The Art of Drawing People: Discover Simple Techniques for Drawing a Variety of Figures and Portraits

Learn to draw faces, features, and figures in graphite, with inspiration from 4 accomplished artists

Packed with practical advice, helpful tips, and fundamental techniques, this comprehensive, 144-page book is an essential resource to which artists of all skill levels will refer again and again. The Art of Drawing People comprises instruction from a group of four experienced artists who demonstrate the processes of drawing the human head and clothed figure from infancy through old age in a variety of poses.

The talented authors also share their knowledge about underlying anatomy, ethnic influences, and natural variations in shape, texture, and proportion, as well as basic information about drawing tools and pencil techniques.

Debra Kauffman Yaun discovered that she had a knack for drawing people when she was a young girl growing up in Tampa, Florida. After graduating from the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, Debra worked as a fashion illustrator. She has drawn and painted many commissioned portraits, several of which have been of children—her favorite subject to draw. Debra's artwork has been published in several art magazines and books, and she has won numerous awards, including an international prize. She is a signature member of the Colored Pencil Society of America, having served as president of the Atlanta chapter, and she is a juried member of the Portrait Society of Atlanta. She enjoys teaching workshops in portraits and colored pencil. Debra lives in Buford, Georgia.

William F. Powell was an internationally recognized artist and one of America’s foremost colorists. A native of Huntington, West Virginia, Bill studied at the Art Student’s Career School in New York; Harrow Technical College in Harrow, England; and the Louvre Free School of Art in Paris, France. He was professionally involved in fine art, commercial art, and technical illustrations for more than 45 years. His experience as an art instructor included oil, watercolor, acrylic, colored pencil, and pastel—with subjects ranging from landscapes to portraits and wildlife. He also authored a number of art instruction books, including several popular Walter Foster titles. As a renowned master of color, Bill conducted numerous “Color Mixing and Theory” workshops throughout the US. His expertise in color theory also led him to author and illustrate several articles and an educational series of 11 articles entitled “Color in Perspective” for a national art magazine. Additionally, he performed as an art consultant for national space programs and for several artist’s paint manufacturers. Bill’s work included the creation of background sets for films, model making, animated cartoons, and films for computer mockup programs. He produced instructional painting, color mixing, and drawing art videos.

Ken Goldman is an internationally known artist, author, teacher, and art juror. A recipient of numerous awards, Goldman has exhibited widely in various group shows and solo exhibitions around the world. In California, he has shown at the Oceanside Museum of Art, USC Fisher Museum of Art, and Autry Museum of the American West. The author of many Walter Foster art instruction books, he teaches figure painting, artistic anatomy, and plein air landscape at the Athenaeum School of the Arts in La Jolla and in workshops across the country, and has served as president of the National Watercolor Society. Please visit goldmanfineart.com for more information.

Walter T. Foster was born in Woodland Park, Colorado, in 1891. In his younger years, he worked as a sign painter and a hog medicine salesman. He also performed in a singing and vaudeville act. Walter invented the first postage-stamp vending machine and drew political caricatures for several large newspapers. He's well known as an accomplished artist, art instructor, and art collector. In the 1920s, while running his own advertising agency and instructing young artists, Walter began writing self-help art instruction books. The books were first produced in his home in Laguna Beach, California, where he wrote, illustrated, and printed them himself. In the 1960s, as the product line grew, he moved the operation to a commercial facility, which allowed him to expand the company and achieve worldwide distribution. Walter passed away in 1981, but he is fondly remembered for his warmth, dedication, and unique instruction books.