Customer Reviews

The Watson Drawing Book (Dover Art Instruction)

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WATSON DRAWING BOOK by Earnest W. Watson

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.

Some books can be for ADVANCED students, and they can skip beginning lessons. In this case, this book is not clear about precisely who its reader is. If it was clear about its audience, it could go right to the basics and move on from there. There are basics here, in chapter three, so it is intended to be a BEGINNERS book.

Chapter I consists of wordy text, answering the author's intellectualizations about WHY WE DRAW.

Chapter II consists of wordy text, answering the author's intellectualizations about WHAT IS GOOD DRAWING. The illustrations accompanying this are still life sketches, dogs & cats, seafood and roosters. There is a decided lack of inspiration here.

Chapter III is wordy text on the principles of PERSPECTIVE. It is covered in a disorganized manner. Some of the material in the latter part of the chapter should be on the first page or two of the PERSPECTIVE chapter.

The reader has to go clear to page 115 to find instruction on drawing people, and here the lesson is only on PORTRAITS. The text is supported by one rough sketch and 4 completed drawings.
Not until page 123 does the student find instruction on drawing the human figure.

Throughout this text it is difficult to find a single drawing style used throughout. The examples of completed drawings are lacking in inspiration. About the only recommendation I can make for the WATSON DRAWING BOOK is that the list price of $12.95 makes it affordable.