The Draw 50 Way: How to Draw Cats, Puppies, Horses, Buildings, Birds, Aliens, Boats, Trains and Everything Else Under the Sun (Draw 50)

Book Description

For more than thirty years, the bestselling Draw 50 series has shown children how to create everything from puppies to ships, horses to skyscrapers, and aliens to racing cars. In this new addition to the beloved series, Lee J. Ames shows you how to draw sixty of his popular sketches step-by-step. His clear instructions help budding artists learn the basic movements and procedures of drawing, allowing you to explore your interests in a fun, familiar, and easy-to-master way.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic!.......2007-01-15

My son received this book for Christmas and LOVES it. It's a great book for anyone that loves to draw - it breaks everything down for you and has a step by step illustration for every picture in the book.

Artists Photo Reference Birds (Artist's Photo Reference)

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Artist Photo Reference: Birds

Artists Photo Reference Birds (Artist's Photo Reference)
Bart Rulon
Manufacturer: North Light Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1581804520

Book Description

Each bird species is shown in a large primary photo, with additional photos showing a variety of angles and poses; close-ups of feathers, feet and other details; and the bird in its natural habitat.

Key information on habitat, feeding, physical characteristics and other helpful facts are included to help artists create accurate works of art. Four step-by-step demonstrations show how to use reference photos to paint beautiful birds.

Bart Rulon is a successful wildlife artist, as well as an experienced photographer whose primary interest is experiencing his subjects in the wild. His work has been shown in many of the finest exhibitions, museums and galleries displaying wildlife and landscape art in the U.S., Canada, Sweden, Japan and England. Rulon lives and works on Whidbey Island in Washington State's Puget Sound.

Customer Reviews:

Artist Photo Reference: Birds.......2003-06-07

I recommend this book to any bird artist or anyone who just likes birds in general. The variety of birds covered is good and the number of photos is excellent! The text is very informative, especially the information on number of tail, and wing feathers.

Draw 50 Birds: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw Chickadees, Peacocks, Toucans, Mallards, and Many More of Our Feathered Friends (Draw 50 Series , No 25)

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Most Useful
Very good

Draw 50 Birds: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw Chickadees, Peacocks, Toucans, Mallards, and Many More of Our Feathered Friends (Draw 50 Series , No 25)
Lee J. Ames , and Tony D'Adamo
Manufacturer: Main Street Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385471637
Release Date: 1996-12-01

Customer Reviews:

Most Useful.......2005-10-28

This was the most useful book for learning to draw birds that I have found to date. It was easy to follow, the drawings were accurate without being overly ornate, and the diversity of birds was perfect. I would recommend this book to anyone trying to learn to draw, and especially for those who want to draw birds.

Very good.......2003-02-05

good book. when Lee J. Ames draws with someone else it is a bit harder. still easy and fun.

John James Audubon (Gift Edition): Writings and Drawings (Library of America, 113)

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Talent, Passion, Perseverance: A Portrait of the Artist
audubon's best single collection
A Masterpiece of Nature Writing

John James Audubon (Gift Edition): Writings and Drawings (Library of America, 113)
John James Audubon
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1883011817

Amazon.com

John James Audubon's indelible portraits of American birds have long since cemented his reputation as one of our truly magical realists. Yet the artist, who was born in Haiti in 1785 and died 66 years later on his 30-acre estate in upper Manhattan, was not only a sublime featherhead but a trailblazing nature writer and diarist. Doubters should take a gander at the Library of America's splendid Writings and Drawings. This new compendium features 64 full-color plates, most of them from the Ornithological Biography, which demonstrate the compositional and dramatic brilliance that Audubon brought to his work: seldom has the black vulture, or Coragyps atratus, looked so elegant or sleekly satisfied, and his colloquium of ruby-throated hummingbirds (a.k.a. Archilochus colubris) is an almost comical study in group dynamics. Yet it's the texts--journals, letters, diaries, a brief memoir, and a pair of essays on artistic technique--that are the true revelation here.

