Customer Reviews

Figure Drawing Workshop

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Probably the best of the current crop of figure drawing books on the market. Why? It is accessible and clear. The written text gets to the basics in well written English. Most "how to" books of this kind contain dense pedantic texts. The drawings beautifully illustrate the author's points. Mr. Kraayvanger did not use the occasion of writing this "how to" book to create a vanity showcase for his own art work which seems to be the prevailing ethos in this business. Here's a novelty: a "how to" book that actually teaches and guides "how to." Mr. Kraayvanger is a genuine teacher. The book swiftly and concisely concentrates on the essentials in accessible language and a clear format. You can't ask for more. The author is too modest in his own defense.

After drawing the figure twice a week for 5 years and reading dozens of books in this area, I think Kraayvanger's book stands out as the most practical to benefit those who want to IMPROVE the drawing skills (not necessarily the best for those who mainly want to COLLECT books with the most showy drawings instead). The book focuses on the critical skills in the development path and analyzes the most damaging errors. The development is focused and phased. I feel that the book is like a rigorous instructor standing behind me and urging me to work in one essential aspect at a time, ignore all the distractions, and make a breakthrough before moving further.
For example, I have always felt my drawings detailed but generally weak; now following the book, I first see the lights and shadows flat and forget about those tempting tiny highlights, the result is much better overall relationships. Also I learned from the book that when modeling the forms I should first only concentrate on the areas between light and dark; with that I went to draw on the same day and left my lights almost untouched, and found the result much stronger and more realistic. Furthermore, I have been struggling with likeness; now the book gives me 2 key steps for this that people tend to miss, which I think are dead on target. The book helps me find over a dozen such key areas to fix, made into a prioritized list. Never has any other book given me such a big help. This book makes me realize that when building the basic skills, instructions AGAINST advanced aspects and skills are also very valuable, if not more so. (Many other books list all that their authors know about, show their most impressive drawings, without focuses and a development program; but from where to where should the students go developing? I was bewildered many times.) Instead, this book really makes a logical development path, crystal-clear.
The purpose of almost all illustrations in this book seems to be helping explain the fundamental skills and errors. I think they do get the messages across. The author seems to want to explain the ideas at any cost, even including in the section of "What's wrong with this picture?" using his own work to show mistakes (page 61; I agree on that the right leg is indeed too long, but nonetheless correct to appear--if you use the shoulders and feet to derive the viewing eye level). Most books don't spend much effort on errors, let alone to share authors' first-hand experience in finding errors. This author is honest. (And "drawing is honest", said Ingres). He also gives quite some brave (apolitical) critiques on arts, artists, art education, open studios, etc., which make this book even more lively and interesting.
The author's drawing style is consistent with his teaching style--less is more, or using his own words, simple is strong. I like it, although I'm not fully attracted by his heavy lines, perhaps because I'm at the stage of only trying to best mimic the nature. However, the author says lines are poetry if drawing is language, which may be true for some of "the freed".

As a professional artist, teacher and writer, I've learned plenty from Mr Kraayvanger, and I think his book is a worthwhile purchase. I've got other expert, contemporary, lovely, glossy figure drawing books that taught me nothing, while 'Figure Drawing Workshop' has brought out some key points of great value. Certainly many of the drawings have an illustrative feel,but it also offers many useful approaches to the figure and tips to help a beginner get going with a daunting subject. The nature of drawing doesn't always suit the requirements of a structured book with the catchy headings that publishers like, and sure, the style is pretty illustrative. If you think that you and your drawings are perfect, you probably won't like this book. If you are open to ideas from every direction, and willing to read text in the spirit in which it is written - which in this case I think, is sharing one's experience in the hope of offering some assistance - then you will enjoy and learn from 'Figure Drawing Workshop'.
see my full review at http://drawsketch.about.com/cs/bg.htm

It was many long years ago, that I tried my hand at figure drawing without much success. Now over a decade later, I tried my hand at it again and casually pickd up this book to see what it had to offer in terms of advice.

I have to say that this is "hands down" the best book on the subject I have ever read on the subject. It is simple and easy to follow; containing a wealth of information and tips about drawing the figure perfectly from start to finish. It is definietly one of the few books that actually TEACHES you how to draw, in a way that's easy to understand.

Some people have dismissed the book as being too cartoony compared to those of Anthony Ryder and doesn't go nearly as deep when it comes to fine details and anatomy. But I think Kraayvangers drawings flow better and display a variety of style based on the different materials used to draw them.

