Customer Reviews

How to Draw Lifelike Portraits from Photographs

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Lee Hammond instructs the reader to use a graphing approach to get a likeness, as it seems she does in all her books. She then describes in detail how to draw each feature of a face and gives many examples and exercises in using the blended pencil technique. Finally the reader is encouraged to put it all together and do a full portrait.

The book is very well-organized and detail-oriented, not to mention visually appealing. At first I questioned the graphing technique--it seemed somehow "unnatural", plus you can't do it with a live model. However, after looking at my finished drawings, amazed, thinking to myself (as another reviewer said), "this is so good, I can't believe I did it", I can understand that however unnatural graphing may be, it certainly gives me faith in my abilities and inspires me to try more art. I think the visualization techniques I learned from this book will help me in whatever medium I choose, and I wouldn't be surprised if they helped me draw realistic portraits from life as well.

A note about Lee Hammond's books: I looked at the Discover Drawing Series, and it seems that a lot of the material in those books is covered in this book. They do deal with some different types of models, but if you are going to get just one of her books, I recommend this one.

I have just bought her "How to Draw Portraits in Colored Pencil from Photographs" and I am so excited to try it out!

"WOW YOU DREW THAT?! hahaha, yeah right, no way. You did? Come on.. Really? You drew it yourself? Oh my god. I cant believe it. Youre like - a genius or something. Wow."

This is an actual real life reaction I had the other day from a friend after three months or so of practicing the lessons in this amazing book. She could not believe how quickly I had learned. Of course, once I showed her the book, she believed it right away. Why? because this book is all about achieving results. The BEST results for the most amazing realist drawings, period. There is no filling up space with needless extra pictures, no flaky artsy prose about something or other which doesnt help at all, like ive seen in other drawing books. From page 1 till the very last page you LEARN, and you learn FAST, so fast you will surprise yourself with every drawing.

Today I have come to Amazon to order How to Draw Color Portraits from Photographs and How To Draw Flowers and Nature from the same author, Lee Hammond, and I tell you, I cant wait. I used to be a computer nerd with no creative side whatsoever. Thank you a million times over Lee for transforming my life! I only wish you included some sort of email address with your book so I could tell you this directly.

This is one of the best books on drawing portraits I have seen. There are several other fine books that go into more detail about the basics of drawing faces, proportion, etc., but most don't go into detail about shading and technique to make the portrait truly come alive. There are tons of illustrations. Ms. Hammond's own artwork is awesome! They are an inspiration in and of themselves even without the instructional steps. (I was surprised that a couple of other reviewers didn't find her artwork to be very good. We must be talking about two different books!). The illustrations and examples are very clearly presented, and the photos are of excellent quality. She goes into detail about making eyes, lips, noses, hair, and even eyeglasses and clothing! Ms Hammond's instructional style is warm and encouraging. I have several other books by Lee Hammond, and I've found all of them enjoyable and informative. Whether you are looking for a book just to do family and friends portraits or to do professional portraits, I would recommend this book. The hardbound cover and glossy-like feel to the pages are pleasing as well.

I was a pencil artist over 20 years ago and took my almost natural gift for granted. I loved to draw from the very first moment I drew something well. I remember saying in suprize "It feels like I can breathe for the very first time...as though I'd been holding my breathe forever." I was taught using various methods with "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" as the basic text, so all my work was freehand. Thus I had great disdain for grafting. Even when enlarging from tiny old photographs I only used my eyes and I was very good. But things changed and I learned a much needed lesson in grace and humility.
Gradually over the last ten years there has been damage to the right side of my brain. I have for all intents and purposes lost most if not all of my artistic ability. I felt devistated when the Neurologist confirmed the test results last month. However, she did send me to a very good therapist who decided to work with me to cross train my left brain to do the right brain's artistic function as far as drawing was concerned. The first thing she did was an assessment, the next talk to me about learning to draw with grafts, and I remembered this book and how I no longer had my copy and needed a new one.
It's always easy to find fault with someone who does things differently than you do, and that stuck out in the reviews like a sore thumb. Grafting is not freestyle. It's not meant to be. It's meant to teach those whose skills are not strong, how to SEE. Right now their left brain won't shut off long enough to let them see and draw what's in front of them. A graft will help shut that down. Eventually, they arn't going to need grafts. I'm not going to be that lucky. But at least I'll be drawing and without Lee Hammond's work I wouldn't have that much.
If you are fortunate enough to draw well, that's great.It's a gift of life that is very rare. I am 1/4 Native American and for me this was a sacred experience that I disrespected instead of honoring. Perhaps this book will give me a way to make amends to All That Is.
I would like to say,I've read several reviews that have been written by well trained pencil artists and I'm suprized at what they've said. As artists, particularly pencil artists, we are suposed to be sensitive to all that is around us. We have to "draw it in" in order to draw it at all. We don't walk up to our work. We have our eyes and our brains coax it, to bring it's essence as well as it's form to us. None of us got this way overnight. Our inspiration had to be breathed into our being and our work. So, Please don't knock a tool or a person that can and will help those who are not like you...yet. They have the right and the need to feel what we feel, the "whole-y-ness" of our art." And they might turn away from this clear source of help if an "expert" says it's "no good," and never know that experience because of what they have read. This is not the book for a professional artist but it just might be step one for a person who has lots of blocks to cut through because of say "cartooning." Then they can go on to "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain," by Betty Edwards, or books by Maltzman, or Petrie etc. when they are ready. They can always prowl through the stacks here at Amazon and look inside at books before they buy. Thank you to Lee Hammond and to Amazon for the opportunity to write these reviews.

