Book Description
This book will have beginning artists of all ages drawing faces that are strikingly realistic and detailed. Artist Carrie Stuart Parks honed her fast and effective drawing skills as a professional forensic artist. Here she makes drawing fun and easy, showing beginners how to render vivid self portraits and portraits of others, all in a matter of hours.
Artists will successfully learn how to master proportions and map facial features accurately. They will then study shapes within a composition and learn to draw them realistically. Lastly, artists will study the subject's values and use them to bring life and accuracy to each portrait. A final "checking" step helps artists capture heightened realism and accuracy.
This book features clear step-by-step instructions, before-and-after examples from students, and proven drawing exercises used to train artists throughout the country.
Customer Reviews:
Secrets to Drawing Realistic Faces.......2007-04-11
This book was recommended to me by someone who is an artists for crime victims. It was used in the classes she went to. I am practicing drawing eyes at the moment. I have to say that I am now drawing the best eyes ever. This book explains more that where to put the features. It explains how to make the features come to life.
Drawing Techniques Analyzed and Simplified .......2007-03-23
Again, I checked this one out from the library before purchasing. I did not want another book that just told me to sit down and 'draw what you see'. When it comes to faces, the proportions are the hardest part for me. This book goes into great detail explaining how to 'measure' the features of a real person, not the imaginary kind we see in fashion layouts. I have actually seen great improvement after only a few drawings. The best way to improve is to do separate studies of each facial feature until we get them right, and this book explains how. Practice is what brings the progress. Finding time is the problem. This book makes it very clear that anyone with good eyesight can learn to draw peoples' faces. It's just like learning any other skill. This woman teaches this course to police artists, ordinary people with no previous artistic training. It works!
This book really helped!.......2007-02-08
I love this book, I got it from the library, but I had to have my own copy. I was able to actually capture a likeness for the first time! Her technique of measuring can be applied to more than just faces. I bought her second book, but this one is better.
Drawing Realistic Faces.......2007-02-07
I am very happy with this book, gives you a step by step insight on portraits. This book was also shipped to me within two days, fast and efficient!!
Great Book for Learning to Draw Realistic Faces.......2007-01-10
I love to draw, and most know the Hardest thing to draw is the face. Drawing a Face Realisticly can make or break a Masterpiece, before i was ok my sketchs were nice. I got this book and Practiced, every step, very easy to follow, and understand. Within weeks, i was creating some Portrait Quality Sketches, Now all my friends and Family are asking me to Draw them. I would Recomend this Book to anyone that loves to draw, especially Realistic Drawing.
Customer Reviews:
Draw with black/white first! Yes!.......2007-08-13
Compared to most modern drawing books, which are pell-mell compilations using different (often color) media, which distract from basic drawing principles
of line and tone, Hammond's book, although lowbrow and hobbyist, is a breath of fresh air. Here is someone who (at first anyway) is not afraid to use
the humble pencil and make work in black and white. The strength of any drawing comes from its tonal variety, depth and realism, and in the accuracy of its contours and proportion. With Hammond's simple "grid and blend" technique, one can turn forgotten photos into powerful resources to make head-turning, realist art.
Having said that, the reader should keep in mind that the old masters never learned to draw this way. If they had photos, maybe they would have. But the old masters had to draw from life, often using red and black chalk, and shade using a hatching technique. Because the model could not sit still forever, this practice encourages an artist to get down the essentials quickly, and to not obsess over detail. They often worked larger and in more generalized terms than the constricted, almost
tedious process outlined by Hammond. And their artwork is much more
spirited and lifelike than her obsessive stumping technique.
But who cares? Hammond's technique works. You get some realistic drawings, which are more interesting than most drawings out of people's imagination. Not everyone can draw like Rubens. If you want to learn to draw
like Rubens, Watteau or Boucher, then forget this book. But if you don't
have willing models, and you like realism, then go for it. You will at least learn about the variety of tone (from darkest black to white) in life, and that is half of what drawing is about, and you'll create something from nothing.
Get Over It.......2007-07-21
I am no artist OK! I am a 52 year math and physics teacher. What does that tell you? Those who bash this book as not artistically "right" are most likely the same ones who turn people off to art by telling them to get in touch with their feelings. This is like telling an obese and out of shape guy to get in touch with his feelings through yoga. Nonsense! The guy needs to learn to walk and move and to have fun exercising. Drawing is no different.