Others have criticized it for not being as wordy or in depth as the other books. But I believe in the principle that less is more. Not everybody (especially myself) likes to plow through a drawing book like its an academic textbook. I learn better through mimicing and observing and there's even enough information in here to go deeper if necessary.

All in all, this is a great book for beginners and pros alike. Don't let the cover fool you, inside there is a wealth of infomation.

There seems to be a lot of unnecessary hostility towards a book that gives very simple and basic approaches to life and figure drawing. The author's approach was that if you're going to life drawing you're probably not going into the intensive workshops that show bone and muscles, this is your first time and you only get 1-2 hours, so how do you start?

Allan's explanations of how to approach the figure as a beginner are really simple and reasonable. In fact, this book makes me do something other anatomy books haven't done.....RELAX. If you see that a teacher is drawing the figure as an average human being, why shouldn't you? Do you need to draw like Burne Hogarth especially given that the subject matter you're going to be drawing from, are average and natural figures. Everyday people are what you encounter in a life drawing class, so you need to learn how to walk before you start looking for style.

The author is honest about his approach and discusses his weaknesses, and how he approached solutions. That's better than pretending you're a perfect anatomy god. You might think "well, if he's not not an anatomy god, then why should I read this book?" Allan tells you how to start, and how to use basics to start approaching the figure in a life drawing class, what to look for and how to capture information in short amounts of time.

This isn't the end all/be all to figure drawing books, but this is a good book to go back and read when you're stuck sometimes. It gives you the steps to start drawing, not just how to draw better.

Allan is honest, he didn't want to include an anatomy section. He felt that there are better teachers than him in that department. He wanted to get people comfortable drawing what they see in figure drawing classes.

Learning the muscles are for more intermediate students, they're not something you should learn as a beginner, and not something you're actively looking for in the average life drawing class. This is not to say you shouldn't learn anatomy of muscle and skeletal studies because they ARE important as you improve as an artist, but let's look at it like this.

Look at a children's "How to draw dogs" book? Does the author go into detailed anatomy studies when you know a child is just trying to start out? The same goes for life drawing. A person needs to learn how to observe certain basics in life drawing before going in to details. This book is perfect for that.

Studying and making art for many years now, it was refreshing to see a book actually cover the basics in such a relaxed manner, and now it's helping me go back and place a better start on my own studies of the figure, as well as other books that are good at teaching structural anatomy.

In art classes, I was always puzzled by exactly how I was supposed to draw the figure. Teachers would just expect us to look at the model and draw. There would be some vague discussion of anatomy, but basically you were just expected to put your pencil on the paper and produce a recognizable human figure. The results were very hit-or-miss. It was like a driver ed teacher handing me the keys to the car without explaining how to steer!

Now that I've read and used Figure Drawing Workshop, however, I have a much better idea of how to break the human form into manageable shapes that connect to create a whole. Kraayvanger shows how to look at big organic shapes and understand them, then capture them on paper. Lots of simple, practical exercises about holding the pencil or charcoal, getting and gaining control, and seeing in shapes spell everything out in easy-to-manage steps.

If you like clear, understandable approaches to complicated subjects, Figure Drawing Workshop is OUTSTANDING. If you want a "way in" to figure drawing that instructors haven't been able to provide, this is it. It's terrific! Get out there and get drawing!

Though I would have to agree with some of what the previous reviewer said (Somewhat poor
drawings, lot of info in other books, etc.) I feel that this book really helped me to understand the basics of figure drawing. It has some excellent tips and a few other nuances that make it worthwhile. But if you are already a skilled at figure drawing, you might want to look somewhere else. I recommend Ron Tiners, figure drawing w/o a model.

The study of figure drawing can be broken down into two parts: the mechanical and the aesthetic. They cannot be separated in the finished product, but they can, and should be separated during early study. The mechanical part can be analyzed, measured, judged, and taught. The aesthetic part cannot be truly analyzed, measured, or judged, and since there are many legitimate opinions on what constitutes good or bad art, it ultimately comes down to personal taste, and that changes. Because of this, the aesthetic component probably cannot even be taught, only fed and encouraged.

