Drawing: Space, Form, and Expression

This highly-readable book describes the basic fundamentals of drawing in terms of spatial organization, three-dimensional form, and expressive value. Its portfolio of old and new masterworks allows the reader to compare and contrast these exemplary visual models, and the accompanying written descriptions clearly explain the works presented. This book covers such topics as three-dimensional drawing and the picture plane; two-dimensional drawing, positive and negative shape, and ambiguous space; shape, proportion, and layout; the interaction of drawing and design; linear perspective; form in space; form in light; subject matter; expression; using color; drawing the human figure; and visualization. For creatives in the field of fine arts, graphic artists, and illustrators.

Now in its third edition, DRAWING: SPACE, FORM, AND EXPRESSION becomes the first introductory-level text to include a complete chapter on drawing the human figure. Building on the coverage of theory and skills that have made this text essential for students, the third edition continues to broaden its focus while retaining the clarity, logical presentation, and step-by-step instructions that have become its hallmark.

DRAWING: SPACE, FORM, AND EXPRESSION begins with a comprehensive examination of the picture plane, investigating its potential for both three-dimensional illusion and two-dimensional design. This discussion, which includes a unique emphasis on the methods of angling and triangulation, offers effective strategies for establishing proportion and layout. It also features an easy-to-understand approach to the system of linear perspective. An analysis of how to represent three-dimensional form in structure and light leads to a discussion of subject matter, expressive values, and drawing from imagination. Drawing the human figure and uses of color add dimension to the student understanding.

This edition includes updated and expanded versions of the book's two most popular features. Portfolio of Contemporary Drawing presents an up-to-date survey of today's Modern and PostModern mainstreams as reflected in the art of drawing. Portfolio of Student Drawings combines reproductions of excellent, sustained images by students from across the nation with a discussion that reads like a thorough, yet user-friendly class critique.

The wide assortment of master drawings, supplemented by many new works, gives students a visual grasp of the tremendous flexibility of the medium, and it furnishes them with a range of important formal and expressive precedents.