Good books to learn to draw

Alla Prima - the teaching standard for classical painting instruction. This must have book offers to painters the wisdom and technical savvy of a lifetime. Writing as an acknowledged master, Richard Schmid leads his reader gracefully through the fundamentals and subtleties of painting technique with refreshing clarity, authority and deep affection to all who strive for self-expression, regardless of skill level.

If you had told me I'd read a 200+ page book on perspective drawing, I would have told you you've been drinking too much, but Norling's book was actually entertaining while covering what can be a very dry topic for artists and art students.Originally published in 1939, this Dover Book reprint has faithfully reproduced the original illustrations and the text is clear and easy to read. As a technique book, Norling covers each topic in simple steps with clear illustrations of each idea. If you're a beginner, this book will be very helpful, especially if you don't have a teacher and are trying to learn on your own.I picked up this book to help me prepare lesson plans for next fall, and I was pleasantly surprised at the range of topics Norling covers, some of which I'd never considered before, and some which I haven't thought of since I was an art student back in the dark ages. Overall, a pleasant surprise and a useful resource for artists, teachers, and students.

The practice of drawing…distilled to its essential elements. Embedded with videos, beautifully filmed in Florence, Italy, that provide real-time drawing lessons so that any gaps in the learning process are filled in with live instruction. In this elegant and inspiring primer, master contemporary artist and author Juliette Aristides breaks down the drawing process into small, manageable lessons; introduces time-tested principles and techniques that are easily accessible; and shares the language and context necessary to understand the artistic process and create superior, well-crafted drawings.

"In any exhibition of amateur work . . . it is not at all unusual to find many charming water-colour drawings, but . . . it is very rarely that the work in the oil medium is anything but dull, dead, and lacking in all vitality and charm." — Harold SpeedSuch provocative assertions are characteristic of this stimulating and informative guide, written in a highly personal and unique style by a noted painter and teacher. Brimming with pertinent insights into the technical aspects and painting in oils, it is also designed to help students perfect powers of observation and expression.Harold Speed has distilled years of painting and pedagogical experience into an expert instructional program covering painting technique, painting from life, materials (paints, varnishes, oils and mediums, grounds, etc.), a painter's training, and more. Especially instructive is his extensive and perceptive discussion of form, tone, and color, and a fascinating series of detailed "Notes" analyzing the painting styles of Velasquez, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Franz Hals, and Rembrandt.Nearly 70 photographs and drawings illustrate the text, among them prehistoric cave paintings, diagrams of tonal values, stages of portrait painting, and reproductions of masterpieces by Giotto, Vermeer, Ingres, Rembrandt, Titian, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Hals, Giorgione, Poussin, Corot, Veronese, and other luminaries. In addition to these pictorial pleasures, the author further leavens the lessons with thought-provoking opinion.Clear, cogent, and down-to-earth, this time-honored handbook will especially interest serious amateurs studying the technical aspects of oil painting, but its rich insight into the mind and methods of the artist will enlighten and intrigue any art lover.

Figure Drawing: Design and Invention is an instructional figure drawing book geared towards the novice and experienced artist alike. This book emphasizes a simplified understanding of surface anatomy, in order to clarify the mechanics of the figure, facilitate invention, and ultimately create a skill-set that can be successfully applied to other media. In addition, this book focuses very strongly on practical usage, making sure the artist is able to assimilate the steps presented here into a cohesive working process. (Fourth printing, September 2011)

"You'll learn everything there is to learn about drawing animals." — Collectors' CornerThis thoughtful and incisive guidebook, written by a former animator for Walt Disney Studios, will help artists at many skill levels improve their ability to draw a wide variety of animal forms both realistically and as caricatures. You'll learn why the author considers construction, action analysis, and caricature all-important for a clear understanding of animal anatomy and movement. You'll also benefit from Mr. Hultgren's expert advice and tips on catching the essential movement and character of animals and avoiding the stiff, wooden poses that are the frequent and unfortunate result of much sketching of animals from life. Throughout, the emphasis is on construction drawings (there are over 700 line illustrations and halftones) rather than on text. This means the student is able to view the development process of the drawing by example rather than theory or description. The book begins with introductory chapters on the special techniques of drawing animals, the use of line, establishing mood and feeling, conveying action, and brush techniques. Mr. Hultgren then turns to individual animal forms — horses, deer, cats, cows and bulls, giraffes, camels, gorillas, pigs, and many more. His instruction on animal caricature will be especially valuable to the legions of artists avidly interested in the subject.The Art of Animal Drawing belongs in the library of any artist — student, amateur, or professional — who is interested in drawing animals.

The definitive book on animation, from the Academy Award-winning animator behind Who Framed Roger Rabbit?Animation is one of the hottest areas of filmmaking today--and the master animator who bridges the old generation and the new is Richard Williams. During his more than forty years in the business, Williams has been one of the true innovators, winning three Academy Awards and serving as the link between Disney's golden age of animation by hand and the new computer animation exemplified by Toy Story. Perhaps even more important, though, has been his dedication in passing along his knowledge to a new generation of animators so that they in turn could push the medium in new directions. In this book, based on his sold-out master classes in the United States and across Europe, Williams provides the underlying principles of animation that every animator--from beginner to expert, classic animator to computer animation whiz --needs. Urging his readers to "invent but be believable," he illustrates his points with hundreds of drawings, distilling the secrets of the masters into a working system in order to create a book that will become the standard work on all forms of animation for professionals, students, and fans.

