Customer Reviews

How to Draw the Human Figure (Watson-Guptill Artists Library)

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"How to draw the human figure" --Jose Parramon

Jose Parramon, in my opinion, barely missed defining the genre of "figure drawing" texts for beginners. He covers fundaments of anatomy well, and yet leaves me wanting for more of what Jack Hamm calls "Simplified Figurettes". Parramon uses simpllified figurettes and block figures in a variety of poses and dynamic motion, which every beginner needs, but more were needed to illustrate this book for beginners. I guess this is where I take exception to Parramon's text, for I find myself strangely wishing he had done more in nearly every chapter. Had he done more, this book might be the standard even today. Sometimes, I guess not doing a little more, can be the difference between great success and mere mediocrity. Parramon had it all. Why were there so few block figures etc? Who can say?

One added bonus in this book, is on page 24, where a reproduction of Luca Cambiaso's block figure drawing is shown. I haven't found that on the internet, not anywhere. This demonstrates the method the Renaissance masters used to learn figure drawing, and is the singular key omitted from the faddish and gimmick drawing books ("Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain" etc) on the market today. These block figure or Simplified Figurettes were believed to have been passed around in pattern books to the students of the Rennaissance masters.

Luca Cambiaso, Genoese painter (1527-1585) began using simplified cubic shapes as a kind of shorthand drawing style, and is believed to have been the author of the method of dividing the human body into small squares in order to give correct proportions. We are so fortunate that some of his "pattern book" drawings are still in existence. All others seem to have vanished with time. Cambiaso was a man of little historical knowledge, but as an artist was distinguished by accurate drawing, clever composition, and fond of glowing color. He suffered deep melancholy after the early death of his wife.

When I first saw the Cambiaso block figure illustration in Parramon's book, it sort of reached out and "grabbed me" ...across the continents and through centuries of time.
It is a good thing, and right. Parramon seems to have had the same identification with Cambiaso, and I feel a bond with Parramon for that.

The pages containing a pattern for a cutout figure, referred to as the "articulated doll" seemed entirely unnecessary, unless one is so poor as to be unable to afford a wooden articulated artist's model for $10.00.

It's a disappointment to feel that an author is personally masterful of his craft, but somehow produces a book that yields only a glimmer of his brilliance. The publisher may have put restraints on Parramon; but when I thumbed through it, it made me sad that such a great light was bound my some absurd limitation. I am happy to have one in my library, just the same, and recommend that you look one over if you see it in the bookstore.

This is a perfect book for a beginner or someone getting back to figure drawing. The style is simple, clear and concise. There is no deluge of different poses, the author is not trying to impress the reader with his own figure drawing prowess like I see in other books. If I was that good, I wouldnt really be buying a book on it. I would be drawing in front of a canvas.

The guide to proportions is once again quick and easy. You can build on this book once you have the simple basics.

This books are very very particular for those painter who want to improve their skills............................

good choice.

Typical but with many repeated drawings as seen in other art instruction books.