Audubon was not, for the record, a kind of starry-eyed precursor to the Sierra Club, leaving nature untouched by human hands. It's telling that in his self-portrait, the artist is gripping neither palette nor paintbrush but a flintlock rifle. Gunning down his ornithological subjects was a necessary prelude to portraying them. Still, Audubon had quite a few of what we moderns would call conflicted moments, during which his admiration for, say, the Mississippi kite would temporarily halt the killing spree. Here the sight of a mother attempting to rescue its chick manages to stay his itchy trigger finger--for a millisecond, anyway:

My feelings at that moment I cannot express. I wished I had not discovered the poor bird; for who could have witnessed, without emotion, so striking an example of that affection which none but a mother can feel; so daring an act, performed in the midst of smoke, in the presence of a dreaded and dangerous enemy. I followed, however, and brought both to the ground at one shot, so keen is the desire of possession!

The aesthetic and taxidermal impulses have torn apart many a naturalist since then (although, to be sure, the stricken diarist was later annoyed to discover that another animal had cut in on his action: "What was my mortification, when I found that some quadruped had devoured both!") Elsewhere, Audubon records the topography of the Mississippi Valley in vivid detail, or grumbles about the tight job market: "Visited several Public Institutions where I cannot say that I Was very politely received; in one or Two Notable ones (Not Willing to Mention Names) I was invitd to Walk in and then out in very quick order." Audubon's early-19-century orthography, which the editors have meticulously retained, may take some Getting Used To. And the sheer piling up of avian corpses can seem almost comical to a modern reader. Still, Audubon worshipped pretty thoroughly, and very productively, at the shrine of the natural world. And let's recall his verdict on Liverpool's industrial landscape, which he observed during a 1826 visit: "Naked streets look dull." If only there'd been a long-billed curlew on hand! --James Marcus

Book Description

A landmark volume collects the writings and drawings of America's greatest artist-naturalist

The breathtaking art of John James Audubon's Birds of America has been celebrated throughout the world since it first appeared over 150 years ago. Less well known is Audubon's literary legacy -- the magnificent volumes of natural history he published during his lifetime, as well as the remarkable journals, memoirs, and letters left behind at his death. Now, with The Library of America's unprecedented John James Audubon: Writings and Drawings, Audubon the great nature writer takes his rightful place alongside Audubon the artist.

Here is the most comprehensive selection of Audubon's writings ever published, along with a spectacular portfolio of his drawings. The "Mississippi River Journal," the foremost record of an American artist's progress, details Audubon's first wilderness bird hunts. Selections from his "1826 Journal" follow him to Europe, where his abilities were finally recognized. Audubon's masterwork, the five-volume Ornithological Biography, is here generously represented by 45 entries. Charming, haunting, and violent by turns, these vivid intimate portraits of the habits and habitats of America's birds, from the curious mating rituals of the Wild Turkey to the sublime spectacle of the migration of the now vanished Passenger Pigeon, changed American nature writing forever. The "Missouri River Journals" evoke the vanishing American Indian and the hardships of frontier life. An extensive selection of letters charting almost 20 years of Audubon's artistic development, along with two essays on artistic technique and a brief memoir, round out the volume. For the first time, all texts have been painstakingly prepared from original sources. General and ornithological indices will aid the reader in the field as well as in the study. Sixty-four full-color plates, and fascinating manuscript sketches, some never before published, offer a unique perspective on Audubon's art.

Customer Reviews:

Talent, Passion, Perseverance: A Portrait of the Artist.......2007-08-17

Considering the high regard in which Audubon is held today, the reader may be surprised to learn how hard he had to struggle to get there.
Having failed repeatedly in his business ventures, he decided to concentrate his efforts on his true talent: observing, drawing and describing the birds of America. The fact that Alexander Wilson, a self-taught naturalist like Audubon, had pursued the same goal before him and enjoyed the support of the influential Philadelphia establishment seems to have encouraged rather than deterred young Audubon. He was sure he could do better, and in his jottings he never misses an opportunity to point out mistakes and shortcomings in Wilson's work.

