Drawing Books

How to Draw 101 Animals (How to Draw 101)

By: Top That Publishing PLC Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $49.84

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A good idea, but probably not for children. In fact, probably not a good idea for adults either. 3 out of 5 stars.
12 of 15 people found this review helpful.

Well, it started out good enough. Owl, pig, dog, crab: easy peasy, mac and cheesy! I was in a drawing frenzy by animal number 8, which was a lion. I could draw a lion with my toes, and even then I could draw a decent one with only my left pinkie toes using one of those useless tiny stub pencils that you find in public libraries.

So then I turned the page and there was animal number 9: The Fishhawk. I had never seen a Fishhawk before, but there are a lot of animals I haven't seen. So I learned how to draw this half-fish half-hawk thing and continued on to number 10, which was a Fishbook. Now, Fishhawk, I'll buy. But I don't see how something could be fish and book all at once. Furthermore, the Fishbook was pictured as if it was reading about itself in a book called "Fishbooks: A True Story".

Well, there's a lot about science and zoology that I don't know, and I can't argue if there's a book out there called "Fishbooks: A True Story". So I drew this and continued on to number 11, which was, literally, the "Elevenosaur". Easy enough, I guess, but numbers 12-18 were, in order, the Twelvopotamus, Thirteentelope, Fourteencat, Goatifteen, Sixteengoose, Seventelephant, and Monkeighteen. Each of these was an anthropomorphized version of the number itself, only with some sort of vague animal resemblance.

Nineteen was actually just directions for writing the number "19". Under the side notes, called "Quick Hints," it says, "First draw the number 1 and then the number 9! Now combine them!" Number 20 was finally a real animal. It was some guy named Dave who, technically, is a human animal. However, 21 was "Doubledave" and 23 was "Tripledave" and so on until 29, "Polydave." Each of these was exactly the same drawing as the previous one, only with one more Dave.

The thirties were actually animals 1-10 again, but now with hats or actually themselves in the form of hats. For example, "Cat in a Hat" and "Lionhat" and "Dave wearing a pig hat." Although, I admit, #35 Crabhat looks pretty cool, but I don't see how it's kid-appropriate to have him injuring Dave's head with instructions on how to realistically draw arterial spray.

At this point, I started to skip ahead. Some of the notable animals in the remainder of the book are listed below:

#40. Beezoriite. A bunch of human-like bees coming out of a nest that looks like, I kid you not, the US Capitol Building. Bees aren't animals, but at this point I'm not going to nitpick. They are, however, illustrated with a strange accuracy. The queen is apparently Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, and several painstaking steps are included as how his "lipless smirk" should be precisely drawn.

#41. Jackelopemesopotamia. Described as "half jackrabbit, half antelope, half Mesopotamia".

#42. Dave, once again, but wearing a shirt that reads: "The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything." I don't get it.

#52. The Syrripidon. The author took a full 80 pages to describe how to draw everything involving The Syrripidon. This apparently includes a pencil-like arm that the Syrripidon uses to draw other body parts onto itself. I supposed that explains why it has 4 beaks, 12 sets of legs, and something like 70 arm-like appendages that include a grappling hook, can opener, and "arm made of money". The final illustration is largely kid-inappropriate because the Syrripidon is pictured in a cartoon saying, in a vulgar and uncensored manner, how he cannot stop drawing things onto himself and that "no eraser can erase this pain."

As of the date of my writing this, Google cannot find one instance of the word "Syrripidon" on the internet.

#70. Cow. Strangely enough, these are well-written instructions on how to draw a pleasantly-cartoonish barnyard cow.

#72. Dogcow. Okay I see where this is going, all the way up to...

#79. Catdogcowcrabowlpigdavegooserabbit. As a "Quick Hint" the author instructs you that goose genes are the dominant phenotypes here, with rabbits coming in a close second.

#80-89. Multiple poses of the author's cat, Jinx, who is described as his "only friend now."

#90. A bottle of whiskey, but with arms. The bottle is drinking a smaller bottle of whiskey.

#98. The Authoridox. I believe this actually some sort of animal incarnation of the author. Included are several pages on how to draw everything from his "heart injured from the evil Exwifica", to his bloodshot eyes, and his "back, stabbed by the backstabbing best friend I once had." This is a very challenging animal to draw, which is probably why it's at the end of the book. I found the Authoridox's cirrhotic liver to be difficult to render, and I've never before attempted to illustrate the effects of a retrovirus-suppressed immune system.

#99. Daveasaurus Rex and Exwifica Regina. Well, this one really isn't child appropriate, and I don't see how the publisher failed to edit out this horrible, horrible image. There aren't even instructions on how to draw these "animals", but I don't see why you'd want to draw them anyway. Incidentally, Rex and Regina are the proper Latin words for king and queen, which tells me that a scary amount of thought went into this particular drawing.

Overall, I give this book a 3. I would have rated it lower, but it's difficult to fault a thorough, 900-page children's book for being incomplete. I would have rated it higher if not for giving me nightmares.

The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

Betty Edwards

List Price: $31.00 By: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd Amazon Marketplace: 21 new & used starting at $13.61

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 169 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."

Art for Kids: Drawing: The Only Drawing Book You'll Ever Need to Be the Artist You've Always Wanted to Be (Art for Kids)

Kathryn Temple

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Lark Books Amazon Marketplace: 29 new & used starting at $10.29

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent beginning book! 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

This book is excellent for the beginning art teacher and drawing student. I am basing a lot of my curriculum on ideas inspired by this book in my upcoming school year. It takes your thoroughly through each step/stage of learning to draw so that anyone can master it! Great illustrations and ideas are perfectly fit onto each page, without annoying "materpieces" that you don't think possible. By the end, you will be drawing with the best of them-- and students will too!

Editorial Review:

What do children hope to create when they put pencil to paper? An accurate likeness of the things they see, of course. With this imaginative, informative, and amply-illustrated guide to drawing, it's amazingly easy for kids to make those art dreams come true. After a brief overview of tools and materials, the entertaining hands-on activities begin with contour drawing techniques. With the help of lots of exercises, budding artists will learn the basic elements of shapes (lines, dots, circles) and see how to combine them to make familiar forms. They'll find out how to produce the illusion of volume with shading techniques; create perspective; accurately recreate landscapes, people, animals, and nature; develop interesting compositions; and more.

How to Draw What You See (Practical Art Books)

Rudy De Reyna

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Watson-Guptill Amazon Marketplace: 113 new & used starting at $6.89

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

Don't be deceived by the title 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful.

This book is not for novice artists. I'm a Middle School art teacher and was looking for some new ways to TEACH drawing. I have "Drawing on the right side of the brain" and use many of the exercises in it with my students. This book doesn't even come close in my opinion. I didn't take anything from it that I could remotely use in the classroom. Reminded me of my college level drawing classes with professors that just threw a bunch of concepts out without *teaching* how to actually DO.

Editorial Review:

•A best-seller for 35 years

• A timeless classic that has taught generations of artists—and will teach generations more

When it was originally published in 1970, How to Draw What You See zoomed to the top of the publisher’s best-seller list—and it has remained there ever since. "I believe that you must be able to draw things as you see them—realistically," wrote Rudy de Reyna in this introduction. Today, generations of artists have learned to draw what they see, to truly capture the world around them, using de Reyna’s methods. How to Draw What You See shows artists how to recognize the basic shape to draw the object, no matter how much detail it contains.

An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration from the Private Sketchbooks of Artists, Illustrators and Designers

Danny Gregory

Amazon Price: $11.99 List Price: $19.99 Not yet published By: How

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Editorial Review:

An Illustrated Life offers a sneak peak into the wildly creative imaginations of top illustrators, designers and artists from around the world through the pages of their personal visual journals. Popular visual journalist and author Danny Gregory reveals how and why keeping a consistent, visual journal leads to a more fulfilling creative life. Designers and artists working in all mediums will find creative inspiration from these insightful interviews and stunning examples.

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

Betty Edwards

Amazon Price: $11.59 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Tarcher Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $9.45

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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.

Fashion Artist (Fashion Design Series)

Sandra Burke

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Burke Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 26 new & used starting at $18.74

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Oh, how I wish I had this in school! 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I wore holes in piles of paper trying to work up to the basic points so magnificently outlined in this book! It's like having an art teacher with you (without the snide remarks) to bring your abilities to the top.

If you are planning on studying fashion, or just doing it for fun, you need this book.

Highly recommended!

Perfect for beginners 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is a great start for beginners who want to work in the fashion industry or for those who consider fashion designing a hobby and want to improve on their illustration skills, like myself. Burke starts with the basics, like learning how to draw the female figure in different poses and drawing some examples of clothes, but she also touches upon fabric rendering and ideas on how to make a presentation. There's even a section on designing for men, childeren, and costumes. Overall a very informative, clear and consise book to get started and to encourage and inspire amateurs to want to learn more.