Beginners get discouraged because art teachers tell them to draw squiggly lines and shapes and patterns. While these are OK techniques and can work for motivated artists, most beginners just want to draw somewhat realistic subjects. These techniques and skills can be incorporated into the process of drawing real things. This is how Lee does it. As a beginner, this book will get you where you want to be (as will other Lee Hammond books) and you will have fun getting there.
Is it for advanced artists? Probably, not. But these are the folks bashing the book. They bash gridding. Well, if one doesn't need to use a grid or if one does not want to use gridding, then don't use gridding! Give people some credit! We can all figure out if we want to draw a grid or go freehand. "Pushing graphite is an immature method." Well, maybe so in the eyes of expert artists. But artists have been using blending techniques for thousands of years and what is graphite pushing - blending! It is an easy way for beginners to learn to shade and to create shape and texture before learning more complex methods. Critics say Lee's work is not very good! Well I disagree! I took the book to my school and I found not one student or teacher (including the art teachers) who didn't like the drawings. Lee's books are the Fanfare For the Common Man. They appeal to the masses of beginning and intermediate art students who just want to have fun and learn to draw.
Is the book perfect? What does that mean? Nothing is perfect for all people. But Lee's book is a good one. It is very well written in easy to follow language, to the point, and provides great examples and exercises. Lee makes it a point to avoid the stuffy, abstract, gobble-d-goop that many artists seem to believe bolster their otherwise fine techniques. Lee is a very talented artist who knows how to teach and knows how to reach the rest of us aspiring wannabes.
As I said earlier, I am more the Einstein/Edison type (although I don't include myself as worthy of being in their ranks) and as I try to branch out and learn to appreciate the fine arts, I find Lee's books inspiring and exactly what this guy needs.
Get them! You won't regret it and the prices are reasonable. If you can't learn something from Lee's books, then you aren't trying very hard.
Wonderful!
Great Confidence Booster.......2007-06-16
This book has helped me to do portraits of my children and some for my co-worker's families. When I first bought this book, I could already draw and have a friend look at it and know who or what my subject was supposed to be, but it wasn't very good in my own eyes. This book has given me the confidence I needed to actually put some of my portraits in frames on my walls. My goal! I love the idea of having pencil portraits of my family as well as regular old pictures, and I was able to do it without commissioning an expensive version. I use partial graphs to help me in the areas I have trouble with and freehand the rest. I also use her example drawings to give me ideas on how features might look if my picture is too tiny to really see it. I tried using a mechanical pencil, but I found that I could avoid a lot of work if I just used regular sharpened graphite pencils and sticks. This was perfect for my friend's 12 year-old son as well. He was able to produce beautiful portraits with the help of Hammond's technique. I think it's better to not need the graphs, but this book is a real confidence booster. If you can draw something and have people ogle over it, it makes you want to do more and better. It gives you a sense of pride in your accomplishments. I recommend this book for beginners and people like me who need a bit of extra help.
How to draw lifelike portraits from photograps.......2007-02-07
Very informative book, I have improved my portrait skills dramatically by following the techniques,it arrived on a very timely manner!
Drawing Lifelike Potraits.......2006-11-10
I think this book was very informative, it changed my perspective on drawing life like portraits. After going through it and applying the techniques I could instantly see a difference just by using the methods of shading. It was and still is a good alternative tool to use if you are unable to actually receive proper classes. I use it as a reference while I'm drawing. I think some ability to draw is required to use and understand it.
Regards,
Dennis
Book Description
All artists are tired of persuading their nearest and dearest to look sad…look glad…look mad…madder…no, even madder…okay, hold it. For those artists (and their long-suffering friends), here is the best book ever. Facial Expressions includes more than 2,500 photographs of 50 faces—men and women of a variety of ages, shapes, sizes, and ethnicities—each demonstrating a wide range of emotions and shown from multiple angles. Who can use this book? Oh, only every artist on the planet, including art students, illustrators, fine artists, animators, storyboarders, and comic book artists. But wait, there's more! Additional photos focus on people wearing hats and couples kissing, while illustrations show skull anatomy and facial musculature. Still not enough? How about a one-of-a-kind series of photos of lips pronouncing the phonemes used in human speech? Animators will swoon—and artists will show a range of facial expressions from happy to happiest to ecstatic.