The Mississippi River Journal of 1820-21 is, to my mind, the most interesting part of this collection. Raw diary entries, unedited and uncorrected, give a vivid account of this expedition which started in Cincinnati on a "flat boat" and ended in New Orleans. It may come as a shock to the reader that Audubon and his companions shot and killed practically all the birds he drew and described, and often ate them afterwards. They also bought birds from other hunters or, when in a town, at local markets. All manner of birds were briskly traded as food or pets, or for ornamental purposes.
During this trip, Audubon was destitute most of the time and always eager to get a free meal from a generous host. Letters of recommendation introduced him to a number of worthies, and he often replenished his funds by drawing portraits or giving drawing lessons to the children of wealthy citizens. There was some interest in his ornithological work, but not enough to secure financial backing. Through all these disappointments and humiliations, he remained a keen observer - not only of birds and other wildlife, but also of the country and the people in it.

His fortune changed with his visit to England and Scotland. Excerpts from his 1826 Journal show his surprise and delight in being graciously received, and even lionized, by important people who arranged for him to show his work in public and enlist subscribers.
The 64 color plates included in this book are selected from watercolors, aquatint engravings and lithographs, and show the full range of Audubon's art; they include birds that were abundant at the time but are now extinct (or nearly so), such as the Passenger Pigeon, the Carolina Parakeet, and the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Forty-five entries from his "Ornithological Biography" give a fascinating account of the life and habits of American birds. To our modern sensibilities, his writing style seems a little effusive at times, and we might prefer to see our birds depicted in less dramatic poses; but there is no doubt about his enthusiasm, and he obviously captured the Zeitgeist.

The Missouri River expedition (1843) was designed to find new species of quadrupeds. This journal is more polished than the Mississippi Journal, but I find it less appealing. Somehow, A.'s true passion seems to have been birds, not quadrupeds.

Some personal letters, essays, autobiographical notes and descriptions of his technique round out the portrait of an artist who rose from obscure origins to the highest honors (member of illustrious societies, dinner with President Andrew Jackson at the White House), and whose name is still a household word in America today.

audubon's best single collection.......2007-01-04

to be read wholly as occasional readings and very enjoyable; allows one to imagine the bird life and other wildlife in America in the days of exploration and settlement, and how much of nature we have lost.

A Masterpiece of Nature Writing.......2000-10-14

Anyone looking for a chronicle of the American wilderness in its infancy would do well to start here. There is great charm in the journals of 1820, where the spellings are still Audubon's own, and the flavor of the times -- especially regarding life on the frontier, and concerning everyday life in old New Orleans -- is everywhere. With his "Bird Biographies" of everyday varieties, as well as descriptions of now-extinct species, such as the Carolina Parakeet, and Ivory Billed Woodpeckers, this book is a treasure not just for nature lovers and bird aficianados, but for lovers of history as well.

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kentucky fried

Encyclopedia of Bird Reference Drawings
David Mohrhardt
Manufacturer: Fox Chapel Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1565230094

Customer Reviews:

kentucky fried.......2007-06-26

As an artist I was hoping for a bird reference showing not only varied anatomy and birds from various angles but instead I get pieces of a bird without a complete picture. Not real helpful..

Audubon's Birds Of America (The Audubon Society Baby Elephant Folio)

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A Good Companion
Spectacular
Why reorganize a symphony?
Beautiful volume of audubon

Audubon's Birds Of America (The Audubon Society Baby Elephant Folio)
Roger Tory Peterson Institute , and Virginia Marie Peterson
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0789208148

Book Description

One of Abbeville's most spectacular achievements, representing the highest standards in fine art printing, now available at a more economical price.

This marvelous edition of Audubon's Birds of America displays all 435 of Audubon's brilliant handcolored engravings in exquisite reproductions taken from the original plates of the Audubon Society's archival copy of the rare Double Elephant Folio. Although many attempts have been made to re-create the magnificent illustrations in Audubon's masterpiece, nothing equals the level of fidelity or scale achieved in this high-quality edition.

Completely reorganized and annotated by Roger Tory Peterson, who was America's best-known ornithologist, and issued with the full endorsement and cooperation of the Audubon Society, this volume is the first to rearrange the plates in a more scientific order. Peterson's fascinating introduction places Audubon in the context of the history of American ornithological art and also reproduces a wide sampling of the work of Audubon's notable predecessors and disciples, including Peterson's own justly famous paintings.

