Keys to drawing ... view sample pages ...
Keys to Drawing
... sample pages include ...
the drawing process ... sketch of an effective and ineffective artist at work ... drawing shoes ... looking, holding, drawing a line ... drawing blind ... restating ... sketch of a man
Mini Drawing Lessons
Keys to Drawing
Self Evaluation
Drawing Books for Beginners |
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Bert Dodson Keys to drawing |
This drawing books reviews ...
Good basics on freeform drawing.
This is a freeform drawing book that teaches draw what you see and not what you know, using the language of lines and shapes and not the language of things (very much like Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain).
Chapter 1 covers the drawing process and reviews the main points in a bulleted list at the end. Chapter 2 discusses the "handwriting" of famous artists - most interesting and enlightening. Chapter 3 covers how to draw figures and faces - here it does teach about foreshortening, finding midpoints, and taking measurements. Chapter 4 covers how to use light and shadow to model shapes. Chapter 5 covers precision drawing principles: how to create depth, eye level and vanishing points (one and two point perspective), unusual perspectives, ellipses. However, it's more of an overview rather than a "how to." Don't rely on this to learn precision drawing. Chapter 6 covers textures. Chapter 7 discusses composition (pattern and design). Chapter 8 covers imaginative drawing.
This is an excellent book to learn freeform drawing - I'm not sure what's better, this book or the "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain", but I think I would still like to have this in my art book library.
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A book which stimulates, educates and rewards its readers
"Keys to Drawing" by Bert Dodson is one of the first drawing books that I bought after I got back to doing art after a break of over 15 years. It opened my eyes, stimulated my enthusiasm for drawing again and provided me with some really excellent guidelines about what to think about when drawing.
My edition is a North Light Books paperback published in 1990. Amazon indicates the current edition was updated in 2001 and, although I've not seen that I think it unlikely that it departs much from the sound advice provided in earlier editions.
I see the synopsis on Amazon says that it "Describes the drawing process, discusses proportions, light, depth, texture, pattern, design, and imagination, and tells how to evaluate one's work." And it does do all of those things - but it also does a lot more. He has 55 keys to drawing which are introduced as he goes through each of the topics in turn - and he provides lots of practical exercises to see how they can be applied.
It needs to be pointed out that this book is NOT a manual for how to draw in a hyper/photo realism manner - there are other books that do that.
What I like most about this book is it starts by encouraging people who want to develop their drawing to develop their own 'handwriting' for their drawing. Dodson explains:
* how we draw is as individual to us all as how we write.
* all artists combine freedom (intuitive, looser, sketchy drawing) and control (analytical, precise, careful drawing) in their work - they just do it differently
I just loved the idea that this author wanted me to be me - and not like him or somebody else. What's more in illustrating the different ways in which people draw he introduced me to a better understanding of how different master artists, such as Delacroix, Rembrandt, Matisse, Van Gogh, Degas, Morandi and Kollwitz approached their drawing. Consequently I began to understand an awful lot more about how drawing is done and why it looks as it does. What's more the images of their drawings in his book impressed me so much that they have stayed firmly lodged at the front of the drawing bit of my brain over the years.
One of the especially helpful bits about the book is that it encourages the development of self-evaluation right from the start. This means that the things one needs to think about when drawing become internalised that much quicker. It really helps the budding artist to become much more self-reliant and less dependent on others for insight into how they are doing.
This is a book that I can pick up and reread and dip into over and over again and never ever get bored. It's one of the best 'how to' books on drawing that I've ever read and I can highly recommend it to all of you who are:
* interested in the art of drawing,
* wanting to develop your own skill in self-evaluation and/or
* wanting to develop your own individual style of drawing.
Interestingly since first writing this review on my weblog I discovered that lots of my fellow artists also rated this book very highly as well!
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I Love This Book
This was the text used in my beginning drawing class in college and I love it. It teaches you how to draw what you actually see, instead of what you think you should be seeing. I had never taken a drawing class before but now I can draw anything that I have enough patience to sit in front of for a few hours. If you are a beginner, get this one. It's the best. (I still can't get through the first chapter of the left brain/right brain book. Boring.) Another fun book for beginners is Mona Brooke's Drawing With Children (fun for adult beginners too) and Drawing With Older Children and Teens. Helps you overcome your fears if you have any. |
Simple, practical and effective
This is an excellent and truly helpful book which complements classics like "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" and "The Natural Way to Draw" (the only other drawing books which I have found helpful and worthwhile so far). It is very well-written, engaging and beautifully illustrated. It does a wonderful job of encouraging a novice artist to try his or her hand at drawing. The exercises are appropriate but also simple and short so that a novice with little time can actually complete them (unlike the exercise schedule in "The Natural Way to Draw" which is aimed at the serious artist and takes an awful lot of dedication to complete). I also like the notion of "keys": They are "rules" not meant to be steadfast but which will probably help a novice artist who feels lost without some concrete instruction (rather than simply being told e.g. "tune out the left side of your brain"). The assesment sheets at the end of each chapter are also helpful in determining whether the exercises where properly done. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who feels that they need to improve their drawing and need some practical help. |
Contents ...
