Life Drawing Class: A Comprehensive Course in Figure Drawing - Softcover

Watson, Lucy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0823027678 ISBN 13: 9780823027675

Publisher: Watson-Guptill, 2003

Synopsis

The figure has always held an especially important place in representational art, capable of bringing enormous impact to any work, from serene meditative calm to explosive physical dynamism. However, conventional wisdom says the figure is one of the most demanding and arduous subjects to translate onto a canvas.



Life Drawing Class challenges this long-held assumption, demonstrating creative, original strategies to make figure drawing an exciting, enjoyable, and above all successful experience. This hands-on guide offers a fresh approach to the subject, introducing a variety of mediums, drawing techniques, and simple methods that sharpen powers of observation while also encouraging the artist’s individual creative style and expression.




• An invaluable course for artists without access to a real-life figure drawing class

• Covers the most basic elements of figure study—anatomy, proportion, and movement in precise detail

About this title

About the Author

Lucy Watson graduated from London’s prestigious Central Saint Martin’s College of Art & Design. Her drawings, prints, and paintings have been exhibited all over Europe. She lives in London.

Reviews

This brief, accessible guide will appeal to amateur artists encountering figure drawing for the first time. Watson presents each chapter as a class in which she introduces basic concepts such as measuring angles, plotting positions, perspective, light and tone, and so on. Also included in each section are suggestions for pose lengths, lists of materials, and clearly explained, illustrated step-by-step instructions. Throughout Watson includes examples of her and other professionals' work in a wide range of styles and media. More ambitious projects follow the classes, and a directory of media finishes the text. Watson's introduction is brief, and while her text seems geared toward the beginning artist, some basic information, such as preparation and care of drawing materials (sharpening techniques, for example), is lacking. Still, the book's attractive format and clear, concise directions will appeal to many artists who are looking for a basic, friendly introduction. For more thorough guides, suggest Anthony Ryder's The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing (2000) and Louise Gordon's How to Draw the Human Figure (1979). Gillian Engberg
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Edition details

• Publisher: Watson-Guptill
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0823027678
• ISBN 13: 9780823027675
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128