This new systematic arrangement of the prints, complete with informative commentaries about each bird, made it possible to correct many of the problems or errors in Audubon's original edition that later scholarship revealed.

Other Details: 428 full-color illustrations, 435 duotones.

Customer Reviews:

A Good Companion.......2007-07-14

Having recently read the biography of Audubon, I was very interested in seeing the actual drawings. The book I read had a few of them in black and white, but I wanted to see a larger sample in color. I decided to see if Amazon had anything and was very surprised to see that they offered all of the original drawings in color for a very small price. I realized the book would be smaller than the original life size drawings, but was a little surprised to find that the book was so small. That is my main problem with the book. Otherwise - WOW. To see these birds in all their glory in full color is just breathtaking. Furthermore, when you consider the original size, to have shrunk them down and still maintain the detail and the beauty is quite impressive. One can appreciate the drawings without having read about Audobon's struggle to create and then publish them, but I would suggest this book as a companion to a good biography of Audobon. Once you have both, his accomplishment can be fully appreciated.

Spectacular.......2005-08-02

This book is spectacular. The images are breathtaking, and the quality of their presentation is nothing short of superb. Wow!!!

Why reorganize a symphony?.......2004-11-30

Let me qualify my remarks by first saying that I have not even seen this version. I have no doubt that the printing is of the highest quality, but I have a serious reservation about the organization of this book. Audubon deliberately mixed his birds in a non-taxonomic order to maintain a freshness and an element of suprise. I recently acquired a large format copy published by Welcome Rain, which follows Audubon's original order. The effect is a delightful romp through nature, full of suprises, drama and movement. He never intended it to be a catalog with all his ducks in a row, it was to be an experience. I have seen an abridged, small format edition of his paintings arranged in the standard, dull taxonomic order of a typical field guide and the effect is nothing like seeing them in the order Audubon intended. Rearranging the plates for convenience of listers diminishes this work, and to a certain extent, is a disservice to the artist. While I am happy to see that his work remains in print and is being reproduced at very high standards, I would hope that it would be viewed as a symphony, not as a random collection of notes needing to be organized alphabetically.

Beautiful volume of audubon.......2004-07-16

If you are a birder and you collect all the great bird books, your collection is not complete until you get this. A beautiful book, contained in a hard case, with excellent printing. A steal at $250 at its original price, now knocked down between $125 to $185. Get this book! A great tribute to Peterson and Audubon.

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Inspiring is the word
Drawing Birds
An insperation

Drawing Birds
John Busby
Manufacturer: Timber Press, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0881926973

Book Description

Birds are inspirational subjects for any artist: the variety of shapes, colors, sizes, movements, and contexts means that anyone with an interest in drawing or painting from life will find birds challenging and deserving of their time. This book is written for a range of people---for beginners taking their first steps in a knotty subject, for more experienced artists wishing to tackle birds in flight, and for anyone who simply wants to see birds afresh. This book is published in association with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). As Europe's biggest wildlife conservation charity, with over 170 nature reserves, the RSPB brings the spectacular beauty of wild birds to millions of people. The business of conservation is often scientific and political---matters largely for the head. But birds enrich our lives in many ways. Drawing them is perfect for clearing the clutter of our daily lives, reconnecting with nature and reaffirming the purpose of nature conservation.

Customer Reviews:

Inspiring is the word.......2006-10-04

I know that the title I've chosen is quite often a cliche but I do think it's an apt title. Do you want to do good drawings of birds that you've seen, capture some of their liveliness, put onto paper something of the excitement of birds you've seen in nature? Do you want to do it in a way consistent with the best drawings of the past? If you do then I think you'll find this book inspiring.

Early on John Busby says: "So be patient; it may take years of patience to discover enough about the ways of birds and the ways of drawing to bring both together with conviction." The vast majority of the drawings in this book do so. Not only that but, at least for me, they exude the pleasure of both drawing and of portraying live nature. Again as the author says in first few pages: "... opened a window into a new passionate reality after the stuffy plates of my earlier books and confirmed my choice to go live."

