Customer Reviews

Drawing the Head and Figure (Perigee)

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Drawing the Head & Figure" by Jack Hamm I rate #1 of the top four figure drawing books!

It is said that the Rennaissance Masters passed around "pattern books" for their students, with figures drawn in charcoal as simple cube shapes. This is that kind of book.

"Practice the rough"! Hamm writes. Jack Hamm's book is refreshingly straightforward. This is the best beginner's drawing book on the market today, and it will endure for many years. There's nothing here for the "drawing on the right side of my ambition" crowd. Hamm's freehand illustrations are absolutely PACKED into this book, from 10 to 25 illustrations generally, on each and every page with brief but concise text. The vast number of illustrations ensure that this book will be unchallenged as the formost of "how to draw" books for beginners.

Hamm's presentation does not overwhelm the beginner because he does not use a confusing style of teaching. His chapters are in sequential order. It's as though he took Stephen Peck's "Atlas of Anatomy for the Artist" and reduced it to its bare essential text, while at the same time, increasing the number of illustrations in the book. I'm truly amazed at how much good basic instruction Hamm has packed into only 120 pages. He is to be complimented.

$11.95 is the list price, but Amazon discounts that down to $9.56, and with the many clunky HOW-TO-DRAW books approaching $20 and $30, this is one of the best bargains on the market.

Want to know how to draw the shoulder, the "six-pack" (abdomen), the pectorals, upper body and the neck? Hamm shows how better than 95% of the drawing books on the market today.

Hamm devotes an entire page each, to show how to draw lips, nose, eyes, etc. If you look carefully, you will find that most books on FIGURE DRAWING have little or nothing on head & face / portraiture. Likewise, there is an entire page to show closed hands, and another entire page to show the open hand. No other book comes close.
[Some authors say that beginners should do hands when first starting the figure] The Nose page shows 21 different styles of noses. And on page 41, Hamm shows the SIMPLIFIED FIGURETTE, with an Egg-shaped head, egg-shaped chest, egg-shaped pelvis, a couple of stick legs and arms, and illustrates its use in dynamic action poses. BRAVO!

Better still, Hamm does not just show us "one way" to draw the SIMPLIFIED FIGURETTE. He shows us several ways that various artists have worked with down through the centuries. He shows the figurette as drawn with LINE, OVALS, SQUARES, and TRIANGLES. No matter what method works for you, Jack Hamm is giving you a basic methodology, and one will fit your style of expression.

Another feature I like about Hamm is that he has acheived clear mental focus. When he offers a book on "drawing" there's nothing in there on Working With Color, or Painting, or Composition, or worse, attempts to burden the student by imposing metaphysical ideas. Hamm approaches the student with respect. When he titles his book "DRAWING" then drawing is exactly the subject he treats, and not other complicated and non-essential matters. By the way, Hamm does offer separate books on the subjects of:

"Still-Life Drawing and Painting" "How to Draw Animals"
"Drawing Scenery: Landscapes and Seascapes" etc. all at bargain prices.

Hamm reminds me of the working draftsmen of the Rennaissance era with his CLASSICAL TRADITION teaching method, and he's a teacher for the working day. If I could rate it higher, I certainly would. Jack Hamm's book belongs #1 of all beginner figure drawing books.

This book is a clearly written, easy to follow, detailed and concise handbook to drawing the head and figure by using several different approaches and understanding the anatomy of the human body from the outside without going deeper into its musculature or skeletal structure. This fully illustrated reference contains over 900 diagrams and illustrations and is structured into fourteen carefully organized sections that pack into one book, without leaving anything out, all the information that usually takes other authors 2 or 3 volumes.
The author covers general topics like figure and head construction, basic lines of the figure, head patterns, angles and comparisons, movements, proportions and simplified figures. He also goes into specific topics like facial features, hair, torso, neck and shoulders, arms, hands, legs, and feet. As an added bonus he includes not so common topics such as youth and age, and clothing, but as a warning, note that most fashion elements like clothing, hairstyles and makeup are from the 1960's since this volume is a reprint of a book originally published in 1963.
By studying this book as if it were a textbook on a course, doing all the exercises and reviewing each section afterwards, I have noticeably improved my drawings in a very short time.
If you are a beginner, this is the first book you should buy to understand the fundamentals of head and figure drawing before going into deeper, more complicated and not so thorough figure drawing books. If you are a seasoned or professional artist, get this book to discover new principles and techniques with which to experiment. This book is a must for any artist's bookshelf.
--Reviewed by M. E. Volmar

Is it really possible for beginners to get a quick start to this difficult subject? The answer here simply is- YES!

Jack Hamm has done here what *very* few books can: he introduces beginners to clear, detailed instructions that will continue to help them grow in their skills- even all the way to being established working professionals. Even professionals can use a few pointers every now & then, and this book is incredibly jam-packed in this regard. For such a slim book, it's truly a phenomenal achievement. Great price too!

Maybe the one knock on this book is its general appearance- it's an illustrative style popular in 1963. Style is really irrelevant though(!): it's the simple tips, tricks, and clear instructions here that continue to make this book so incredibly popular, even today. All aspects of the head are considered in the 1st part: step-by-step head & feature construction; proportions & measurements; varying types & comparisons; male & female differences; skeletal structure & details; drawing features using the fewest lines possible; styles & types of hair; foreshortening & rotation; profiles for men & women; planes & shading; semi-cartoons, kids & elderly. EVERYTHING is included here.