Customer Reviews:
Facial Expressions.......2007-09-29
This is a wonderful resource for artists. It offers a variety of models with a wide range of expressions. I Highly reccommend it.
ABSOLUTE NECESSITY!.......2007-09-19
I just recently started creating a webcomic and I never could have done it without this book. The expressions range from highly exaggerated to more subtle and, I promise you, will work for almost any expression you want to create. Also, many expressions are shot at multiple angles, making it much easier for me to create the exact image I am thinking of. Perfect.
Excellent reference for drawing comics.......2007-08-23
I'd used this book often when drawing my manga. However do note that the facial expressions are mostly very exaggerated. When drawing my characters talking or just a gentle smile, I could not find reference from there.I'd to use a mirror. I hope there's a volume two with two people interacting with each other and different camera angles.
Ummm a little disappointing great book.......2007-07-16
I think it's the only book right now which has addressed reference material for facial expressions. It's really useful, but professionals may get disappointed with the quality of some pictures and blurriness. It's not that all pictures are bad quality, but when you have such an amazing reference you ought to expect a lot and that's where this book is disappointing. But for sure this book will be useful for all beginners and probably higher level artists. For this price don't hesitate to buy if you really want a reference for facial expressions. Some people may not like the quality of the paper, but I think you should also consider the price.
good drawing book.......2007-07-05
i thought the book was something different from what i ordered. but i guess its good for artists
Book Description
Collection of portraits, selected from public and private holdings by art historian Trevor J. Fairbrother, reveal the technical skill and intuitive eye for which American portrait painter John Singer Sargent is renowned. Drawings in pencil, pastels and charcoal — a lesser-known aspect of Sargent's oeuvre — are shown. List of Plates. Introduction. Captions.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding pencil art.......2007-09-11
I'm a big fan of Sargent, but haven't had the privilege of seeing much of his pencil work in the grand collections of his paintings. This changes that. What a great book with so many beautiful pencil and charcoal portraits to enjoy. And the price? Who sells art books for this price anymore? Dover does an amazing job.
Sargent Captures the Personality and for any Life Drawing Student this will be a Wonderful Guide.......2007-06-25
As a student of Life Drawing and Portraiture (Carolyn's by Design) going back to her art, I had to have more of Sargent. I had just read the book, "Strapless" about the nortorious Madame X who was captured over and over again in Sargent's renderings. This compilation of renderings displays how attuned Sargent is with his representations of the personalities, how good his eye is at capturing the likeness.....how easily he appears to use minimal usage of his medium to obtain maximum expression in his subject.....This small Dover Art Library reference to Sargent gives you the medium and size as well as the name of the subject and the Intro gives you a great synopsis on Sargent's bio.....For any serious student of Sargent....you will refer back to this over and over again for technical knowledge as well as the inspirational beauty obtained from his work...I love him! Formerly millersequine....sign me Carolyn's by Design and "Enjoy"!!!
Wonderful.......2007-03-18
As an art student, I'm in love with Sargents drawings, so much to learn from such a master.
Drawings or Sketches?.......2006-08-04
I was a little disappointed in this book. I expected detailed, color drawings. This book contains nice sketches of portraits that Sargent perhaps later painted. The reproductions are a little blurry, also. It is still a nice, inexpensive reference book to own.
Must have for Sargent lovers.......2006-03-20
Excellent plates - This book is a must have for any John Singer Sargent admirer!
Customer Reviews:
Useful tool.......2007-07-27
Although the book is printed on a faily couarse grained paper and the photographs could have had better contrast, I have found the book useful. The poses are sufficiently varied to provide a good cross-section of body movement.
Good Ordinary.......2007-04-02
I bought this book when I saw it in the art store. I like it. The poses are natural and the models, while all WASPs, are of different shapes. I liked that the women were differently shaped-- some more curvacious like J-Lo, others like a Flapper with few curves. Their breasts are differently shaped which definitely helps in learning the figure. There are only a few male models and they could have been better had there been more-- I hate to judge a body as unattractive based on the amount of hair or what-have-they, and as an artist I appreciate the differences and these could be better appreciated had there been more. There was only one pregnant woman in the pregnant section and she is perhaps seven months pregnant-- she is not at the point where she is uncomfortable-pregnant or in the earlier stages-- this book could be greatly improved if Mr. Smith had done more women in different stages of pregnancy and a greater variation of models in general. I do know that when it comes to creating a book that publishers are at the mercy of meeting certain costs with a number of pages, so they try to be useful but original and try to meet several goals. This is all right-- it won't be my favourite book on the nude body, but it's not one that I will give away, either.