Now "going live" may seem an anachronism to many artists and budding artists. I know it was when I was an art student many years ago. I have no idea as to what might be happening in art schools now but I wouldn't be surprised if "going live" was not considered the proper path for a serious artist. I hope I'm wrong.

To appreciate this book though, and to not be quite disappointed in it, you must have some appreciation of the difference between any subject drawn from life and one drawn from photos or some other method. It is a basic principle of the book, stated once or twice early on, but not really dwelled upon. But it is at the heart of why this book is so enjoyable and inspirational.

The other very important element is an appreciation for good art. For better or worse there is much wildlife art that may be realistic in some way but seems to have no relationship to great draughtsmen of the past like Rembrandt, Durer, et al. This book, though again it doesn't mention them often, seems to understand that tradition and to choose drawings that in some way exemplify it.

So for someone who appreciates both good art and drawing birds from life this book and the drawings in it are exceptional. It might very well make you want to drop whatever you're doing and get out and do some drawings. If you're a birder it will present you with the dilemma of whether you should bring your binoculars or your sketchpad. Actually the author suggests both as well perhaps as a scope.

The book is very short, just 135 pages, many of them drawings. But there is enough text to offer some helpful practical advice about drawing birds, the type of advice that can only come from someone who has drawing these flitting creatures for years. It is not an instructional book, and some readers may be unhappy with that. But to quote the author one last time: "It is tempting to think that drawing can be taught methodically to a set of rules. Over the years of teaching at an art college I know that despite my advice and stage-managed exercises, the students have largely taught themselves..." From my own experience teaching I'd say that you can teach students some things about drawings but far more important is to inspire them with the thrill of art. Art is really not the most popular pursuit in contemporary culture. It hasn't been for a very long time. So to help to convince someone who leans toward art that it really is a valuable, viable pursuit may be the most important thing that a teacher can do. You then trust the student to go on from there.

I think that this book is written from that perspective. Some artists and potential artists, as well as birders who'd like to draw what they see, will find that it doesn't give them the step by step instructions that they may want. But for many others it will serve as an inspiration to go out and draw what they see, and to not be intimidated by the seeming impossibility of drawing birds. Birders know that it is hard enough to even see birds long enough to identify them. To draw them as well should be out of the question. This book and the drawings in it should show that that is definitely not the case.

Drawing Birds.......2005-09-27

I bought this book looking for technical instruction on how to draw birds effectivly.This is not the book for that.It seems that this book is the ramblings of a bird watcher.I would not recommend this book to someone who wants to learn how to "draw birds".

An insperation.......2005-02-02

As a very new bird painter/Artist, - I use this in the loosest possible terms after just three months of trying - when I saw the title of this book I was very excited, but then I took a quick flick through and realised just how poor my own work was!

After reading the excellent forward by Bill Oddie, I delved into the main text, and soon realised this was going to be much more than just a guide on how to draw birds. It was in fact an in-depth study into bird structure and movement, feather construction, their relationship to their surroundings and much, much more; knowledge one needs to improve one`s chances of capturing a bird`s essence on paper.

At no point does John Busby lecture you on how to paint, even though he was an academic; lecturing at Edinburgh Art College. He knows everyone has different styles, and says we should all paint in our own way; a way with which we feel comfortable. This book is, instead, filled with lots of tips on a range of topics such as composition, what features to pick out, and what to ignore and so forth. There is a great deal more besides, but you`ll have to read the book yourself to find out!

What is more, the book is packed with paintings, drawings, field sketches and even an odd photo or two as illustrations, from 38 of the world`s premier wildlife artists, and is worth the money for these pictures alone (where else could you find a comprehensive range of images, from the world`s leading artists for under 20 quid).

