's name. Buscema's book, which is fine for beginners, did well to point toward Bridgeman, for further study.

Bridgeman's books are a wealth of information on classical drawing, giving the student an understanding of the mechanics of the figure, necessary whether drawing from life, or imagination. Artists of all sorts can apply the principles Bridgeman teaches. Bridgeman doesn't show us pretty drawings, but instead, the underlying anatomy and basic shapes that give a good drawing it's substance and weight.

I bought this book back when I was in junior high school and now am considerably older and a published artist. I still find this and other Bridgeman books continuously rewarding of further study.

The only drawing books I would rate nearly as high, are those of Andrew Loomis, though personally, I think Bridgeman is better on structure, while Loomis' books cover more of the practicalities of illustration and focus more on surface drawing (though both teacher/authors are miles above others in showing the strong fundamentals of drawing) -- unfortunately very little of Loomis' teachings remain in print -- probably due to some misguided notion that they're "dated". Bridgeman escapes this by adhering to the classical and timeless.

Buy the book, already.

The QUALITY is here, but the QUANTITY of illustrations is missing. .......2006-12-14

"Bridgman's Life Drawing"--by George B. Bridgman

Beginning books on figure drawing are published every year, almost as though there was, by some insane principle, a national shortage of art instruction. Many of these books have fantastical claims by reviewers, like: "MUST BUY"...or ...."GREATEST BOOK EVER"....and similar remarks, many of which are supported by ....maybe two sentences to justify the glowing comments. Some readers will give a book glowing reviews because they have bought the book, without a comparison to other works on the same subject. I've always found it better to study the longer reviews carefully to see if there's something worthwhile to know about the book.

There are some books published nearly 50 years ago that are better than any published since. Bridgeman's book I one that was once one of the best in the CLASSICAL TRADITION.

Bridgman's book is available as a reprint of an original 1924 edition, so it needs to be noted that the book is "dated". It is a good book, by 1924 standards, and it is not expensive in it's paperback editions, so if you can afford it, buy it anyway.

It is important to compare the illustrations inside with some of the books offered today. Thus we may observe that newer books are not always better, and in fact, today the student must fight through an insane abundance of mediocre drawing books. That is why considering Bridgeman is a good idea.

There many good "human puppet" illustrations in the CLASSICAL TRADITION of block figures and so on, and his illustrations are instructive; but I've looked at older books, and generally, 75 years ago, the publishers were selfish when it came to putting lots of illustrations in the books. Whatever the reason, Bridgeman's book does not contain the abundance of illustrations that one can find in some other drawing books.

I'm happy to own my Bridgman, and it's a good asset if you've not looked at drawing books published before the computer era.

What can I say?.......2006-09-26

Everythings been said. Get this book, copy the drawings, look back at it whenever you're having a problem.

Like a 'mini-version' of his 'complete guide'.......2006-03-18

Maybe 3-1/2 stars. More than a few people think this is Bridgman's best *individual* work, besides his later collected & largely comprehensive Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life, which actually *includes* most of these contents within.

While I can't really say I agree with that, Marvel's legendary John Buscema seems to think highly of it(!). Co-author of How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way with Stan Lee, Buscema lists 2 Bridgman books in its bibliography: Bridgman's Life Drawing, and then that aforementioned collected Complete Guide. My guess is that some people will feel overwhelmed by the Complete Guide, so it's definitely a good idea to steer people towards one of Bridgman's smaller, easier to understand books. Buscema knew what he was talking about! I fully agree with him on that sentiment. Having collected all of Bridgman's books though, I personally find this among the least helpful(!). Sharing a similar contents structure to the Complete Guide, Bridgman's Life Drawing is his 1st & only book to deal with overall full-figure construction and proportions, on top of the individual parts analysis that many figure drawing books seem to prefer. The first 94 of 169 pages deals with simplified, classical looking full-figures in action. While many people love Bridgman's simplified figures here, I think most will likely find them to be of limited use by today's standards. Beautiful to look at maybe, but better, more detailed books are available. Beginners especially will be put off by the lack of clarity & detail here. The individual parts analysis however, beginning on page 95, can *really* be pretty helpful.

Mainly intended as a brief overall study of the figure, it's great for a quick & easy breakdown of Life Drawing in general. People looking for more *in-depth* figure drawing skills however may want to check out some of Bridgman's other, better drawn, and still more detailed works. The Book of a Hundred Hands, Constructive Anatomy, and Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing From Life are *currently* my 3 favorites.

OUTSTANDING!!!.......2004-04-15

This is an OUTSTANDING BOOK on drawing the human body. Whether you are a cartoonist, serious painter or sculpter, this is a "must have" reference. Buy it, borrow it, steal it if you must, but GET IT!

Average customer rating:

One of my Top 3 Bridgman books- great in drawing from memory...
If You Need a Second Look at Hands
disorginized confusing sketches
A Very 'Handy' book!
Excellent beginning to intermediate book at a good price

The Book of a Hundred Hands
George B. Bridgman
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 048622709X

Book Description

100 illustrations plus instructive text. No better coverage available.

