Customer Reviews

Lee Hammond's Big Book of Drawing

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Lee Hammond is a good art instructor, but I must confess that some of her work is repetitive. The first book I got of hers was "How to Draw Real People." An EXCELLENT book- everything broken down and made simple. Then I got "How to Draw" Hands, Fashion Models, Animals, Sports Figure, Family, and Friends, etc. All of these books are quite the same. The first half of each book is dedicted to materials, graphing, blending, a few exercises, and then examples of her artwork. I realized that I had been wasting my money on all of those books. If you know how to blend or whatever, then you're pretty much set. However, I do suggest getting Real People, Fashion models, and Hands. If you insist on getting Hammond's books, I suggest getting "Lee Hammond's Big Book of Drawing." It's like all of her books finally being joined together to make one big dictionary of some sort. It would be a wise investment to get that instead of all of the other ones, which can become costly.

I like this book very much.
It is very helpful on learning to draw in pencils and colored pencils (include watersoluble cp's). Subjects are people, animals and flowers. Both beginners and people who has started drawing will find it useful.
Lee Hammond describes in an easy to understand way about drawing materials, graphing photos, linedrawing, shading and the valuescale egg.
She shows many different subjects and goes specific into details on both human and animal-features : eyes, nose, hair egg. And it leads to a final drawing: a portray or an animaldrawing.
The only reason it didn't get 5 stars is because; if you have some of her books already, there will be some repetition to it. (the special-books have more lessons, though).
And also I find a few of her drawings not so good (as her usual standards), but that's minor. Most are excellent.

This is the book that really helped me! The other one I like is the old standard "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain." But for practical, usable exercises that will give you immediate results, this is definitely the book to have! Since I didn't have any of Hammond's previous books, there was no problem for me with repitition of material. I love that she is very specific in naming materials and explaining why she uses certain brands of materials vs. others. If you get only one drawing book, this should be it!

The book is quite awesome. I bought it just before I started taking a college art class and I find that it helps me more than the teacher does! I'm looking forward to buying more of Lee Hammond's books. I have already purchased her Lifelike Drawing and Drawing Realistic Pets: From Photographs, which are both equally awesome.

She is one of my favorite authors on this subject. Her writing is simple and she doesn't talk you to death. It is very easy to follow all the exercises.

I got this for Christmas, and have used it ever since. This is a great book, which has a lot of tips and instructions. Lee Hammond includes recommended materials, and explains their use, and different types of paper you can choose from. She goes over all aspects of drawing with pencil, both people and animals, and shows how to draw with coloured pencil. I picked up some new skills while poring through this book. I also gained more confidence in drawing with pencil crayons. I refer back to this book often, and would recommend it to anyone.

THIS BOOK IS BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND ILLISTRATED. FOR THE BEGINNER IT IS EASY TO UNDERSTAND AND FUN TO LEARN. I RECOMMEND EVERYONE THAT WOULD LOVE TO DRAW TO GIVE THIS BOOK A TRY.

Wow! If you're looking to learn how to draw and you want to learn from the best, Lee Hammond's books are the way to go. She specializes in real life (as opposed to cartooning) and is very clear on her method. This particular book has everything you could need to know to get started. A definite recommendation from this reviewer!

I'm really impressed with this book. I browsed through it, then began the lessons. Only three have been completed, but there is already a huge improvement in my drawing.

I find Lee Hammond's Big Book of Drawing is an excellent reference "... for drawing people, animals, flowers and nature." Though I have references which cover these subjects, and more, I still find this book a handy one-book reference for those times I want to travel light. Also, though I have been drawing for at least 30 years, I have found some very sound pointers for amateurs and more advanced users alike. I wouldn't say this is the only book you should have... I have shelf upon shelf of art and illustration books, but this is a very good addition to any collection. For a beginner, having this book along with Betty Edward's "The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" -- which is the book I used in the early 1980s in order to learn how to draw well enough to do scientific illustrations -- is a good start to his or her own collection.

However, keep in mind that this is a guide to realistic drawing. Drawing is a tool used in scientific illustration, fashion design, architecture, advertising and all kinds of illustration including fine art (another long time interest of mine since I grew up in a multi-generational family of fine artists). I saw one review that marked this book very low because "it was not artistic." "Fine art," by its very nature, is art produced primarily for aesthetics rather than for utility. This book helps you to learn to wield the tool. What you do with it, including using it for fine art, is up to the user of the tool. For this reason, this book is helpful for all illustration, and not only for fine art.