For budding artists this title is invaluable, for art fans it is delightful and for mere birdwatchers this book holds some fascinating insights into the creatures we love to watch.

http://www.beolens.co.uk/digiscoping/

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Drawing Birds

How to Draw Birds (How to Draw (Dover))
John Green
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486403823

Book Description

Easy-to-follow guide for beginning artists of all ages shows how to create likenesses of a strutting peacock, graceful swan, a duck afloat, plus a cardinal, penguin, toucan, owl, ostrich, and 22 other avian creatures. Simple diagrams reveal how to draw figures and also demonstrate the fundamentals of shape and dimension.

Customer Reviews:

Drawing Birds.......2007-09-30

I got this book for my eight year old grand daughter and she loved it. Even took it to school.

It's Not a Bird Yet: The Drama of Drawing

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It's Not a Bird Yet: The Drama of Drawing
Ursula Kolbe
Manufacturer: Peppinot Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0975772201

Magpie Magic: A Tale of Colorful Mischief

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Illustrator's Magic.
Not just a children's book
A Great Book
A delightful "wordless"story. The pictures tell it all!

Magpie Magic: A Tale of Colorful Mischief
April Wilson
Manufacturer: Dial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0803723547

Book Description

Though every picture may tell a story, in this colorful caper the pictures are the story! A child's hand puts a brand-new drawing pencil to paper, sketching first a feathered head, then a sleek winged body...And suddenly the sketched bird lifts its head and flies off the page. What follows is a delightfully magical tale of art run amok as each newly drawn object becomes real, and fair game for the antics of the mischievous bird. Colorful chaos ensues as the resourceful bird takes pencil in beak and begins to reveal its own artistic talents. The beautifully detailed pictures invite children to observe carefully and tell the story themselves as the mesmerizing plot leads them to an astounding surprise ending. Along the way younger children will be introduced to the concept of color (eight are featured), older ones will discover the fascinating interplay between art and imagination, and all will be inspired to reach for their own drawing pencils.

Customer Reviews:

Illustrator's Magic. .......2006-01-11

"Magpie Magic" by April Wilson, sub-titled, "A Tale Of Colorful Mischief", Dial Books, New York, 1999.

The words in this book stop with the copyright page. Then, the entire story is told in colorful illustrations by April Wilson. The magpie, a black and white bird, first is drawn, and, with a backward glance, flies off the paper. The illustrator's hands attempt to catch the wayward bird, who soon returns to eat the luscious, red cherries that also pop up off the paper. The orange balloon is soon popped, too, but then the magpie helps the hands to draw with the yellow pencil. The story continues through the colors of the rainbow, green and then blue, and finally, to a purple (violet) cage into which the magpie is lured with more bright red cherries. A brown lock is drawn to secure the cage and the brown key is erased.

But! The magpie has seen how the gum eraser works, and uses it to escape from the cage. The bird then creates mayhem until the illustrator erases most of magpie with the white gum eraser. The magpie struggles to re-constitute itself , and does so using every color of the rainbow. A most colorful story, indeed!

Not just a children's book.......2002-03-22

I originally bought this book to give to my then 3-year old granddaughter. Then went back the next day to buy one for myself. It has given me pleasure every time I open it.

The 36 full page drawings are beautifully done and there are so many stories to be told and embroidered about each of them.
With the book on your lap, all the drawings are approximately life size, so there is an immediacy to the stories you will "write" about the pictures. As you tell the story, it is almost as though you are also drawing the pictures yourself.

A Great Book.......1999-12-31

I purchased this book for my 3 year old daughter for Christmas. It was one of two books that we had borrowed from the local library over the course of the year that we wanted to keep. (My wife tends to borrow about a dozen or two books a week as the library is right next to the preschool.) It was wonderful to provide my daughter with the chance to tell the story herself. The drawings and story line drew her in. The editorial reviews do a good job of describing the book, so I won't. This is one of two books out of the hundreds that we have borrowed that we elected to purchase, so my high rating isn't just inflated. ("The Lion and the Little Red Bird," by Elisa Kleven was the other.)

A delightful "wordless"story. The pictures tell it all!.......1999-09-22

A gift of a magical box of colored pencils produces some surprising situations. Your child will tell his own story from the emotions that are implied by the beautiful illustrations. You will see at the end of the story how the magpie "reinvents himself" to suit himself!

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