This book does exactly what it says! You don't need any prior art lessons to understand and learn how to realistically reproduce portraits from photographs. Lee Hammond meticulously explains each step in the process of drawing. She takes the reader from the materials to get, to each feature of the face, to hair, clothing, hands, composition, backgrounds, and special effects. Her book has a generous supply of her own outstanding portraits and her students' drawings, and they are absolutely beautiful. She also shows you some before and after drawings that are so professional looking that I was really challenged to see if it could really be done. I know that they are real because guess what?? I went through the book, and it really works! I believed I had no drawing ability until I went through this book. Lee Hammond is a master artist and teacher. The best thing is that these techniques can be transferred to drawing anything...not just portraits. If you ever wanted to produce lifelike, realistic portraits, get this book. It's worth every penny!!!

Lee Hammond's book was the only book of several I purchased on drawing portraits that got me off to an immediate and credible start. The technique of gridding a photograph is a wonderful way to begin creating accutrate line drawings. Despite what many may say, there need be no apology for using this method. Many, many professionals use grid drawing as did the Great Masters. Beware the critic who says there is only one way or that certain techniques are "cheating". It is the result that truly counts. Nonetheless, every aspiring figure artist should make learning to draw from life their goal. Before then, however, build confidence with the method Lee describes.

Veteran portrait artists -love- to bash this book. It's understandable: I'm a computer programmer, and if there was a book that taught people with absolutely no previous computer skills to code complete programs in a couple days, even if those programs weren't exactly the same quality, it would irritate the heck out of me.

That doesn't change what this book is, though. It WILL take you from knowing absolutely NOTHING about drawing or art, to making beautiful, amazing, I-cant-believe-I-drew-that portraits in a few days. That's it. That's all it does, that's all it ever pretends to do, and it does it fantastically well.

To try to review this book as if it was written for someone who has already drawn (and sold!) countless portraits is just ridiculous. Douglas Grave's books might be good for that type of person but I can tell you as a BEGINNER, they are way too complex and just completely over my head. This book is simple, sweet to the point, and easy to understand for someone just starting out. The veteran artists that rag on this book just can't grasp this concept.

Another false argument the veteran artists like to toss around is to pretend that this book is meant to be the one and only book that the beginning student of drawing will ever read. So it becomes easy to criticize the choice of the grid technique. This is of course, also ridiculous. The grid system is just ONE technique in a sea of techniques that exist. You are of course meant to keep reading more books after this one and keep learning new techniques to expand your drawing. That doesn't change the fact that this is one of the best places to start. I've learned to free-hand draw in the time since I read this book. But when I started out, I used a grid. I don't regret it in the least.

Will this book make you a real true-blue veteran artist? Of course not. But it WILL give you your first techniques and give you the confidence to find your own drawing 'voice'. If you've never put your pencil to paper but would like to, go though some of the exercises in Hammond's book, and blow yourself away.

After almost 10 years of having this review up (and getting a wide variety of responses for it) I thought I'd rewrite it and consolidate my thoughts, and so have done a complete overhaul of this review. ;-)

First, I'll give these disclaimers:

1) IF YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY *CERTAIN* THAT YOU ARE ONLY AND EVER GOING TO BE A LIGHT HOBBYIST: Then this might be an acceptable book, though I still think "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards or "Keys to Drawing" by Bert Dodson are better. That's because they teach you how to draw more freely, and because even though you may *think* you will never take your art more seriously, things can change in ways that you don't anticipate. And if they do change, and if you only ever followed what was in this book, you may end up regretting it, very bitterly, later.

2) IF YOU INTEND TO STUDY THIS BOOK ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER GOOD BOOKS AND FOLLOW ALL OF THEM EQUALLY: Then again this book might not be so bad, because other books (like the aforementioned Betty Edwards and Bert Dodson books) will show you better and more well-rounded techniques, so at least you can make an informed choice about what path you want to follow.

3) The author seems to be very enthusiastic about art, and also seems like a genuinely nice person. That shouldn't be underestimated. If she gets people interested in art, that isn't a bad thing, but again, refer to #1 and #2. There are other far better books that will give a more well-rounded introduction to drawing. If you like this book, fine, but please expose yourself to other techniques, unless you are completely certain you're never going to be anything other than a light hobbyist.

With that out of the way, my reasons for giving the book 1 star still remain.

First, some of the drawings are not very well drawn. There is a drawing of a bald person (in profile) that is simply awkwardly done and anatomically incorrect. Other drawings show similar lack of proportion and anatomical correctness. (I haven't seen the newer edition of this book, who knows, maybe the drawings have been improved.) The example artwork can be overblended, flat, and with unattractive features like each tooth outlined too heavily, so the portraits have people with ugly, somewhat dirty-looking teeth. A few portraits did look okay, however. (I liked the Ryan White portrait.)

