Customer Reviews

Drawing: The Head (HT197)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I held Andrew Loomis's books in the highest esteem. Then walter foster came along and decided to cut cost by publishing every third page and discarding everything in between. Think this statement is absurd! Compare Andrew Loomis's books BEFORE and AFTER walter foster got his hands on them.

...for beginners & intermediates in ability. It's 32 pages taken from several of his original books- easily my favorite Loomis collection!

In recent decades there have been 3 main teachers in learning to draw heads from memory. For cube-based construction we have George Bridgman. For ball/sphere-based construction we have Andrew Loomis. And for oval/ellipse-based construction, we have the famous teacher of the Dynamic Drawing series- comicbook artist Burne Hogarth. Many of today's Japanese animation & comicbook instructionals are using these very same principles, along with some of the teachings by the Famous Artists School. My current interest is in oval & cube-based construction, but it's Loomis' famous *ball/sphere-based* construction here that many people consider to be the BEST. All artists, from beginners to even professionals(!), could easily benefit in learning these 3 popular standards.
In any case, this is a great work *in pencil* on heads of all kinds. All popular aspects of construction are covered: men, women, children, teens, elderly, fashion-models, proportions, rythmic lines, planes, anatomy, bone structure, simple lines & shapes, perspective, common actions, expressions, clear line drawings, and even full-blown tonal studies (whew!). That's a lot in just 32 pages. It's all done in a classic mid-20th century style, similar to Jack Hamm's excellent Drawing The Head And Figure. My favorite pages here are p.26, p.27, and p.30, because these are his clearest & most detailed pure line drawings- exceedingly great to copy & learn from. A tremendous help for anyone interested in learning to draw from memory- get this great book today!

P.S. ...just to update: this reviews page used to be linked to 2 Loomis books. The 1st is his slim & tall, 32-page Walter Foster paperback collection currently entitled Drawing: The Head (HT197). This HT197 guide was also known as Heads/2. My review is for this Walter Foster collection. The 2nd book this reviews page had been linked to was Loomis' original hardcover called Drawing the Head and Hands; a full-blown book- more than 32 pages. The real reason these 2 books had shared these reviews is that the shorter, Walter Foster collection takes a few pages from several books, mainly pages from this full-blown Drawing the Head and Hands.
As I understand it, Loomis actually *created* ball/sphere-based construction for heads, printed in Fun With A Pencil circa 1939- and I see no evidence to contradict this. And today it's one of the most popular methods around. His books being out of print confuses many! That's why I give this 5 stars: instead of slamming Walter Foster's publications for their lack of completeness, we should thank them for keeping Loomis' name alive(!). If it weren't for this Drawing: The Head collection, I might never have given his Figure Drawing For All It's Worth a chance. Now I have both- and I consider that a good thing.

"Drawing Heads" by Andrew Loomis is a very thorough and comprehensive book that has amazingly been crammed into under 70 pages.

There is no waste whatsoever in any of the pages. The illustrations are beautiful and it contains simplified, easy to understand approaches to drawing the head as well as basic anatomy and facial planes. Also contained are the proportions for small children, babies and teens.

It would have to be the best book on drawing the head i have come across and is at a bargain price. It is a "must have" for anyone serious about learning how to draw the head.

Do not buy this copy. The drawings are well done and it will teach the basics to the advance. Great for any aspiring artist. However, the publishing company made this book VERY VERY VERY SHORT. Not enough pages to get into depth and learn more.

Its true, walter foster did ruin this. The pdf files of Loomis's original books show what masterpieces they were when he wrote them, and before this one was cut apart and jammed into thirty-two pages.

However, that being said, it still stands as an excellent guide to a beginner on how to start out understanding the form of the human head. I was glad I purchased it years ago, as it explains everything in a very clear and accessable way, with plenty of illustrations.

This book was required by my teacher, Vinicio Perez, in a portrait class I am taking. This book is the basis for portraits and is great for a quick reference without dealing with so much bulk in my portfolio bag. Vinicio feels this is one of the best books on the market. I bought this book used for only about $11 including postage and it is in very good condition. I am very satisfied with my purchase from Amazon.

This book is great for reference but is not a basic how to draw book. I have already had some art training so have found it useful but probably not for someone wanting a basic drawing book.