Customer Reviews

Realistic Figure Drawing

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

 

 

Very similar to the other figure book written by the same author. Buying one or the other will be enough.

Sheppard's work is excellent and his explanations are clear. Much of the same material carries over to his other book on the female figure. One or the other is highly recommended, as are several of his other books.

I found this book very helpful in understanding the human figure. It doesn't cover everything that I would have liked however, but it does cover a great deal of both male and female forms. With highly detailed drawings, practical techniques, and easy to understand text. This book makes an excellent addition to your drawing library.

Realistic Figure Drawing
by Joseph Sheppard

When I review DRAWING books, the first question I ask is, "Is this for BEGINNERS?" Because I feel an obligation to the book buyer to provide good information, and also to prevent a beginning student from being discouraged, and feeling that they are defective, or ....just cannot get it.

It does NOT seem to occur to the buyer that many authors just cannot teach. Instinct seems to suggest that that if book gets published, it must contain credible instruction by someone who knows how to teach. The fact should be recognized that everyone seems to desire to cash in on the Big Bucks market of HOW-TO-DRAW. That this is so may be surprising. Perhaps as many as half of all drawing books are not very good for beginners. I know. I've gotten familiar with most of the books on the market, and I know what I'm looking for in good instruction.

Page 3 addresses the subject of the canon of PROPORTIONS, the ratio of head, limb and torso size to the rest of the body. That's typical of a beginner book. That's okay.

So is "Realistic Figure Drawing" for a BEGINNER? I believe the author, SHEPPARD, is confused; but I've seen this before. Even though Sheppard can boast credentials as an art instructor, we must ask if his book is good instruction.

Chapter Two, "RENDERING FORM IN LIGHT & SHADE". This shows simple SPHERES and CYLINDERS and the shading patterns used in most elementary drawing books.

Throughout the book, Sheppard's final anatomical sketches appear. I troubles me very much when an author uses completed and "advanced" level examples in a drawing book. For one thing, no beginner can copy them nor come close. The other issue is that beginners ought to work at producing rough shapes, such as are represented by the HUMAN PUPPETS, stick figures, block figures, or figures consisting of egg or triangle shapes. These are missing.

"Realistic Figure Drawing" does contain examples of the author's "5-minute rough sketches", but these appear at the end of the book, on pages 107 to 131. That is why I feel so puzzled as to how to rate this book. Either it is or isn't for BEGINNERS, and if the author is unclear about who he is teaching, how can anyone decide if it is worth recommendation? This book does not seem to be a complete system of instruction, so I must give it a lower rating.

The list price of $21.95 seems a bit high.