The blending pencil technique: This has become heavily overused, especially among newbies, and is the only method taught here. Additionally, it's not demonstrated well here. Some of the blending is flat and unattractive (like the too-dark lines between people's teeth).

Many more experienced artists will remind the newcomer that blending graphite like this *because* you haven't learned the other ways of rendering pencil is a big mistake. In other words, don't decide to only do blending, just because you've never become comfortable drawing with pencil any other way. Learn the other methods (which you'll be exposed to in other books) and make up your mind which one you like best. Just because blending graphite has become so popular, doesn't mean it's now become the standard method for drawing in pencil. It's probably not going to work with quick sketching and/or some life drawing situations, which most artists will eventually encounter (unless, of course, they are absolutely determined to remain a light, light hobbyist).

The grid method: Used by old master artists to transfer their sketches to a larger surface. But the old masters didn't use the grid to copy photos. The old masters did know how to draw freehand, and from life. (And even if you think that some of them didn't, there are plenty of artists living *today* who can. So there's really no reason to think that drawing freehand is beyond your ability. It's a skill that you can learn, and books like the Edwards and Dodson books can teach you that skill.) Or, to put it another way, using the grid occasionally, or using it when you're a new artist and gradually moving past it is one thing. Using it all the time, for every art project, is treating it like a crutch.

This book overemphasizes the grid. Thanks to books and tutorials like this, I personally know of many artists who never do any drawing without laying down a grid first. I think this is a terrible mistake, because an overdependence on the grid can make an artist almost incapable of drawing anything decent-looking without it. This can potentially lead to embarrassment or humiliation when the artist is faced with the not-unreasonable request to sketch something without gridding first. Many people are going to assume that artists should be able to draw without going through all that rigamarole, and frankly, many art teachers will have the same expectation as well.

So in conclusion, if you take pride in your work and someday dream of being better, AND, *if* you have difficulty drawing without the grid or are uncomfortable drawing unless you can blend your pencil strokes, then you're creating a problem for yourself. Don't let your pride or your fear of failure prevent you from moving from the comfort zone of grid+blending graphite.

I am no artist OK! I am a 52 year math and physics teacher. What does that tell you? Those who bash this book as not artistically "right" are most likely the same ones who turn people off to art by telling them to get in touch with their feelings. This is like telling an obese and out of shape guy to get in touch with his feelings through yoga. Nonsense! The guy needs to learn to walk and move and to have fun exercising. Drawing is no different.

Beginners get discouraged because art teachers tell them to draw squiggly lines and shapes and patterns. While these are OK techniques and can work for motivated artists, most beginners just want to draw somewhat realistic subjects. These techniques and skills can be incorporated into the process of drawing real things. This is how Lee does it. As a beginner, this book will get you where you want to be (as will other Lee Hammond books) and you will have fun getting there.

Is it for advanced artists? Probably, not. But these are the folks bashing the book. They bash gridding. Well, if one doesn't need to use a grid or if one does not want to use gridding, then don't use gridding! Give people some credit! We can all figure out if we want to draw a grid or go freehand. "Pushing graphite is an immature method." Well, maybe so in the eyes of expert artists. But artists have been using blending techniques for thousands of years and what is graphite pushing - blending! It is an easy way for beginners to learn to shade and to create shape and texture before learning more complex methods. Critics say Lee's work is not very good! Well I disagree! I took the book to my school and I found not one student or teacher (including the art teachers) who didn't like the drawings. Lee's books are the Fanfare For the Common Man. They appeal to the masses of beginning and intermediate art students who just want to have fun and learn to draw.

Is the book perfect? What does that mean? Nothing is perfect for all people. But Lee's book is a good one. It is very well written in easy to follow language, to the point, and provides great examples and exercises. Lee makes it a point to avoid the stuffy, abstract, gobble-d-goop that many artists seem to believe bolster their otherwise fine techniques. Lee is a very talented artist who knows how to teach and knows how to reach the rest of us aspiring wannabes.

As I said earlier, I am more the Einstein/Edison type (although I don't include myself as worthy of being in their ranks) and as I try to branch out and learn to appreciate the fine arts, I find Lee's books inspiring and exactly what this guy needs.

Get them! You won't regret it and the prices are reasonable. If you can't learn something from Lee's books, then you aren't trying very hard.

Wonderful!

I have tried several different methods of artistry from pencil to oil painting. I have found pencil to be my favorite but often became VERY frustrated because I couldnt get depth and realistic detail. After a few years of NOT drawing, I found I missed it and started back up. Still frustrated, I went online and found this book. After following it step by step, I drew a picture of my daughters that shocked ME! I couldnt believe how well they came out. Now, my confidence level is HIGH and alot of people I know are asking me to draw pictures of their kids too. This book is a MUST for everyone who wants to either learn to draw or is already an artist but brush up on their skills. I cant say enough good things about it. Dont wonder if you should buy this book...wonder why you didnt if you decide not to. THANK YOU LEE! You've written a real winner here, and the illustrations are SUPERB.