The drawing process ... internalizing practical dialogue ... using triggering words ... drawing 'blind' ... restating ... seeing vs. knowing ...individualizing ... shape consiousness ... focusing
The artist's handwriting ... separating your two handwritings ... freeing your hand ... controlling your hand ... copying ... emulating ... exploring mediums ... erasing
Proportions: taking the measure of things ... sighting ... finding the midpoint ... using plumb and level ... looking for comparative measurements ... foreshortening ... intensifying proportions
The illusion of light ... mapping ... modeling ... managing edges ... analyzing the light ... intensifying mood ... merging shapes ... designing with light ...
The illusion of depth ... overlapping forms ... diminishing sizes ... converging lines ... softening edges and contrasts ... drawing through ... sighting angles ... using eye level and vanishing points ... drawing ellipses
The illusion of texture ... articulating and suggesting ... sensing the stroke ... repeating and varying ... contrasting textures ... shifting strokes for distance
Pattern and design ... designing with shape ... sensing pattern ... framing ... cropping ... straddling opposites ... identifying tangents
Drawing and Imagination ... joining two bags ... creative playing ...making the familiar strange ... working in sequence ... drawing on diverse sources ... exploring themes |
Sample pages include ... the drawing process ... sketch of an effective and ineffective artist at work ... drawing shoes ... looking, holding, drawing a line ... drawing blind ... restating ... sketch of a man |
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
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drawing as a magical ability ... drawing as a learnable, teachable skill ... drawing and seeing ... the artist's way of seeing: a twofold process ... drawing attention to states of consciousness ... drawing on your creative self ... my approach: a path to creativity
Artist - Betty Edwards
Learn to Draw Course
Learn to Draw Books for Adults |
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Keys to drawing ...
55 specific keys to improve your drawings
48 mini-lessons that help you master techniques
8 self-evaluation checklists to help gauge your progress
Sample pages include ... the drawing process ... sketch of an effective and ineffective artist at work ... drawing shoes ... looking, holding, drawing a line ... drawing blind ... restating ... sketch of a man |
Manga Mania
Fantasy Worlds
How to Draw the Enchanted Worlds of Japanese Comics
... sample pages include ...
contributing artists, the medieval world
How to Draw a Knight
Choosing an Angle - Posing Manga Characters
how to draw the knight, knight illustration
Artist / Illustrator - Christopher Hart
how to draw knights, learn to draw manga, learn to draw knights, how to draw a knight, how to draw Japanese comics...
CONTENTS...
the medieval world, gothic beasts, the faerie kingdon, warrior women of manga, science fiction, monsters, steam punk
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How to Draw Caricatures
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materials and supplies ... marker techniques ... drawing eyes ... pencil techniques ... shading
Artist / Caricaturist - Harry Hamernik
learn how to draw caricatures, learn to draw a caricature, learn how to draw eyes, learn how to draw an eye, learn pencil techniques, learn shading
Caricature Drawing Books |
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Wizard Comics Basic Training
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art essentials ... figure construction ...
Wizard Comics
learn how to draw, learn figure construction
Comic Drawing Books |
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How to Draw Anatomy
for the
Comic Book Artist
... sample pages include ...
... drawing skulls ...
Artist / Illustrator - Christopher Hart
learn to draw anatomy for comics, learn to draw comics, learn to draw skulls, learn to draw a skull, how to draw skulls, how to draw a skull
Comic Art Drawing Books |
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How to Draw Heads and How to Draw Portraits
... sample pages include ...
Polyclitus and the Canon, anthropometry, proportions on a greek skulpture
Proportions on the Human Body (Male and Female)
Jose Maria Parramon
Contents Include...