Will use this often.......2007-01-13
I found many usable poses in this book. Some diversity in body types, which is nice. I could do without the hairy armpits, but thankfully we all have the creative liscense to erase that.
I left out one star because the male nudes are terrible. I think there are only 3 different male models, and I don't even want to look at them, not to mention draw them. No muscle definition, one is pot bellied, and another with a bald head and flabby body completely covered with hair...easy to render as that is (a contour, then tons of hair)I'll pass. Two thumbs down on the choice of male models.
Designed to develop familiarity with the figure .......2006-08-08
First off, let me start off by saying that this is not a how-to guide for drawing the figure. It does not attempt to teach you, and it's not designed to do so. Also, don't expect this book to have great photos that will translate into beautiful, finished pieces of art--I don't think one should expect it to be. Instead, it is choke full of full figure poses with which a student can learn the human anatomy by repeated practice of drawing different poses.
The book is what it says it is--it is merely a visual reference. This book is designed to help those who are already familiar with drawing the figure, but needs to practice the full figure at home without the help of live models at their disposal. It is not a replacement for live models, so some may deem this inadequate--but note that this is probably the best book out there of this kind. Some of the reviewers complained about the homogeneity of the models and their poses--well, not everyone is looking to expand their figure drawing prowess by drawing ethnic, overweight, or innovative poses.
Speaking from personal experience, I feel that this book is helping me to develop familiarity with the figure, ultimately resulting in speed and better gestural expression. If this isn't what you're looking for, I don't recommend this book for you. As for Sarah Simblet's book, which this book is sometimes compared to, get it if you need to be taught how to draw the figure. Otherwise, I feel that book is useless, as most of the photos are of individual body parts, rather than the full human figure. It may be used to try to gain familiarity with individual body parts, but there aren't enough photos of each part to help become familiar with any of them. It does look pretty fancy though. Very glossy. Unlike this simple and functional book for those who believe in the value of repetition.
Love it.......2005-02-23
I browsed through this book at a Barnes & Nobles a few weeks ago, and almost immediately fell in love with it. But I did have to wait to go online as it was nearly 30.00 at B&N and I knew I could get it cheaper at amazon.com, which I did for a mere 22.00 with shipping.
Before "The Nude Figure" my best reference book was "Drawing the Female Nude" by Giovanni Civardi, which featured his drawings of two models in various poses. It is a great book for the beginner, but after five years of using it I needed something new - and Playboy just wasn't working.
The Nude Figure by Mark Smith featured only photographs of various models and all kinds of different poses. All of the photographs are in black and white which is a definite plus in my mind, helping you to see the defining lines and edges. The poses are divided into chapters as follows:
Standing Poses - This chapter is full of your basic standing poses. Arms up, arms down, from the side, from the back.
Seated Poses - Seated on the ground in different positions including Indian style, which I find very hard to draw.
Reclining Poses - All kinds of laying down positions, all from different perspectives. Some look quite easy to draw and others are quite hard.
The Figure on a stool - These I find quite difficult simply because of the stools - I am not good at any kind of still life, even if it has a woman sitting on it.
Kneeling Poses - The Kneeling poses are quite useful, but some of them just look awkward and I don't see how you could use them in a work of art - but I guess there is always a way.
Bending Poses - Most of these look like stretching before a workout poses. I don't se how they could be useful in a work, but for practice everything is good.
Crouching Poses - A lot of these poses make the model look like she is ready for a race.
The Figure in motion - I am very happy with this section as I do a lot of fairies and it is full of people jumping up in the air - something you could never get a live model to hold.
The Pregnant Figure - There are only a few pages of this, and I'm glad they put in here. It's not too often that you get to see a nude pregnant woman to draw from. I think this will come in handy someday.
Unusual Poses - Just like it sounds, many of these aren't very practical, but very useful in learning how different muscles shift in different positions.
The bulk of the photo's are in Standing, Seated, and reclining poses. Those fill up most of this book.
If you are wanting to learn how to draw men, this book is not for you. In all of the chapters (excluding the pregnant figure), men are only featured on about two pages. But this is a very good thing for me, as I only draw women.
