Drawing Books

The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

Betty Edwards

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Tarcher Amazon Marketplace: 138 new & used starting at $7.80

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> History & Criticism
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Reference -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 166 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

illustrated with 12-page color photo insert and line art throughout

A revised and expanded edition of the classic drawing-instruction book that has sold more than 2,500,000 copies.

When Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain was first published in 1979, it hit the New York Times bestseller list within two weeks and stayed there for more than a year. In 1989, when Dr. Betty Edwards revised the book, it went straight to the Times list again. Now Dr. Edwards celebrates the twentieth anniversary of her classic book with a second revised edition.

Over the last decade, Dr. Edwards has refined her material through teaching hundreds of workshops and seminars. Truly The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, this edition includes:

* the very latest developments in brain research;
* new material on using drawing techniques in the corporate world and in education;
* instruction on self-expression through drawing;
* an updated section on using color; and
* detailed information on using the five basic skills of drawing for problem solving.

Translated into thirteen languages, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is the world's most widely used drawing-instruction guide. People from just about every walk of life--artists, students, corporate executives, architects, real estate agents, designers, engineers--have applied its revolutionary approach to problem solving. The Los Angeles Times said it best: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is "not only a book about drawing, it is a book about living. This brilliant approach to the teaching of drawing . . . should not be dismissed as a mere text. It emancipates."

New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook: Guided Practice in the Five Basic Skills of Drawing

Betty Edwards

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Tarcher Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $9.05

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> History & Criticism
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Instructional & How-To -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Instructional & How-To -> Drawing

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Millions of people have learned to draw using the methods of Dr. Betty Edwards. Now, in an essential companion to her bestselling classic, Edwards offers readers the key to mastering this art form: guided practice in their newfound creative abilities.

Here are forty new exercises that cover each of the five basic skills of drawing. Each practice session includes a brief explanation and instructional drawings, suggestions for materials, sample drawings, and blank pages for the reader's own drawings. Also provided in this spiral-bound workbook is a pullout viewfinder, a crucial tool for effective practice. While The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain focused primarily on portrait drawing with pencil, this workbook gives readers experience in various subject matter-still life, landscape, imaginative drawing-using alternative mediums such as pen and ink, charcoal, and conté crayon.

For all those who are taking a drawing class, who have already received instruction through a book or course, or who prefer to learn by doing, this volume of carefully structured "homework" offers the perfect opportunity to reinforce and improve their skills and expand their repertoire.

We The People

Thomas E. Patterson

Amazon Price: $64.57 Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks By: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $52.23

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Government -> Civics
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Government -> Federal Government
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Great book, easy to read and small ! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is a great book, one of best deisng i seen, contain lots of page but is a compact size. save space.

Rip off 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 16 people found this review helpful.

I ordered my books almost 2 full weeks ago, and paid to have them shipped first class so I would recieve them before my classes began...Well unfortunately 2 weeks and 100 dollars later, still no books. I guess I just don't know how people can do things like this and not have a guilt trip..

Editorial Review:

This concise yet comprehensive book provides a positive, lively, future-oriented narrative introduction to American government and politics. We the People presents material with a currency and relevancy that captures the vivid world of real-life politics. In addition, the text challenges readers to think critically; by giving contextual understanding of major concepts and issues, it encourages them to think about the implications for society and themselves. We the People delves deeper into the basics than most brief books, and each of the 17 chapters (including 3 policy chapters) concludes with a reading selection (each from a different paper around the country) and an extensive bibliography. The seventh edition has been thoroughly updated to capture recent developments, including the 2006 elections.

Drawing with Children

Mona Brookes

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Tarcher Amazon Marketplace: 66 new & used starting at $7.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> History & Criticism
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Instructional & How-To -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Instructional & How-To -> Drawing

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Second generation of Users 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

My stepmother taught me to draw with this book when I was 7 and now I'm using it with my homeschooling cirriculum for my kids. It's a terrific tool to de-mystify the artistic process and help find your own artistic voice. As an adult, I found the refresher course extremely useful. My 9 year old son, who is notoriously technical-minded, immediately understood the five families of shape and started breaking down the objects he saw into manageable mediums to put onto paper. He had been frustrated with his drawing until I found the copy I had used as a child and began using it in our curriculum.