Andrew Loomis (1892-1959) is revered amongst artists - including comics superstar Alex Ross - for his mastery of drawing. His first book, Fun With a Pencil, published in 1939 is a wonderfully crafted and engaging introduction to drawing, cartooning, and capturing the essence of a subject all while having fun. With delightful step-by-step instruction from Professor Blook, Loomis's charming alter ego on the page. Andrew Loomis was born in 1892. After studying art he moved to Chicago, eventually opening his own studio, working in editorial and advertising for most of the top clients at the time including Kellogg's, Coca Cola, Lucky Strike and more. He also became renowned as an art teacher and his instructional books on realist illustration and art are acclaimed classics in the field. He died in 1959.

Ateliers have produced the greatest artists of all time—and now that educational model is experiencing a renaissance. These studios, a return to classical art training, are based on the nineteenth-century model of teaching artists by pairing them with a master artist over a period of years. Students begin by copying masterworks, then gradually progress to painting as their skills develop. Classical Drawing Atelier is an atelier in a book—and the master is Juliette Aristides, a classically trained artist. On every page, Aristides uses the works of works of Old Masters and today’s most respected realist artists to demonstrate and teach the principles of realist drawing and painting, taking students step by step through the learning curve yet allowing them to work at their own pace. Unique and inspiring, Classical Drawing Atelier is a serious art course for serious art students.

In this innovative guide, master art instructor William Maughan demonstrates how to create a realistic human likeness by using the classic and highly accurate modeling technique of chiaroscuro (Italian for “light and dark”) developed by Leonardo da Vinci during the High Renaissance.Maughan first introduces readers to the basics of this centuries-old technique, showing how to analyze form, light, and shadow; use dark pencil, white pencil, and toned paper to create a full range of values; use the elements of design to enhance a likeness; and capture a sitter’s gestures and proportions. He then demonstrates, step by step, how to draw each facial feature, develop visual awareness, and render the head in color with soft pastels.

Stephen Rogers Peck's Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist remains unsurpassed as a manual for students. It includes sections on bones, muscles, surface anatomy, proportion, equilibrium, and locomotion. Other unique features are sections on the types of human physique, anatomy from birth to old age, an orientation on racial anatomy, and an analysis of facial expressions. The wealth of information offered by the Atlas ensures its place as a classic for the study of the human form.

“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.

This is an extremely good, introductory education in drawing the head. I would strongly recommend reading other books with different approaches to structure as well, though. This book excels at teaching proportionality & simplifying the ratios of head & face structures, thereby making the problem of drawing various rotations of the face easier. However, the author is strongly inclined towards the egg shape basic model, & while he makes it work in every rotation, as the more advanced parts of the book come along, the more fudging is required to stick with that egg model. Another reason to use this book in tandem with other books: this book’s basic neutral caucasian medium head-average face male form is the constant example until the last ~30 pages, so if one wants to practice more with feminine or other ethnicities, one might want additional books & training. Even with these caveats, I would still recommend this book just for it’s simplification of the complexities of the face-head relationship.

The illustrator Andrew Loomis (1892-1959) is revered amongst artists - including the great American painter Norman Rockwell and comics superstar Alex Ross - for his mastery of figure drawing and clean, Realist style. His hugely influential series of art instruction books have never been bettered. Drawing the Head and Hands is the second in Titan's programme of facsimile editions, returning these classic titles to print for the first time in decades.

During his career as one of America's most sought-after illustrators, Andrew Loomis (1889-1959) taught at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and in 1939 he codified his lessons in his first manual, Fun with a Pencil. Four years later it had already been through six printings, and he followed up over the next two decades with a series of even more successful how-to books that remain the gold standard for artists to this day.Creative Illustration is considered Loomis's magnum opus, which was aimed primarily at the professional-level illustrator. Divided into seven sections: Line, Tone, Color, Telling the Story, Creating Ideas, Fields of Illustration, and Experimenting and Studies, this book is filled with instructions, tips, insider experiences, and incredible illustrations.Andrew Loomis was born in 1892. After studying art, he moved to Chicago where he eventually opened his own studio - working in editorial and advertising for most of the top clients of the time, including Kellog's, Coca Cola, Lucky Strike and many others.He also became renowned as an art teacher and his instructional books on illustration and art are acclaimed classics in the field. He died in 1959.

Force: Dynamic Life Drawing for AnimatorsCapture the force in your life drawing subjects with this practical guide to dynamic drawing techniques - packed with superb, powerfully drawn examples that show you how to: * Bring your work to life with rhythmic drawing techniques * Create appealing and dynamic poses in your drawings* Experience the figure's energy in three dimensional space* Use the asymmetry of straight and curved lines to clarify the direction of force in the body* Build on your foundational anatomy and figure drawing skills to animate your drawings *Apply the theory of force to your on-location and animal drawing observationsWhether you are an animator, comic book artist, illustrator or fine arts' student you'll learn to use rhythm, shape, and line to bring out the life in any subject while Mike Mattesis infectious enthusiasm will have you reaching for your pencils!Mike Mattesi is the owner and founder of Entertainment Art Academy (www.enterartacad.com) based in Southern California. He has been a professional production artist and instructor for the last fifteen years with clients including Disney, Marvel Comics, Hasbro Toys, ABC, Microsoft, Electronic Arts, DreamWorks and Nickelodeon.Audience level: Intermediate to advanced* Discover and master the techniques of rhythmic drawing and bring your work to life* Learn from a professional production artist who has successfully taught his unique techniques for the last fifteen years* Written in an accessible, enthusiastic style which will have you reaching for your pencils!