It's the full-figures section that gets *phenomenally* detailed- 2/3 of this book. Proportions are 1st- using 8-head & 7-1/2 head standards. Differences between males & females are described & depicted. How the skeleton affects the surface of the figure is constantly emphasized. Simple lines & shapes for full-figure construction & individual parts structure here are near genius. EVERYTHING a parts analysis could include is detailed here. Torso, neck, arms, hands, legs, feet, and even *clothes* are considered. Illustrators & Comicbook artists will especially treasure this work. Fine artists may be put off by the style- for them I recommend George Bridgman for a more general approach to memory drawing & drawing from life. His classical beauty is very different than the illustrations here by Hamm, yet I can definitely recommend both. It all depends on what you prefer!

Other great books (not necessarily for beginners): anything by George Bridgman, Andrew Loomis, Burne Hogarth & even Ernest Watson. Highly recommended! And for photo-reference of different heads, angles & ethnicities, check out Facial Expressions: A Visual Reference for Artists...

This is, without a doubt, the best book on figure drawing that I have ever seen. Most books get muddled trying to teach you anatomy, and muscle groups. They are also all written by teachers who know the one way that works for them. Jack Hamm, on the other hand, has no problem showing you multiple ways to draw a head, body, hair, etc. The drawings are clear, with only enough detail to get the point across. No extra shading, or different drawing techniques to confuse the issue.

To those people that say the book is dated (it was originally published in the 60's I think), people haven't really changed. How can a book on drawing the human body get 'dated'?

I own many artistic-anatomy and figure-drawing books and this is one of my favorites. I can't say that this is the only book you should buy if you want to learn to draw the figure, but it should absolutely be one of the books you buy. Maybe even your first.

This book gives you so much information that other books lack. There are hints for drawing every part of the body, including the shoulders, necks, noses, mouths, eyes, arms, elbows, hands, and legs. These hints are practical and directly applicable to your drawings. The book isn't full of highly finished figure drawings that are beautiful to look at but don't help you actually learn to draw; instead, the drawings are more like "illustrations" but the principles contained here are what's important. You can produce your own finished figure drawings in your own style after you've learned what this book has to offer.

There is no perfect book and you can never have enough figure drawing books. Each one has something to teach you that isn't discussed in the others. Other recommendations include every book by Robert Beverly Hale and Terrance Coyle (Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters, Master Class in Figure Drawing, Albinus on Anatomy, etc.), Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist by Stephen Rogers Peck, An Atlas of Anatomy for Artists by Fritz Schider, and books by Barcsay, Hale & Richer, and so many others. Buy them all. Enjoy them all.

In short, I can't praise this book enough. Buy it. Use it. You won't be disappointed.

Jack did it again, this book is perfect for anyone wanting to draw realistic and believeable people. This was my first book by Jack that after I read it, I wanted to get his other books! Topics range from drawing the head, the arms, legs, hands, feet, shoulders, and LOTS more! It even goes on with helpful hints when drawing clothing, male / female differences, surface anatomy, and other very useful tips. Jack Hamm got it all in this book, once you read it you'll see why it gets the praise it recieves!

In most of the fields I work in (and I'm old enough to work in quite a few) I rely on a collection of "tools"; shortcuts, rules-of-thumb, ways to solve a problem that have worked in the past and will probably help the next time, too.

Jack Hamm seems to think this way too. His book does not give a single dogmatic approach (or worse yet, solve problems invisibly, never letting you know how he got the results he did); what he does is lay out possible ways you can approach the problems of proportion and perspective, anatomy and drapery, shadowing and expression. Not just one method but many methods; many "tools" you can use or not use as you shape those first pencil scratches into a completed drawing.

His techniques for proportion are absolutely wonderful. His understanding of the action line is now the basis of all my figure art. This book is slim but it is all red meat, no fat.

His skills are solid. He has no illusions and pulls no punches. He knows well there is stuff you can "fake" and stuff you are going to have to get right no matter how hard it seems. Yet, somehow, without the breezy pollyanna "just let it flow!" of too many "Yes, you too can draw!" books Jack Hamm manages to make it seem possible. Every time I open his book, I find myself opening my sketch pad as well, and that is one of the highest praises one can give a drawing book.

The usual caveat...you are not going to get far with figure drawing without one solid dedicated hardbound anatomy book. Add Jack Hamm to the short shelve....

I really love this book, it has many examples and not too much useless text and it covers everything and with topics like "understanding knee construction" you also get a dose of anatomy to back up your figure drawings. I've has this book for a few years and just recently saw it in my college bookstore so if you don't believe me, then maybe that will convince you that college professors recommend it to their students. The artist's style doesn't overshadow the lessons, it keeps things simple instead of overloading you with things you don't need. Great book at a great price, and when it covers the male and female figures it does so tastefully.

Not only the best value, this is the best book available on figure and portrait drawing at any price. Each page is packed with examples and principles of drawing the human shape. Artist's anatomy, sample line renderings, and practice exercises...this book has it all. This is not a pretty coffee-table book, but if you really want to learn to draw the face and figure, this book will keep you busy for a long time. Master Jack Hamm's exercises, and you will really know how to draw.

I have been in the graphics and cartooning market for a long time. I also teach illustration and cartooning (privately & at varies schools and originizations) and have been doing so for about 8 years. I am always on the look-out for books I can refer to people/students. There are very few on the maerket which I will recommend. Most books start out correctly, however on page 2 it jumps about 2 years in knowlege and skill. This book takes it step by step and is a valuable reference source.