The best thing about the book is that it teaches you to accept your creative voice. Children's pictures are often primitive and they get frustrated that it isn't an exact copy, but (as the book states) if they really want it that perfect they could just take a picture. Their creative voice is what makes a drawing special, after all.

I would definitely recommend this product and the use of resources like the addendum lesson plans here: http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/dwclp.htm

Batman: Haunted Knight

Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale

Amazon Price: $10.19 List Price: $14.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: DC Comics Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $7.77

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Drawing -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Action & Adventure
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Jeph Loebs worse 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

now im a big fan of Jeph Loeb, and the Scarecrow story in particular is great, but the rest is pretty lacking. the second story involves the Mad Hatter who is a villain with great potential but it wasn't really well done. the third story is utter nonsense, a cheap take on A Christmas Carol.
the artwork i found simply ghastly. i recommend you just borrow or check out the book from a library to read the Scarcrow story "Fears"

Three Excellent Short Stories 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A must-have for anyone for anyone who owns the other two Loeb/Sale books (The Long Halloween and Dark Victory).

This compiles three tales. The first, Fears, involves Scarecrow, a brief love affair for Bruce Wayne, and the fears of Batman. This is the strongest and most intriguing of the tales. The other two are great stories but the first alone is worth the cover price.

Recommended for Batman fans from DC nerds to Batman Enthusiasts.

Pretty solid book 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book consists of three stories. The first one, about Batman facing off against the Scarecrow, is by far the strongest of the three. The second one, about the Mad Hatter, is still pretty good. It's more about Bruce Wayne, and I was appreciative of the fact that they showed that Batman is human. The third one is the weakest of the trio. However, the strength of the former two storeies more than make up for the flaws of the latter. The artwork in all three stories was superb by the way.

Architectural Graphics

Francis D. K. Ching

Amazon Price: $23.97 List Price: $39.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Wiley Amazon Marketplace: 95 new & used starting at $18.98

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Architecture -> Drawing & Modelling -> Drafting
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Architecture -> Drawing & Modelling -> General
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Architecture -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Architectural Graphics, et al - excellent books, DECEPTIVE advertising 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Get your act together Amazon or Wiley (I suspect Wiley) !!! (especially, note my final paragraph below)

1. This is NOT a hardback.

2. The "et al" is because this is NOT a single volume as suggested by the single ISBN 0471738263, but a COLLECTION of 3 PAPERBACKS - Architectural Graphics 4th ed ISBN 0471209066 (note different ISBN from that for the 3-volume set cited under only Ching's book title; 215 pages) by Francis D K Ching, Construction Drawings and Details for Interiors ISBN 0471109533 (246 pages)by W Otie Kilmer and Rosemary Kilmer, Interior Graphic Standards - Student Edition ISBN0471461962 (452 pages) by Maryrose McGowan AIA and Kelsey Kruse AIA for American Institute of Architects; overall total of 913 pages (NOT 944).

I have owned Ching's book since the first edition and it continues to be one of the best of the best. The Graphics Standards series is, of course, of biblical stature among all interested architecture and associated professionals. The Construction Drawings ... book I am unfamiliar with, though at a glance, it seems worthy.

Frustating thing is that I was especially interested in the prospect of a MAJOR significant enhancement of Ching's book - my take on Amazon's/Wiley's deceptive (or incompetent, to be more generous and kind) advertising. I already owned Ching's 4th edition and had no particular interest in the other 2 volumes, useful as they appear to be!

If only one of these volumes is of interest, any one of these 3 books would cost substantially less as an individual purchase. The price of the package of all 3 is probably a bargain, though I have not verified this.

You can do better Amazon and Wiley, so DO IT! This is sloppy work, which I have seen exemplified in other locations recently on your website; though, this is probably the worst I have seen (yet).