Ingres's advice to his students
The Canon For the Human Head - anthropometry - that is the canon? - the head seen from the front - the head seen in profile
The Construction of the Human Head - the skull - the basic structure - the perspective of the circle and the sphere - the canon applied to the basic structure - the structure of the eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth - practice exercises - examples of the head in different positions - practice exercise in drawing a model
Age and Gender in Drawing the Human Head - at the age of two - value and contrast in drawing children's heads - the development of the human head - elderly people - women's heads - examples of women's heads
Detailed Study of the Parts of the Face - eyebrows and eyes - the external appearance of the eyes - pairs of eyes - noses and ears - lips and mouths - hair
the portrait - a lesson from Velazquez - basic features of a good portrait - how to do a good portrait - likeness - applications of Ingres's advice
The Portrait as a Work of Art - lighting - pose - more about the pose and the distance of the model - preliminary sketches and composition - using preliminary sketches to study the pose - formats and sizes - How to Draw Portraits - portraits in red chalk, step by step - doing a self-portrait: you are your own model |
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How to Draw Digimon Monsters
... sample pages include ...
how to draw your favorite digimon ... starting to draw
learn to draw Digimon monsters
Digimon Drawing Books |
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Forensic Art
... sample pages include ...
Introduction to forensic art and illustration
What is forensic art
Four categories of forensic art
ILLUSTRATIONS
image modification
demonstrative evidence
two-dimensional facial reconstruction from the skull
three-dimensional facial reconstruction from the skull
Art or Science
Artist / Illustrator - Karen T Taylor
CONTENTS
Part 1 - Forensic Art: The Foundation
Introduction to Forensic Art and Illustration
A History of Forensic Art
The Human Face
Drawing the Human Face
Part 2 - Forensic Art: Finding and Identifying the Living
The Interview
Composite Imagery
Age Progression: Growth
Age Progression: Aging
Image Assessment and Modification
Part 3 - Forensic Art: Finding and Identifying the Dead
Postmortem Drawing
Skull Protection and Preparation for Reconstruction
Two-Dimensional Facial Reconstruction of the Skull
Three-Dimensional Facial Reconstruction of the Skull
Methods of Superimposition
Part 4 - Forensic Art: Additional Responsibilities
Professional Ethics and Conduct
Printing and Graphics Reproduction
Dealing with the News Media
The Forensic Artist in Court
(Note : Search Inside book for more detailed contents list)
Forensic Art Books |
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How to Draw the Human Head and How to Draw the Human Figure
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how to draw the female eye, how to draw the female mouth, how to draw a lauging mouth vs. how to draw a straight mouth
Jack Hamm |
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How to Draw Cartoon Animation
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character development ... cartoon construction ... stance ... body built from circular and rounded forms ... drawings of dogs ... more circular and rounded forms
Animator - Preston Blair |
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How to Draw Pictures that Look Real with Colored Pencils
... sample pages include ...
getting started, drawing materials - the basics, drawing materials - accessories
Colored Pencil Drawing
CONTENTS
GETTING STARTED ... materials the basics ... materials - accessories ... vertical line - smooth stroke ... pressure bar ...feather vs. definitive stroke ... vertical line - quick ... overlap and straddled strokes ... scribble stroke ... broken scribble stroke ... dense vs. airy ... where to start ... building color ... value
INTERIORS ... wicker basket and drapes ... upholstery and pillows ... carved wood ... wood grain floor ... patterned carpet ... windowsill ... walls ... metal fixtures ... patent leather shoes ... tennis shoes ... teddy bear ... eyelet lace
EXTERIORS ... apple blossom and sky ... tulips ... distant flowers ... rhododendrons - using a marker blender ... hedge, sidewalk, ivy and background greenery ... tall grasses, dirt and beauty bark ... close grass ... fir tree trunk ... lake and trees ... alder tree trunk with crosshatched background ... ocean and clouds ... tropics ... waterfall ... barn doors - old wood ... stone stairs ... stones or pebbles ... old brick ... new brick |
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How to Draw Realistic Portraits with Coloured Pencil Step by Step
... sample pages include ...
getting started
materials with hints
basic techniques
Artist Ann Kullberg
CONTENTS
Introduction
Getting Started
Composing a Portrait
Seeing the Light
Creating Believable Skin Tones
Painting Features of the Face
Painting Hair
Painting Fabric
Putting It All Together |
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How to Create Animation
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front and back covers with illustrations ... why this book? ... page with 10 illustrations ... a few autobiographical pages
Richard Williams |
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Draw Squad
Mark Kistler
... sample pages include ...
dissolving a popular myth ... the pre-test ... the key words of drawing
TV Artist Mark Kistler |
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Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters
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list of illustrations ... learning to draw ... John Henry Fuseli
Robert Beverly Hale |
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