Customer Reviews:

One of my Top 3 Bridgman books- great in drawing from memory..........2006-04-03

Mainly for intermediate-level artists- it's actually *GREAT* for enthusiastic beginners. It has a little bit of *everything* depicting hand construction from memory. It's also great for general improvement; a few tips & tricks- an *excellent* reference for all working artists.
The genius of Bridgman, at least for me, is mainly in his construction of heads & hands. The genius in Bridgman is that he selects important lines & planes: He emphasizes the *essential*. His drawings aren't always eye-poppingly 3-D, and to me, that's actually a good thing. They're mainly simplistic- yet amazingly effective. There's *great* power in this simplicity here! Here's the formula I use: copying Bridgman + photos + my favorite artists= success(!). And this book represents his best work on hands- even *better* than his Complete Guide, which includes much of this material. In fact, this book, *along with photographs*, has enabled me to draw hands completely from memory in an amazing range of angles & views! And it's helped me quicker than any other book on the market; quicker even than Burne Hogarth's incredibly popular Drawing Dynamic Hands. The design & layout here are really among Bridgman's best. If you flip rapidly through these pages, initially you might not be impressed. But if you take the time to look at each page, you'll notice some drawings are a bit better than others. Some of his best drawings are his smallest(!). For instance- In learning to draw from memory, I started by copying smaller hands, working my way up to bigger & better detail. I started by copying pages 119 & 101- it's amazing what just a few lines can teach! Many pages are like this: simple, easy, and effective; for beginners, intermediate & up. In short: My Highest Recommendation- 5 STARS!

If You Need a Second Look at Hands.......2005-09-26

Can be an alternative (different views are always valuable) or an augmentation to Hogarth. The drawings are sketchy rather than firm. He takes anatomy a too deep (bones, tendons, deep muscles, then finally what shows under the skin), but the pose you're looking for may be in here. My library could live without it, but it's nice to have.

disorginized confusing sketches.......2004-06-23

This book is not for beginners. To understand this book you'll need to have a good understanding of the hand's anatomy, but if you already understand the hand then this book will be useless. Some pages are organized so on the left will be a description like "the pinky sticks out at this angle", then on the right will be an ink blot test looking drawing where you can't even see the pinky. A good alternative to this is Burne Hogarth's "Drawing Dynamic Hands".

A Very 'Handy' book!.......2004-04-19

This is a superb little book to have around the studio at all times. Although there are one or two better books on the subject of drawing this most difficult of body parts (Burne Hogarth's 'Drawing Dynamic Hands' is the best), there is nothing to match this one for sheer value for money.

While Bridgman's illustrations are a little sketchy for my taste, you can't beat the sheer convenience of having a book containing one hundred different hand positions around when you need a quick reference for a particular hand position...and all for under eight dollars. What more do you want? A chocolate cover?

Great illustrations, good, informative text, a handy size, and great value for money. What are you waiting for?

Buy this book now!

Excellent beginning to intermediate book at a good price.......2004-01-20

There are two excellent books that I know of that focus specifically on the anatomy of the hand for the artist. I was given this book early in my aspiring art career by my grandmother (an accomplished artist) but lost it some while later. I had forgotten the title and ended up buying Hogarth's "Drawing Dynamic Hands" as a guide after failed attempts to locate this book again. I would actually recommend getting them both, but start with this book first. In the end I got alot out of both, but there were many times using the Hogarth book that I missed "Hundred Hands".

Hogarth's style of illustration in all of his books is much more imbellished by his use of soft shading to illustrate volume. His look is extremely useful but it can also be an obstacle to a beginning to intermediate student since end result is a more stylized appearance. With Hogarth's books, the student can find themselves inadvertently adopting the look of his images in their own style.

Bridgeman's illustrations are much more loose and sketch-like. He uses little or no shading but his understanding of volume and structure rivals Hogarth's. The simplicity of his examples are much easier to get started with. He accomplishes just as much if not more with a few loose lines as Hogarth's vivid shading. More importantly the sketch-like quality can be much less intimidating early on.

While it's true Hogarth's book is definitely nicer to look at, I believe Bridgeman's is a much better learning guide for starters. The price of this book also makes it affordable to use them as compliments to one another if you decide get both.

Average customer rating:
Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing From Life

Manufacturer: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1402702841

Product Description

This book contains over 1,000 illustrations

Average customer rating:

Bridgmans Life Drawing
gE Orge B., Illustrated by Bridgman , George Bridgman
Manufacturer: Pelham, NY: Bridgman Publishers, Inc. 1951
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000EF3MHE

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Bridgman's Complete Guide Drawing Life
Bridgman's
Manufacturer: Sterling Publishing co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WI4204

Average customer rating:

Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing From Life
George B. Bridgman
Manufacturer: Sterling Publishing Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LJKO9C

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