I resent the fact that this review is also being used at the Architectural Graphics (single volume only) webpage - where, removed from it's original and proper context, my comment appears to make no sense at all - as well as at the webpage where Ching's book title is deceptively (or sloppily) used to entice buyers to purchase a 3-book package (not explained at the webpage), when the buyer may only be interested in Ching's excellent book, thinking the much higher price is for a major revision of such (which it is not).

Fredric Lee McLaughlin, Architect

Editorial Review:

The completely updated, illustrated bestseller on architectural graphics with over 500,000 copies sold

Architectural Graphics presents a wide range of basic graphic tools and techniques designers use to communicate architectural ideas. Expanding upon the wealth of illustrations and information that have made this title a classic, this Fourth Edition provides expanded and updated coverage of drawing materials, multiview drawings, paraline drawings, and perspective drawings. Also new to this edition is the author's unique incorporation of digital technology into his successful methods. While covering essential drawing principles, this book presents: approaches to drawing section views of building interiors, methods for drawing modified perspectives, techniques for creating accurate shade and shadows, expert styles of freehand sketching and diagramming, and much more.

A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure Series)

Christopher Alexander

Amazon Price: $36.07 List Price: $65.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Oxford University Press, USA Amazon Marketplace: 81 new & used starting at $34.02

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Architecture -> Criticism
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Architecture -> General
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Architecture -> Reference

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 76 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

surprisingly religious..... interesting, but not believable 3 out of 5 stars.
10 of 16 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book after reading the glowing reviews on amazon. It was also an inspiration for Will Wright to make SimCity and the SIMS..... so I had high expectations.

I was shocked to find how opinionated and philosophical the book is. I expected the book to look at the history of cities, towns, etc. and describe patterns that already exist (much like the GoF's software design patterns book talks about patterns that people actually use). Instead the book presents a series of ideals about how the world should be structured.

If these ideals came from concerns I could identify with, I would take it more seriously. But instead they attack "problems" which I do not perceive to exist. For example, on p. 43 "The homogeneous and undifferentiated character of modern cities kills all variety of life styles and arrest the growth of individual character." This statement is contrary to my experience. I have met many great characters from cities, and seen profound cultural differentiation emerge from cities (e.g. jazz, abstract painting, hippie culture, punk, you name it). But the authors proceed as if cities killing character is axiomatic. I agree that there is a rural character that is not present in cities. But citydwellers have another type of character which is equally valid.

I have only made it through the first 100 pages. In these pages are so many naive ideas about mixing cityspace and vacant space. I live in Los Angeles so I know about sprawl & I also know a lot about cars -- while they are aiming for less sprawl then LA, they also neglect traffic congestion. They claim that making small roads in places make people reluctant to drive there.... the experience worldwide (worst in Malaysia, I hear) is that people use whatever roads are present, and if the roads are small, they then just end up sitting in traffic. The author's are naive in their structuring of space, nowhere do they cite any hard evidence of how these structures function.

I might make it the rest of the way through.... at least it's an easy read, with so many repetitions in how the models work you can kinda skim through it. I like the spirit of the book, it is reminiscent of P.M.'s bolo'bolo.... but where bolo'bolo comes from a purely emotional position, these authors take themselves seriously and believe what they are saying is objectively true. I give the book 3 stars because it is nice to see someone work through the ideas of bolo'bolo (which was actually written ~6yrs after alexander's book). I would give 5 stars to a book that did so by looking more at actual data of how spaces are utilized, and presented designs that didn't have obvious flaws in them.

Editorial Review:

The second of three books published by the Center for Environmental Structure to provide a "working alternative to our present ideas about architecture, building, and planning," A Pattern Language offers a practical language for building and planning based on natural considerations. The reader is given an overview of some 250 patterns that are the units of this language, each consisting of a design problem, discussion, illustration, and solution. By understanding recurrent design problems in our environment, readers can identify extant patterns in their own design projects and use these patterns to create a language of their own. Extraordinarily thorough, coherent, and accessible, this book has become a bible for homebuilders, contractors, and developers who care about creating healthy, high-level design.

