Live & Learn: Expressive Drawing: A Practical Guide to Freeing the Artist Within (AARP) [Hardcover]

Steven Aimone (Author)

Book Description

Series: AARP | Publication Date: September 1, 2009

The many people who long to draw—but feel too intimidated to try—will rejoice at the wonderful first entry in this brand-new creative series. Written by arts educator Steven Aimone, it’s packed with solid, friendly, hands-on instruction, as well as inspiring images, and backed by the trusted AARP name. Aimone teaches an accessible style called expressive drawing that emphasizes line and mark, rather than rendering a specific object, which for many people, can create barriers to self-expression. Exercises start off simple and quick, encouraging readers to work on instinct and feeling, while the later ones focus on detail and refinement. The book features hundreds of

images of work by well-known artists from Debuffet to Jim Dine—and each chapter includes a profile of someone who came to drawing late in life and achieved recognition.

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Steven Aimone is a nationally recognized arts educator and accomplished artist. Each of his sought-after workshops encourages participants to consider drawing, painting, and design as an exciting visual language that focuses on expressing inner states of being. One of the most popular of these forms the basis for this book, focusing on elements of line and mark in drawing.

 

Aimone is also the author of DESIGN! A Lively Guide to Design Basics for Artists and Craftspeople (Lark Books/Sterling Publishing, 2004). He holds an MFA in drawing and painting from Brooklyn College, and has lectured at universities and in museums. Aimone’s paintings, drawings, and manipulated-paper compositions have been shown in numerous solo exhibitions.   

 

Aimone and his wife, Katherine, who wrote the artist profiles for this book, divide their time between Asheville, North Carolina, and Monhegan Island, Maine. They own and operate Aimone Art Services, offering workshops, arts writing, coaching, and critique. For more information, visit their website at www.aimoneartservices.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Lark Crafts; 1 edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600592813
• ISBN-13: 978-1600592812
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A very different style of drawing, February 24, 2011

By 

Parka (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Live & Learn: Expressive Drawing: A Practical Guide to Freeing the Artist Within (AARP) (Hardcover)

Length:: 1:00 Mins

(Please ignore my starred rating because I can't rate what I don't truly understand.)

The multiple 5-star reviews on Amazon lead me to get this book. Unfortunately, it wasn't what I expected.

The book teaches expressive drawing as compared to representational drawing. Whether or not you'll like this book will depend on which drawing style you like.

Representational drawing aims to create a likeness to what's seen. Expressive drawing, at they teach in this book, aims to link the artwork to your ideas and emotions.

The guided lessons cover the art basics such as line, shapes, balance and others. There aren't any lessons on rendering shadows (representational art) or composition (e.g. golden arc/rectangle or guiding the eye).

Many lessons are give ideas on loosening up and playing around with art, with respect to the particular subject taught. However, the emphasis is on enjoying the drawing process, rather than worrying about the end product. Maybe because of that, many examples fall into the category which I'm not particularly fond of -- abstract art. I feel that it's difficult to appreciate these artwork unless you're the one who create them.

You can preview more pages on Google Books - I wish I had - before deciding if it's your type of book.

(There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

70 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The next best thing to being there..., November 5, 2009

By 

Audrey Phillips - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Live & Learn: Expressive Drawing: A Practical Guide to Freeing the Artist Within (AARP) (Hardcover)

I'm one of the fortunate artists who has taken a workshop with Steve Aimone. Not to sound cliché, but studying with Aimone truly changed my life and altered my art career. This book is the next best thing to being in one of his workshops.

A masterful teacher, an innovative thinker, a sensitive soul, a deep resource of art history and knowledge, Steve has spent his lifetime brewing up an art curriculum titled "The Spiritual Language of Art".

"Expressive Drawing" is part of his lifetime of work and is a book that will help you think about your art in a different way, provide you with ways to explore and change your approach, and give you a fresh set of eyes. You'll never quite see things the same way after working through this "mini-workshop in a book".

And if you really want an immersion into a valuable experience that will not only enrich your art, but enrich your life, then sign up for one of his workshops.

And although this may sound something like a sales pitch, it's not. I'm a person who started creating art as a visual journaling exercise, an attempt to heal...never with any intention to show my art or make it a career. As I continued my process and found Aimone's classes, my work developed at a rapid pace and pushed my career quickly into galleries.

The book is a great introduction into the curriculum that Steve has created. As a beginner or pro, this book will speak to you. [...]

--Audrey Phillips

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent unique art book, August 19, 2009

By 

P. Zalisko "pkzart" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live & Learn: Expressive Drawing: A Practical Guide to Freeing the Artist Within (AARP) (Hardcover)

I already own Design! by the same author, but this book is better. It provides wonderful and unconventional insight into successful and rewarding drawing and line/mark making. The practical advice and lessons set out in this book by Steve Aimone easily translate to other mediums, like painting or mixed media. This is not the usual 'how-to' book and I know of no other that accomplishes the same result. As the author states at the outset of the book, it is truly a mini-"workshop" in a book. Just wonderful.