Customer Reviews

The Drawing Handbook: Comprehensive, Easy-To-Master Lessons on Composition and Techniques Using Pencil and Pen & Ink

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I checked this book out at the library, and am so impressed with it's complete contents that I'm now buying it, not only for myself, but also a copy for an artist friend who is just starting out. I am a watercolorist, and drawing techniques haven't been a great deal of emphasis to me. After looking over and reading this book, I'm re-thinking that philosophy. This book covers some excellent, PRACTICAL techniques and basic coverage of composition: what is and isn't good composition, how to create a good composition, and a review of compositions past masters have used. It covers basic equipment, techniques, of geometric shapes and their application to real world objects, types of drawing tools such as pencil and ink, and their uses and styles. There are also good practical excersises. This is a good, basic book on drawing and I highly recommend it. One of the best parts, too, is it's reasonable price!

This is an excellent starter book for learning how to draw in pen. This is the first drawing book that I have read that starts exercises using a large grid pattern which aides in maintaining the proper perspective of the sketch as you draw it. The author shows the final rendered drawing and then two sample drawings for each exercise - how to do basic outline and then individual sections of the sketch on where to put markings, shade, etc as you build up on your outline. The book covers landscape, animals, people, flowers, & buildings. Good book to have in your library.

When I review DRAWING books, the first question I ask is, "Is this for BEGINNERS?" Because I feel an obligation to the book buyer to provide good information, and also to prevent a beginning student from being discouraged, and feeling that they are defective, or ....just cannot get it.

It does not seem to occur to the buyer that many authors just cannot teach. Instinct seems to suggest that that if book gets published, it must contain credible instruction by someone who knows how to teach, and everyone seems to desire to cash in on the Big Bucks market of HOW-TO-DRAW. It may seem surprising that this is just not so. Perhaps as many as half of all drawing books are not very good for beginners. I know. I've gotten familiar with most of the books on the market, and I know what I'm looking for in good instruction.



I ordered "The Drawing Handbook" by Frank J. Lohan from Amazon because I was impressed by the "content" page inclusion of The Golden Section. I thought that any book with that subject would have to be a good book; but the book is a disappointment. There is some good material in the latter chapters, especially regarding Architecture & Landscape drawing, and these are well illustrated. However, though the author suggests we should study the "geometry" of shapes, there are no illustrations of geometric shapes in the human figure drawing chapter, and it is poorly illustrated and poorly covered. For the price, it might be worthwhile as a general reference, as it covers drawing materials adequately enough. The placement of the chapter on Composition as Chapter #1 (the first 19 pages) was a turn off also. This presupposes that the beginner will begin by "composing" a final work, which simply is not true. We begin by learning to draw, and after some ability is obtained, we want to display our best drawing, and that is when we will "compose". I cannot imagine anyone "composing" a final work, prior to actually learning to master at least, elemental drawing/sketching.

If you want to learn a very basic "method" for creating a likeness (say for the purposes of primary school teachers), this may be the book for you. If you have artistic aspirations, however, I cannot recommend it. Much better are Herold Speed's "The practice and science of drawing" and Anthony Ryder's "The complete guide to figure drawing". You can't go wrong with either (or both) of these.

This book explains how to draw. After you read "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" and understand that anyone who can sign their name can learn to draw, this book will help you learn. After good instruction, you are given practical exercises.
Only critcism: figure drawing is mentioned in the beginning but there are no such exercises in the second half of the book.