Meggs' History of Graphic Design

Philip B. Meggs, Alston W. Purvis

Amazon Price: $55.44 List Price: $80.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Wiley Amazon Marketplace: 98 new & used starting at $54.60

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> History & Criticism -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Instructional & How-To -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not as good as former editions 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

After using all the editions, the latest isn't up to the late Phil Meggs' standards. In its attempt to
be concise and concept oriented, it omits much cultural and marginal information that was
interesting and flavorful. This edition is not as delicious as the others. I'm thinking of switching
textbooks for my students.

Excellent resource 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book provides an excellent resource on the graphic design industry with in-depth information on typography and how different art movements affected graphic design. It is well written and has great pictures with detailed descriptions. I recommend it for every graphic designer's personal library.

Editorial Review:

Now in its Fourth Edition, this unrivaled, seminal work continues its long tradition of providing balanced insight and thorough historical background. Under the new authorial leadership of Alston Purvis, this authoritative book offers more than 450 new images, along with expansive coverage of such topics as Italian, Russian, and Dutch design. It reveals a saga of creative innovators, breakthrough technologies, and important design innovations.

Design Drawing

Francis D. K. Ching

Amazon Price: $32.97 List Price: $54.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Wiley Amazon Marketplace: 80 new & used starting at $26.10

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Architecture -> Drawing & Modelling -> Drafting
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Architecture -> Drawing & Modelling -> General
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Architecture -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Design Drawing Book and CD - ROM Francis D.K. Ching with Steven P. Juroszek Author and architecture educator Francis D.K. Ching shares his unique command of visual language in this new presentation of drawing principles and techniques. Design Drawing is a comprehensive introduction to drawing and more-its innovative book-plus-CD-ROM package sheds new light on the relationship between perception, drawing, and design. In his distinctive graphic style, Ching takes us on an exciting journey through the process of creation. He unmasks the basic cognitive processes that drive visual perception and expression, incorporating observation, memory, and rendering into a creative whole. But the author sees drawing "not only as artistic expression but also as a practical tool for formulating and working through design problems," showing us how to apply "visual thinking" as a versatile tool for approaching design projects. Design Drawing covers the traditional basics of drawing, including line, shape, tone, and space. Different types of artistic conventions such as multiview, paraline, and perspective drawings are also lucidly explained. The final section, "Drawing from the Imagination," fuels the creative spirit to find its own direction. Throughout the book you'll find over a 1,500 hand-rendered drawings and exercises which reinforce the concepts and lessons of each chapter. The supplemental CD-ROM is packed with brilliant gems of information and instruction, elucidating a broad range of design drawing concepts through the communicative power of animation, video, and three-dimensional models. Intended for use with the book or as a stand-alone supplement, the CD-ROM includes 25 interactive lessons which demonstrate concepts and techniques in a way that a 2-D book format cannot. For example, the CD-ROM contains video of the author demonstrating freehand techniques in a step-by-step manner, as well as the author's voice throughout the CD-ROM explaining the various lessons. For professional architects, designers, fine artists, illustrators, teachers and students alike, this all-in-one package is both an effective tool and an outstanding value. System Requirements: Windows(r) Processor - 486DX 66 MHz (Pentium recommended) RAM - 16 MB Hard disk space available - 10 MB Graphics card and monitor - 640 × 480 SVGA display/256 ColorSound Blaser compatible sound card and external speakers Windows(r) 3.1 or Windows '95(r) 4X CD-ROM Drive Macintosh(r) Processor - 68040 25 MHz or PowerMac 601 (Quadra 650 or/PowerMac 6100 or better) RAM 16 MB Hard disk space available - 10 MB Monitor - 256 colors (640×480) Standard internal Mac sound (external speakers optional) Operating System: System 7 or later 4X CD-ROM drive

Keys to Drawing

Bert Dodson

Amazon Price: $15.63 List Price: $22.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: North Light Books Amazon Marketplace: 80 new & used starting at $9.38

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Architecture -> Reference
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> History & Criticism
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Instructional & How-To -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Good basics on freeform drawing. 4 out of 5 stars.
16 of 18 people found this review helpful.

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.