The Practice and Science of Drawing (Dover Art Instruction) [Paperback]

Harold Speed (Author), Art Instruction (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Art Instruction | Publication Date: June 1, 1972

This classic approach to the dynamics of drawing by a brilliant teacher is filled with insights and practical advice on line drawing, mass drawing, visual memory, materials, and much more. 84 plates and diagrams reinforce Speed's clear presentation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; 3 edition (June 1, 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486228703
• ISBN-13: 978-0486228709
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #100,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best ever done in English, January 26, 2003

By 

Clem J. Robins (cincinnati, ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Practice and Science of Drawing (Dover Art Instruction) (Paperback)

It's easy to pontificate and very, very hard to draw. Suspiciously absent from most books on drawing are drawings by the author. But Speed, a journeyman painter whose career bridged the 19th and 20th centuries, drew wonderfully well, and his drawings vindicate his ideas. Additionally, Speed's career embodies the best of the academic tradition and the then-contemporary discoveries of the Impressionists. His assessment of Monet has stood the test of time, as have his splendid instruction on the nuts and bolts of drawing. If you can only have one book on drawing -- and I have a vested interest in this area -- Speed's is the one to get.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very "theory" oriented but great read, May 31, 2005

By 

Fred Jones "theotherwhitemeat" (Mansfield, TX USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Practice and Science of Drawing (Dover Art Instruction) (Paperback)

If you're looking for a quick drawing book you can thumb through on the plane, this isn't it. However if you want a classical approach to drawing and painting theory, complete with very opinionated prose that teaches you the fundamentals of how drawing and painting should be - get this book. On a bookshelf filled with quick fixes and 30-second lessons on the go, Speed's drawing text is a welcome change. You'll read this again and again, gaining more knowledge out of it each time.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a superb guide to traditional drawing, November 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Practice and Science of Drawing (Dover Art Instruction) (Paperback)

Though written nearly a hundred years ago, Harold Speed's book is a gem. We live in a time when traditional drawing techniques are hard to come by, but Speed takes us back to the essential skills of the late nineteenth century. If you dream, as I do, of drawing like Ingres and painting like Sargent, this book will point the way. An absolute classic.