Also the people in this book are all pretty fit. There aren't any fat people in here, not a big scope of different shapes. Again, I am happy with this as I don't want to draw fat people, but other artist might be disappointed by this lack of diversity. Some of the women have hairy armpits though, and some don't - that's diverse enough for me. Plus the women may all be over-all fit, but they are all built differently.
The photo quality is OK, but not fantastic, no glossy pictures in here, in fact some are grainy. But they are all adequate, and I think they did this to keep the cost of the book down, which makes me happy, as I would not have paid 40.00 just to have more glossy pictures. They use a lot of different lighting techniques in this book, but some of them I hate only showing the outlines of the figures when I want to see muscle.
Overall I am quite happy with this book. I know it will give me plenty of ideas for years to come, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting lots of good poses to use in their art. It is the best book of poses I have found thus far. 90% of the poses are very usable, my only problem is trying to choose which one I want to try out next.
Book Description
Portraits not only capture a likeness, but offer for generations to come a glimpse into the subject's life. Sounds like quite a challenge. But with Ann Kullberg's help, it's not as difficult as one might think to create lifelike colored pencil portraits.
Using her own beautiful portraiture for instruction and inspiration, Kullberg walks artists through the process step by step--from basic information about materials and techniques to two demonstrations that show how complete portraits come together from beginning to end.
Readers will also find Kullberg's secrets for making their portrait come alive, along with 17 mini-demos that make it easy to paint realistic features, hair and clothing.
Customer Reviews:
Colored Pencil Portraits: Step by Step.......2007-09-14
This book is equally useful for beginning colored pencil artists through more advanced portrait artists. It is a must read for beginners, as I am. Author Anita Kullberg begins with basic colored pencil techniques, composition and the all-important skills of using light, dark and mid tone values. Then, she leads the reader through the step-by-step techniques of painting skin tones, facial characteristics and realistic hair. By the time I painted my second portrait using Kullberg's techniques described in this book, my painting was believable and recognizable. Far more important to the amateur, I really liked my work! The book is indexed for an easy search for content and Kullberg's "Hints" are real gems. This is a great reference book in addition to the tutorials.
Best book on colored pencils ever!!!!.......2007-08-08
This book was spectacular. The author and artist is absolutely amazing. When I found the book I had no idea how to blend and make skin tone with colored pencil being a black and white pencil artist, but I was able to read her instructions and use them to make my first colored pencil portrait and it looked fantastic. If you are an aspiring portrait artist and you want to learn colored pencils, this is a book you can't do without!
Colored Pencil Portraits: Step By Step.......2007-07-31
This book got me started on colored pencil, it was my very first introduction to the medium. Ann Kullberg through her enthusiasm is incredibly motivating- with carefully thought out step by step techniques and beautiful paintings to show you exactly how she achieved each effect. She goes through every process of creating a portrait in colored pencil starting from a blank page- learning the tools; to composition; right up to the business of selling your work. Ann is also very humble and took the time to answer all of my questions personally when I wrote her a letter. It was because of this and the great joy I got from working through her lessons I went to one of her workshops. She is a patient teacher who will not hesitate to help another-sharing all of her secrets. Ann Kulberg is of great strong moral character and a master of her trade. I would recommend any product she has created.
Colored Pencil Portraits: Step-By-Step .......2007-05-14
This is a wonderful book. It is very informative if you want to learn to work with colored pencils. I recommend it to any bidding artist!
If you can attend her workshop-do it!!!.......2007-04-17
I just attended her portrait workshop for 3 days & can tell you that this gal is the real deal! She's genuinely gifted & has such a wonderful & bubbly personality! I had attended a workshop 2 yrs. ago from a different cp artist & vowed not to go to any more until I decided to go to Ann's (whose workshop I wished I could've took in 2005 instead of Arlene's). This book will help you so much!! I am used to doing colored pencil with the scumbling method which takes forever!! Ann has developed the most amazingly easy technique that is so much faster & looks just as good if not better!! I think the only bad reviews must be by her ex! Ha! I want to attend the 2nd workshop someday that goes with her 2nd book. I have her CDs that go with her books & CDs of her online magazine for colored pencil. All are so helpful!! Her method & books will help even the worst of artists I believe! Thank you Ann for all of your help!!
