The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain [Paperback]

Betty Edwards (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2009

A fully revised edition of the world's most widely used drawing instruction book. Whether you feel you have little talent and you doubt you could ever learn, or you enjoy drawing but have not been able to get much beyond a childlike level, this book will give you the skill you have always wanted. If you are already drawing as a professional artist or artist-in-training, it will give you greater confidence in your ability and deepen your artistic perception. This 20th-anniversary edition of 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain' has been dramatically revised, with more than fifty per cent new material, including: Recent developments in brain research that relate to drawing. New insights on the use of drawing techniques in the corporate world and education. Instruction on self-expression through drawing. Ways to step beyond black-and-white drawing into colour. Detailed advice on applying the five basic skills of drawing to solve problems.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Not only a book about drawing, it is a book about living. This brilliant approach to the teaching of drawing!should not be dismissed as a mere text. It emancipates.' Los Angeles Times

About the Author

Dr. Betty Edwards is professor emeritus of art at California State University in Long Beach. She received her doctorate from UCLA in art, education, and the psychology of perception. She speaks regularly at universities, art schools, and companies including AT&T, the Walt Disney Corporation and the Apple Corporation. She lives in Santa Monica, California

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 3rd edition (November 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007116454
• ISBN-13: 978-0007116454
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Betty Edwards is professor emeritus of art at California State University. She is the author of The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, the world's most widely used drawing instructional.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best in its class, January 9, 2008

By 

MO "mm" (Eastern Seaboard) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (Paperback)

This book is for people who never drew well. It has lessons to take you from very bad drawing, to very good drawing. I was in an art class that used this as the text, and I went from very bad drawing, to very good drawing indeed. Art quality drawing, that I was proud of. If you already draw well, this could be boring. If you don't draw well, and want to, this is the best book in its class, of over 100 I have read.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More placebo than actual instruction, June 20, 2007

By 

John Bleau (Quebec, QC Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (Paperback)

I remember my first acquaintance with the two classics of drawing, "The Natural Way to Draw," (NWD) declared by the Whole Earth Catalog to be "not only the best how-to book on drawing, but the best how-to book on any subject," and "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" (DRSB).

I couldn't speak for the Nicolaïdes book, as it involved far too much effort for what would be a secondary hobby for me, and I set it aside forever. The Edwards book, however, was much more accessible and impressed me with its promise of unlocking some hidden inner talent, and I did get something out of it.

Web searches show that both books have their accolades among competent artists.

Enter Bruce R. Bain, a reviewer who has panned both books mercilessly. So I checked his reviews for what he does like and tried it: Jack Hamm's books. It turns out that I now agree with Mr. Bain: the Jack Hamm books have been far more useful to me.

Where NWD would have us do an ungodly amount of scribbling and DRSB is loaded with New Age incantations, Hamm's books have an amazing amount of examples, illustrations, techniques and concrete advice. You will not have to learn to shift into "right brain mode," which I simply call being absorbed by what you're doing, it will happen automatically. I am convinced that with the same amount of time and effort, the Hamm books will reward far better and faster than either of the other two.

DRSB now strikes me as more placebo than actual instruction. If you need a shot of confidence, if you need some magic formula to unlock your inner artist, then DRSB may well be for you. However, if you know that drawing involves skills that you, like anyone else, can learn, then there are better books out there that actually teach those skills.

A couple of the Jack Hamm books:
Drawing Scenery: Landscapes and Seascapes
Drawing the Head and Figure

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for People Who Say I CANT DRAW!, April 2, 2008

By 

Deja - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (Paperback)

I don't know why the neg reviewers on here are bowing down to The "Natural Way to Draw," like it was written by some genius guru. There's a reason "Natural Way to Draw" is listed waaay down on the Amazon rank (almost 5,000 down) compared to this book, "New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain."