The Artist's Complete Guide to Drawing the Head [Paperback]

William Maughan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

In this innovative guide, master art instructor William Maughan demonstrates how to create a realistic human likeness by using the classic and highly accurate modeling technique of chiaroscuro (Italian for “light and dark”) developed by Leonardo da Vinci during the High Renaissance.

Maughan first introduces readers to the basics of this centuries-old technique, showing how to analyze form, light, and shadow; use dark pencil, white pencil, and toned paper to create a full range of values; use the elements of design to enhance a likeness; and capture a sitter’s gestures and proportions. He then demonstrates, step by step, how to draw each facial feature, develop visual awareness, and render the head in color with soft pastels.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William Maughan has taught advanced head drawing, head painting, and landscape painting at both the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, and the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. He lives in Napa, CA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill; First edition (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823003590
• ISBN-13: 978-0823003594
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 0.4 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Figure Drawing
  • #14 in Books > Arts & Photography > Study & Teaching
  • #73 in Books > Arts & Photography > History & Criticism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, useful book on portrait drawing, June 12, 2004

By 

S. F. Bell (Raleigh, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Artist's Complete Guide to Drawing the Head (Paperback)

As a previous reviewer has noted, the title of this book is a bit misleading- it's not a "complete" guide to drawing the head. It really has a rather narrow focus: it concentrates on drawing three-quarter view portraits with (if you follow Maugham's instruction precisely) using two particular colors of pastel pencil on shaded drawing paper. In addition to his specific materials and subjects, Maughan concentrates on teaching chiaroscuro (use of light and shadow to depict form) in a "classical realist" style. However, for what the book really does, it does quite well. Keeping a narrow focus in a drawing instruction book is a virtue. Many drawing books (and I have a lot, since I've been trying to teach myself) try to cover far too much. They try to summarize in a page or two each of the different drawing mediums (pastel, charcoal, pencil, pen, etc.) and different elements of drawing (line, tone, etc.) while not giving you enough depth or detail about any one thing to learn much that's useful. Maughan, though, sticks to his central focus, describes the basic principles of chiaroscuro in an understandable manner, breaks down his drawing process into basic steps, and provides more demonstrations and detail than most books of this sort. The best evidence I can give in its favor is that my drawing immediately improved after I read this book and started practicing its techniques (even though I've mostly been using pencil rather pastel, so you don't have to precisely follow Maughan's recommendations).

Overall, it's one of the clearest and most useful drawing instruction books that I've seen. It's not really an ideal book for people just taking the first steps in learning to draw realistic portraits (for absolute beginners I would still recommend Betty Edwards' flawed but effective "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain"). It doesn't have much depth on some of the things that beginners need to learn, such as judging proportion. However, it's a good book to use early in your drawing career.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK, November 10, 2006

By 

Richard Rabkin "bird_watching" (Fire Island, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Artist's Complete Guide to Drawing the Head (Paperback)

By insisting that a likeness is obtained by concentrating on the shadow shapes and avoiding line, Maughan makes it clear how to make a magical three-dimensional image rather than the typical ideogram obtained with line. It's the difference between drawing two lines down the side of the nose, signifying "nose" and two dark circles signifying "nostrils", and drawing the cast shadow of the nose, its form shadow as it turns into the dark, and adding a high light to have the visual sysem of the viewer construct a nose for itself.

He's clear about the materials (a white and a sanguine Stabilo pastel pencil)--even how to sharpen the pastel pencils -- and suggests a simplified 4-value structure. He points out how important the light is on a head. He can be forgiven the repetition, a section on drawing monsters by combining animal and human heads, and a section on color that should have been left out.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book on Drawing the Head, March 6, 2006

By 

M. Madison - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Artist's Complete Guide to Drawing the Head (Paperback)

This book is truely a masterpiece in art instruction. It carefully and fully explains perspective when drawing the human head. It is well written- altho at times tends to be rather hard to understand the meaning but with help of excellent examples it does become clear. Would recomend that this book be purchased by anyone wanting to learn to draw the human head. Don't purchase any other books until you have gotten this book.