Book Description
The New Authoritative Guide on Drawing Cool Comic Portraits *Features 30 step-by-step demonstrations for easy reference *Presented with a sense of humor and a cool design to set it apart from dated competitors *Appealsl to the wide trade market of 13-year-old-plus beginners Anyone can learn to draw sharp and cool caricatures with Face Off. Presented in an entertaining style, the easy-to-learn techniques and basic processes will make the art of comic portrait drawing simple, even for young beginners. Readers will learn how to draw specific features for the front, ¾, and profile views, as well as how to color their art and find inspiration from a gallery of collected works.
Customer Reviews:
An Excellent Guide!.......2007-09-28
Face Off is an excellent step by step guide to analyzing a face and creating great caricatures. I've been an artist for more than 20 years and was always amused by caricatures, but never developed a knack for creating them . . . until I got this book. After only 6 weeks of following the step by step guidelines I've developed my own style and I'm creating hilarious pictures of my friends and family. I highly recommend this book to both beginning artists and more experienced professionals looking to branch into caricatures.
Great Modern Caricature How-To.......2007-08-04
"Face Off" is one of the better books on basic caricaturing, in part because of its modern, graphic-heavy approach. Also, in my opinion, this work is more up to date than most other books on the subject, even explaining how to color your drawings in PhotoShop without screwing up the original artwork.
This book covers a lot of ground, although out of necessity it isn't always what you would call "in-depth" in its information. For a broader understanding of caricaturing, I would suggest that you get this book along with another more detailed work such as Len Redmann's How To Draw Caricatures and/or Let's Toon Caricatures by Keelan Parham. I have found all of these books to be extremely helpful, especially when taken together.
Overall, this is a fun and informative book.
Good Stuff.......2007-06-19
Well when I got this book in the mail, I was very excited. Only to have my bubble bust when while flipping through the pages i realized that these are more cartoons than caricatures. None the less the information presented here is invaluable to any aspiring cartoonist or caricaturist. (I strongly believe theres a difference). However i'm not really complaining I would still recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to draw caricatures. I belive by mastering this book one would have obtained the skills to produce both caricature and cartoon portraits. So in my final analysis I would have to give it a 4/5 stars (due to my initial disapointment).
The Book I've been looking for........2007-05-22
This book combines both great artistic skills with instructional skills to create an excellent book for the less experienced caricature artist. I found much that I could use in improving my own caricaturing within this book's pages. The author shows step by step partial drawings along with the completed black and white caricature, as well as the colored in version. I like the author's caricaturing style, not over exagerated, but very recognizable as the person pictured. This is the book, that I think I will get the most use out of, of the 4 books that I purchased together. I really love it.
You gotta get this BOOK!.......2007-02-24
I cannot tell you how long I have waited for a book with this much insight. If you are an aspiring caricature artist this book is a M-U-S-T. I have been doing caricature art for over ten years and this book filled in all the gaps. Harry Hamernik tells it all and does it step by step.
Buy this book and close your account because this is all you need to grow in your craft. Well done Harry, well done.
Product Description
This book is focused on various techniques and styles in drawing human figures and portraits. The book has 192 pages, each page includes one or more figure/head drawings done from live models. There are about 20 step-by-step demonstrations from detailed and traditional approaches to fast and painterly styles. Along with the step-by-step demonstrations and examples, the book is filled with detailed description of methods of using charcoal pencil, vine charcoal and compressed charcoal. The text also includes opinions, tips, ways of thinking and observing. It's a book that will benefit both beginners and advanced learners.
Customer Reviews:
A required reference work on the figure for your growth and development!.......2007-08-30
Henry's book opened up a new world of drawing to me and looks to be - regardless of price - the deal of the century given what some works of similar cost offer the reader or artist.
Henry's astounding level of line quality, and his ability to see - in an elegant way - what should be recorded on the page set his work and this collection of his drawings apart. While they are different in many ways, I put this book up with my Burton Silverman books as an oft' considered reference. Amazing and wonderful just to leaf through.. and fantastic as a learning tool! A Classic!
A master class in figurative drawing.......2007-06-19
As one of the great draughtsman and artists of our time, Mr. Yan has compiled a book which really encapsulates what figure drawing should be all about.
A beautifully laid out book, Mr. Yan covers in a thoughtful and methodical way how to approach drawing the figure in several of the major classical styles, his thought process and step by step instructions on how to do so.
In saying that, his work transcends mere technique and has an energy that comes from being truly free to express one's self. He provides you the tools to do this, the rest is up to you!
