Important note: this is NOT a "how to draw" book in the sense of step-by-step instruction. However, if you've dabbled a bit, found an interest in the figure, and want to expand that knowledge, then this book could be great for you! If you've NEVER drawn before, never picked up a pencil, never created anything art related, this book isn't for you. To that end, I would argue that this book is not necessarily for beginners, but be mindful I'm quite biased as to where one should start with art. This guy is one of the masters, and it's a privilege to be able to be instructed by him, albeit, indirectly, but still, I'm grateful that he opted to share his knowledge. If you've ever looked into studying how to draw or improve your skills, odds are, this name came up, and for good reason. I will keep this one close.Īndrew Loomis. This book was, surprisingly, motivating as well as helpful. ![]() Reading this alone won't make you a master of the subject, but picking up a pencil alongside will at least be a start. As someone who works as an illustrator, this was fun to read, as it made me realise how much has actually changed over the course of the last few decades, especially through digitalisation, but it was still enjoyable reading the according passages, even though they now feel more like history lessons than actual industry insight.Īs with any skill, the more time you spend practicing and nourishing it, the better you will get. The book is directed at people who work in the creative field and want to make a living off art and while Loomis's does give insights into the industry, these have been long outdated. ![]() I thoroughly enjoyed Loomis's approach and how though this book he encouraged paying attention above anything else. The chapters are all introduced with explanatory texts and the drawings themselves, with which the reader is encouraged to practice, are annotated. The book covers a variety of subjects related to the human figure, from basic anatomy to perspective (briefly) from the reclining and moving figure to specific body parts like eyes and hands. Where are the muscles, why do certain body parts move the way they do? What do shadows look like and how does it affect the figure if you change perspectives? You can't draw what you don't know, so it's essential to take your time to actually study your subject. What Loomis postulates above anything else is the understanding of the human figure. Andrew Loomis was an American illustrator who is still considered relevant amongst artists even today, as the knowledge he shared in his instructional books is outstanding. They will be a reflection of your knowledge, your experience, your observation, and your thinking."Ĭonsidered a classic in the field of figure drawing, this was a great and exciting thing to lay my hands on. "Everything about your pictures is, and should be, a little of you. Most people know what pecs are though so it's clearly a typo, and not a huge issue. On page 60 the artist gets pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi mixed up, so keep an eye out for that. I have bookmarked the page though, and I will learn it. I chose to ignore the authors advice on page 100 that I should not continue with the book until I had memorised the name and location of about 100 muscles important for the artist. But these outdated nitpicks are about 1 percent of the book. Erasing mistakes will not muddy your image when done using art software as it would on paper. The layering feature of digital art software means you do not need to create 20 thumbnails with different colour schemes to see what will work before you get started. Selfies with a smart phone can be used where a mirror is recommended. Some is outdated: you no longer need to keep a filing cabinet full of photographs and magazine clippings to use as reference we have the interwebs now. So much useful information here it's crazy. ![]() Afterall, no book is going to teach you to be creative and think outide the box/book. My characters may not all need to look like the 50s pin-up women or Arian comic book men, but as long as you have a great foundation, you can go anywhere/draw anything. However, I stopped looking for a basic art textbook after I found this. I am quite sure that there are many other books that will delve into the fine details of ratios and proportions and tell you the magic numbers you need to make you hero look.heroic and everyone else dumpy, fashionable or whatever fits your fancy. ![]() But the mathematician in me is also just bowled over by the attention to proportion ratios and visual guides for such (is it a freudian slip that I kept accidentally writing the letter k instead of h in the word such?). Okay, it's from the 50s, includes its share of -isms from the day and some of that overexburance of mine comes from the fact that this is available free of charge online (and what's better for a wanna-be struggling artist?).
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