Recognizing this, the author has chosen to stick with the teachable component in this book to avoid the almost insurmountable problems that are caused by exposing embryo artists to the confusing realm of aesthetics before they are ready for it. The early (and often exclusive) focus on style and technique by teachers can interfere with a students ability to see clearly, impartially, and logically. Carried to the extreme, this creates carbon copies of the teacher's own personal preferences and leaves the student without the tools to express their own artistic visions clearly. This is especially true for the many young artists who wish to express themselves realistically. Since the aesthetic component contains your personal style, I believe that it should be left to grow by exposure to other good examples with as little influence from a teacher's personal opinions as possible during the early stages of training.

This view will undoubtedly get this book some lively, if not outright hostile reviews from the more insecure teachers, and, of course there will always be those who feel they can intelligently critique a book without actually reading it, but I stand by it. We have all seen the results of both ways of teaching.

This book is directed mainly at beginners and those who missed getting their true basics earlier. You'll find drawings scanned straight out of the authors sketchbooks, giving an honest example of what to expect as you work under the conditions you find in figure drawing workshops. You will find no brilliant examples of twenty hour drawings, or stylistic, overmuscled anatomical renderings that might confuse the message. You will find it necessary to actually read the text and study the drawings carefully, thoughtfully, and with an open mind if you are to get the most from it.

Unless you are perfectly satisfied with your own work, there will be something here for you, simply read it, and approach it with an open mind.

As a painter and sculpter I wanted to tighten up my drawing skills and began looking for a book that offered clear instruction by a teacher who could personally produce a quality drawing. After looking through 75-100 books at the local mega-bookstore, I found what I was looking for. The quality of Mr. Kraavanger's art is light years ahead of ANY of the other books I viewed and his approach to teaching is logical, comprehensive and entertaining. I can say with great conviction that this IS the best figure drawing book on the market today.

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.



Allen Kraayvanger's book "Figure Drawing Workshop" contains a chapter on "Anatomy", and in those 18 or 19 pages there are a couple of pages listing and illustrating the muscles of the human body. Unfortunately, of the many figure drawings illustrating Kraayvanger's book, almost none of them show articulated musculature, because Kraayvanger, draws perfectly outlined figures only to fill in the space with monochrome shading, and inadquate use (or none at all) of good lines. Lines and shading together make for clarity in figure drawing. To just skip the lines and resort only to shading to define features is substandard. Kraayvanger skips on MECHANICS, and emphasizes the AESTHETICS, which is a refinement that a beginner shouldn't be troubled with.

Kraayvanger seems to be a graduate of the "FUZZY ARTICULATION" SHOOL-OF-ART.

The publisher is to be noted here. WATSON-GUPTILL PUBLICATIONS has sent to press several books on figure drawing that have come under my survey lately, and none of them seems to measure up. Either their editors do not know good drawing instruction, or they are simply holding themselves to a lower standard of quality.

This method of instruction entirely puzzled me. The same method, of using completed and perfectly finished drawings is used by some authors, whose books I rate consistently low. I owe a debt to a reviewer of another figure drawing book for supplying the concept for this manner of teaching. He called it, "INVISIBLE PROBLEM SOLVING":

"He does not solve problems 'visibly', he never lets you know how he got the results he did." -from an anonymous Amazon review



There is no use of SIMPLIFIED FIGURETTES of any consequence in this book, no HONEGUMI SKELETONS, BLOCK FIGURES, or HUMAN PUPPETS. (another indication that Kraayvanger skips on the MECHANICS); That's Invisible Problem Solving. Therefore, this INVISIBLE PROBLEM SOLVING style of teaching is more of a hindrance to learning than a helpful instruction. There are no shortcuts in learning to draw the figure. Kraayvanger may as well write, "Draw well, or just don't draw!" as to infer that a student should attempt to duplicate his finished drawings. Kraayvanger should master drawing prior to teaching it.

The cover price of $19.95 is grossly exorbitant, even when its already reduced by Amazon from a rip-off list price of $24.95. You can purchas Jack Hamm's "Drawing the Head & Figure" for only $9.56 and besides, there are 30 or 40 year old Dover editions of drawing books for under $7 or $8.

"Workshop" as a title term used by Kraayvanger is misleading, since he is skipping the MECHANICS. His illustrations are not "working drawings". A "workshop" is a bit of a casual endeavour. New and variant ideas can be tried and played with, erased and drawn over. . That isn't what Kraayvanger's book is all about. Kraayvanger employs a gimmick word that turns out to be empty of meaning.