Wonderful and inspiring book!.......2007-06-11
I bought this book as a gift to my father, Francisco Lopes. His opinion about it is:
"This is a book that inspires the artist to express in his drawings a sense of living energy to the figure. You should have Henry Yan's book in your library even if you are a professional artist or not. It is an important and complete course of charcoal drawing."
The difference between art and replica.......2007-06-10
I have been studying figurative art for several years and own most of the figurative books on the market. The difference between other books and Mr. Yan's book is that other books teach you how to copy the figure where as Mr. Yan's book show you how to create figurative art. The powerful drawings in this book make me think about values in a new way. If you are into figurative drawings, this book is a must have.
wonderful artwork !!.......2007-06-07
Henry Yan's figure drawing gives you a great approach on how to work with lines, proportions and structural shapes to achieve volume in your drawings, but as well to work with a more painterly approach using mass and the use of shadows and lights to shape the form... it's illustrated with great examples of these two approaches, and you'll also see how he combines those two approaches line and mass in his examples.
You will find in this book Henry Yan's different steps to achieve such splendid drawings. Aside the explanations on his method of work, it's abondantly illustrated(portraits as well as figure drawings). There is to me a real quality in his line, composition of image and use of lights. Besides his great technicity,I find his work filled with a search of sensibility and mood in the capture of the model's pose.... that goes beyond just achieving "perfect technicity" so to speak, but in search of what the model's pose and scene inspires you, far more than just simply "copying" things. I have so far never seen a figure drawing book like this, it will defenately remain a source of inspiration to me. His "painterly" approach in his figure drawings is a great inspiration on how to use this method in colored paintings as well. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in figure drawings and in art in general.
Customer Reviews:
A MUST have!.......2006-10-19
As a self proclaimed 'doodler' I've always been fascinated with how you can make a drawing look lifelike... and not cartoonish. I could sit for hours and doodle and copy almost any picture, but they never looked real. This book is written in such context that even my 12 year old daughter has now taken an extreme interest in pencil drawing. It could have something to do with the examples in the beginning of the book of portraits drawn by children as young as 11 years old and they are better than anything I had ever done! After one day of reading the entire book and acquiring the recommended supplies, I took a deep breath and started the practice sessions. At the end of the first day, I decided I wanted to try to draw the eye and the lips using the newly learned techniques and was absolutely blown away at the realism on my piece of paper! Now, I shall try to draw the other facial features and then an entire face. I can't wait for my next break at work so that I can do more.
DRAW REAL PEOPLE.......2006-02-01
THIS BOOK IS EASY TO USE AND UNDERSTAND, WHICH I FIND MOST HELPFUL. THE STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS ARE EASY TO FOLLOW AND THE RESULTS ARE AMAZING. I WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR EITHER A BEGINNER OR AS A HELPFUL REFRESHER. THE TECHNIQUES ARE PROFESSIONAL AND INFORMATIVE AS YOU GO ALONG.
I love this book!!.......2005-08-12
I am 13, and drawing has always been a major avocation for me. Normally, I don't like drawing books, because most of them only give you a limited amount of objects to draw, in one pose. The most useful part of the book was always the first one or two pages, which normally include an introduction to drawing and the basics of shading. "Blocking out the subject in simple shapes" has never worked for me, for whatever reason, and neither has the technique for drawing portraits where you put in lines where the eyes should go, exc... I found my drawings to be of much better quality if I simply looked at the picture and tried to draw it, as opposed to following the step by step instructions. Using this straightforward style, I started drawing people's faces, until I was recommended this book. I bought it, and it was a worthwhile investment.
I'd never heard of this particular drawing style before, and I wish I had; it would have saved me much trouble. I wish I could post a before and after picture for you to see how much my drawing improved when I started using this style. Shading is explained thoroughly throughout the book, as is highlighting and many other important techniques. I recently painted an 8x8 mural of our school logo, a Native American, and this book provided priceless help. Though it might help to go through some trial and error first, I highly recommend this book to all classes of artists, beginners to professionals.