I like what I see. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I haven't really had a chance to play a lot with this book since I got it a month ago, but so far, I like it. There are very colorful designs, croquis', and many illustrations. It seems like it gives a lot of information in a short amount of time.

How to Draw 101 Funny People (How to Draw 101...Books)

Dan Green

By: Top That Publishing PLC Amazon Marketplace: 2 new & used starting at $64.40

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

Perfect for Children 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Very pleased with this How to Draw Book. Our Grandchildren--ages 5 and 7--- sat down and immediately started drawing people from the book. I was amazed! Easy directions for them to understand.

Great for Art Class 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I use this whole series in my Art Class to Elementary children. They love this extra activity. It builds their confidence that they can draw identifible things. They even take multiple instructions and create a whole picture. I ripped the book apart and laminated the pages into easy to use cards. Works great!

Makes drawing easy 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I bought it because my son like to draw but needed a few ideas that were easy to do on his own as opposed to copying. The books format allows kids (and adults) to really do some cute things with pictures.

Good drawing book for 8 and up 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

My eight year old daughter loves this book and I love it as well. But it is too frustrating for my six year old son.

Basic Drawing 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is pretty good if you're looking for basic drawing ideas. It's easy to follow along. Lots of characters.

Keys to Drawing

Bert Dodson

List Price: $21.95 By: North Light Books Amazon Marketplace: 10 new & used starting at $6.79

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Good Beginners' Buide 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Over the last six month I have been buying a number of instructional book on drawing/sketching for reference. I have found this one to be one that I continue to go back to to review approaches to getting started. I would recommend it as a good guide for a beginner -- either to drawing or to starting with charcoal and graphite.

Leon

It's the best! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

The book is well organized, and presents material in a conprehensive, easily understood manner. The illustrations are useful, and not intimidating. The subjects of the drawing exercises are interesting and varied. The author seems to work right along with the student in this book, and anticipates some of the problems that arise in drawing. The author's remarks are encouraging for individuals interested in drawing at any level of expertise. I appearance of the book prior to purchase, but it is more than I expected. The book's size is neither too large nor too heavy to use in a small space or to carry along.

Excellent Drawing Instruction 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

"Keys to Drawing" is my favorite drawing instructional book. I found it here on Amazon and checked it out of my local library to see it before I ordered it. I have a short attention span and lose interest if a book doesn't engage me pretty quickly. I was immediately engaged by the simple, clear instruction and effective, challenging projects. This book got me drawing within minutes. I re-checked it twice from my library and had to order a copy for myself!

I love the format of this book, with the emphasis on drawing and not just talking about drawing, like so many instructional books do. I also appreciate the many examples in the author's loose, easy style. This is one of the first books I've picked up that didn't intimidate me with detailed, advanced portraiture. The progression and pace of this book were very comfortable to me. I'm extremely pleased with the results I'm seeing in my drawing.

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way

Stan Lee, John Buscema

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Fireside Amazon Marketplace: 95 new & used starting at $5.39

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 67 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

How to draw comics the Marvel way is good but old! 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

How to draw comics the Marvel Way is a good book but it's very old information. I think that Marvel comics and the comic book industry has changed since this book was published in 1978 and 1984. Don't get me wrong! I like this How to draw comics the Marvel Way! book written by Stan Lee with artwork by John Buseama, but the books information is too old. I think comic book artists today use better materials besides paint brushes and india ink. You buy Markers with india ink in them at an artsupply store. there are other things in this book that do not appy to comic books in 2008 as well. If your a begining artist, I will recommend this book but It's not for advance artist. B+

Editorial Review:

Stan Lee, the Mighty Man from Marvel, and John Buscema, active and adventuresome artist behind the Silver Surfer, Conan the Barbarian, the Mighty Thor and Spider-Man, have collaborated on this comics compendium: an encyclopedia of information for creating your own superhero comic strips. Using artwork from Marvel comics as primary examples, Buscema graphically illustrates the hitherto mysterious methods of comic art. Stan Lee's pithy prose gives able assistance and advice to the apprentice artist. Bursting with Buscema's magnificent illustrations and Lee's laudable word-magic, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way belongs in the library of every kid who has ever wanted to illustrate his or her own comic strip.