Draw Real People.......2004-07-02
I am just getting back into my artwork after many years. Although I have always drawn many things I never thought I possessed the talent or ability to draw a realistic portrait. Whenever I would attempt it, the portrait would be a beautiful picture of someone, but NOT the person I was attempting to draw. I just could not seem to make it look life the person. When I followed Lee Hammond's method using the grid, my portrait came out not only realistic, but it looked exactly like my daughter. My friends and family were amazed by the exact likeness of the portrait. This was on my very first attempt. I would highly reccomend her book. I plan on getting seriously into portraits now. I cannot believe what I was able to accomplish through her instruction. I am definitely going to be purchasing more of her books.
Draw Real People.......2003-12-10
I am half way finished with the book. Gridding photograohs makes you break down the parts and shapes of the nose, mouth, eyes, and ears. It changes how you veiw subjects you see shapes and not the whole face. I found trying to draw the whole face very over whelming as a person getting back into drawing. The gridding process teaching you symetry and helps you draw individual features better on the face.
Book Description
Learn how to turn what you see into masterful, expressive art. With the practical instruction and advice in these pages, you can develop the skills necessary to draw fine portraits in the realist tradition.
In The Art of Portrait Drawing, skilled artist Joy Thomas passes on to you the lessons she has gathered from generations of the world's greatest artists. Learn about the golden mean, the traditional three-color portrait, the secrets of proportion and more methods used by the Old Masters and today's best artists alike!
Inside you'll find: · An introduction to every commonly used drawing medium, including charcoal, Conté and graphite · An illustrated overview of the history of portrait drawing · Time-honored methods for drawing accurately · Insights on how to capture not only the likeness, but also the mood and essence of your subject · Advice on posing a subject, setting up lighting, choosing the right tools and composing effectively · 9 in-depth, step-by-step drawing demonstrations to develop your skills and your confidence Portraying the human face is the ultimate expression of art. Use The Art of Portrait Drawing as the road map for your artistic quest.
Customer Reviews:
A "Must Have" book.......2007-01-03
The "Art of Portrait Drawing", a hard cover beautifully printed book, is a fine addition to any beginning or intermediate artists library. Joy Thomas is a highly skilled artist and the book is filled with "hands on" demonstrations and practical tips on approaching this subject. Personally
I find portrait drawing/painting to be an extremely challenging and intimidating task. Indeed there are many "celebrity" artists in the top galleries who couldn't paint a good portrait if their life depended on it.
While this book may not be the definative work on Portrait Drawing, it is very well done and well worth the investment.
Sound Advise for the Intermediate.......2006-09-20
The author works from life and covers most the kinds of things you'd want to know about successful portraiture. The step-by-step was most interesting to read as she takes you through a process and how to resolve some issues you may run into. It doesn't offer a lot to beginners because she assumes you know how to see and do basic drawing and toning. I'd say this is a book for the intermediate artist who needs to reenforce existing knowledge with some very useful tips you probably never thought of, particularly for drawing from life.
I only have a few small critical things to say here. Although she reviews some basics on composition such as the golden ratio, she doesn't actually seem to practice them much in her examples. For example, she shows you how to "center" the head and says the "full face" portrait is the most common. Well I've heard alot of arguments against centering and full face views so it seems a contradiction to talk composition then not practice it in reality. I believe the 3 quarter view is most common, and you do not want to center the head for reasons I can't give here because it is too detailed. But perhaps she didn't want to overload the reader with composition theory since that's a much more complex issue.
But this is very worthwhile to read and she seems to have done a great job with the structure and language of the book.
Thomas' Portrait Drawiang.......2006-06-29
I just watched the video that comes with this book. I would higly recommended both. As a beginner it was inspiring to watch an artist actually doing the technique described in the book. I can only imagine that if someone has more experience, it would be very usefull to see someone highly skilled perform their technique. I have read many books on this subject and find this to be the best.
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- The Draw 50 Way: How to Draw Cats, Puppies, Horses, Buildings, Birds, Aliens, Boats, Trains and Everything Else Under the Sun (Draw 50)
- The Enchanted Forest Chronicles: Dealing with Dragons / Searching for Dragons / Calling on Dragons / Talking to Dragons
- The Encyclopedia of Grasses for Livable Landscapes
- The Encyclopedia of Grasses for Livable Landscapes
- The Graphic Standards Guide to Architectural Finishes: Using MASTERSPEC to Evaluate, Select, and Specify Materials
Books Index
Books Home
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General
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
How to Draw Lifelike Portraits from Photographs
Secrets To Realistic Drawing
Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil
How to Draw What You See (Practical Art Books)
Pencil Drawing Techniques
