Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing From Life: Over 1,000 Illustrations [Paperback]

George B. Bridgman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

It's rare to find good, comprehensive books on drawing the anatomy. Each of these the first, the return of a classic; the second, a focused study; and the third, lessons from the masters deserves a place on library shelves. Bridgman was a legendary teacher at New York's Art Students' League. There, he originated a system of drawing known as "constructive anatomy." In 1952, his seven books on anatomy were gathered into one volume, which became a standard work at art schools and universities. Published now for the first time in paperback, it holds up as an indispensable volume, with more than 200 illustrations of hands and hundreds of images of arms, shoulders, heads, torsos, legs, knees, and feet. Fairley's book concentrates on those troublesome extremities hands and feet. Sketchbook exercises are followed by eight detailed painting demonstrations in watercolor, oil, and other media. Fairley then continues on to portraits in which variations in age, skin tone, composition, mood, and movement are integrated. Advanced students will find Hale and Coyle's Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters a rich source of inspiration. Hale, like Bridgman, was one of the great teachers at the Art Students' League. His student, Coyle, gathered together Hale's famous lectures to produce this compendium. Hale drew on principles found in 100 masterpieces by such artists as Leonardo, Michelangelo, Rubens, Raphael, D?rer, Titian, and Rembrandt. In 1995, Giovanni Civardi's trilogy Drawing Human Anatomy (Sterling, 1995), Drawing the Female Nude (Sterling, 1995), and Drawing the Male Nude (LJ 3/15/96. o.p.) reached a high standard for good, basic books in this genre. These three surpass Civardi's works and are highly recommended for serious artists and comprehensive library collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...the return of a classic...Bridgman was a legendary teacher at New York's Art Students' League. There he originated a system of drawing known as 'constructive anatomy.' In 1952, his seven books on anatomy were gathered into one volume, which became a standard work at art schools and universities. Published now, for the first time in paperback, it holds up as an indispensable volume with more than 200 illustrations of hands and hundreds of images of arms, shoulders, heads, torsos, legs, knees, and feet." -- Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (June 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806930152
• ISBN-13: 978-0806930152
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #160,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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  Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Figure Drawing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for beginners!, February 10, 2003

By	Carlo R. Montoya "Toy photographer" (Cebu City, Cebu Philippines) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing From Life: Over 1,000 Illustrations (Paperback)

You MUST have an in-depth knowledge of the human anatomy (particularly the bones and muscles) before you buy this book. I bought this book on the account of the previous reviewers who I assume (just now, unfortunately) are professionals or fine-arts students. Most of the analysis refers to scientific names of bones and muscles. I understand this is a good thing BUT most of the time, there are either (1) no visual references to these bones and muscles on the page where the analysis is made (i.e. sometimes you have to move forward a few pages to determine what is being discussed) or worst, (2) there are no visual references at all. I don't blame the author considering this book is a compilation of his individual works which may have been complete unto themselves. I blame the publisher for not taking the time and effort to add value to the book by labeling the visuals themselves (perhaps by asking Mr. Bridgman's former students to do it for them) and for making sure the pages are in the correct order. I get the feeling this book was hurried out of the press.

I have downloaded Mr. Loomis book "Figure Drawing for All It's Worth" and if you're a beginner like me, it's a better deal (heck, it's free) because the text are clearer and the visuals cleaner. Please consider my rating a beginner's gauge rather than a professional's or a fine-arts student's.

I'll just probably use this book as a visual reference rather than a self-study guide...

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books in figure drawing & how I use it., October 3, 2001

By	The Artist "The Artist" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life (Hardcover)

In my opinion, perhaps it is best to review this book in two aspects: a) what & how they are covered in the book and b) how I use this book.

WHAT & HOW THEY ARE COVERED IN THIS BOOK: This book covers every part of a human body and how to draw them. These include proportions, balance, light & shade, head, torso, arm, hand, pelvis, leg, foot, and drapery. Not only does each section show how to draw these human organs, their anatomical aspects are also discussed in sufficient detail. Illustrations are drawings by the author, going from simplified to realistic expressions of the organs. Movement, gesture, and balance are the most useful and interesting aspects discussed for each organ as well as for the whole body. These aspects are usually not as clearly covered in other anatomy books as in this one. This is a special strength of this book compared to others.

HOW I USE THIS BOOK: Although the approach I use to do life figure drawing is more like that described in "The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing : A Contemporary Perspective on the Classical Tradition" by Anthony Ryder (also read my review on this book), this book is valuable to me for the following reasons:

- Certain poses that are impossible to set sufficiently long for a detailed rendition, either due to their complexity or time restraint, that a live model cannot maintain. In this case, quick sketches or incomplete drawings are done from a live model; the rest will be done based on an understanding of human anatomy. This is when this book becomes a big help.

- Even when drawing from a life model, certain features are not clearly visible or existent in the same model. For instance, a beautiful face does not always come with an ideal body proportion. Obviously, in the final painting using a model, it is sometimes the artist's job to figure out what to use from the model and what to implement from an understanding of human anatomy. In my opinion, it is dangerous to "invent" what you don't see in your painting, since they will appear unnatural. However, to diminish this risk, a good understanding of human anatomy is a powerful tool to the artist for this task. This book is a good and reliable companion for me to tackle this difficult task when it comes to anatomy.

To keep it short, I'd like to say that, "I don't read this book. I STUDY IT."

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my Top 3 Bridgman books- great in drawing from memory..., March 25, 2006

By	"extreme_dig_cm" (Chicago, Il USA, Amazon.com Fan!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life (Hardcover)

Mainly for intermediate-level artists- I *might* have to pick this as my #1 Bridgman book. It has a little bit of *everything* depicting figure construction from memory. It's also great for general improvement; a few tips & tricks- an indispensable reference for all working artists.

And Bridgman appeals to a very wide-ranging audience: fine & commercial artists; illustrators; comicbook pencilers; animators; video-game designers; fashion artists; sculptors; computer graphics designers; students; intermediate-artists; experts; and professionals. This Complete Guide represents the best of 6 out of his 7 individual books. Drawing the Female Form is the book that gets left out. Designed by editor Howard Simon in 1952; Bridgman passed away in 1943, so it's not Bridgman's fault if anyone has issues with the layout(!).
Here's a quick breakdown of his 6 individual books, from my very favorite to least...
1. Book of a Hundred Hands- His *best* representation of hands; if hands are your main interest, skip all else & buy 100 hands.
2. Constructive Anatomy- His best individual work on detailed figure construction- especially with his cube-based construction of the head.
3. Bridgman's Life Drawing- Like a mini Complete Guide. Treats the figure in its parts as well as with basic, full-figure movement.
4. Heads, Features and Faces- Great for beginners; it isn't in-depth, and it isn't nearly overwhelming like this Complete Guide.
5. Human Machine- Genius in concept- drawings exceedingly sketchy. These are the sketchiest drawings in this Complete Guide.
6. Drawing the Draped Figure- *Very* basic. Everything you need from this exceedingly thin book is included in this Complete Guide.

In short: The basic point of Bridgman's Complete Guide is to help people to draw figures more convincingly, and even from memory. To a great degree, at least in my opinion, this book still succeeds in a very effective way...

P.S. This book is definitely *not* for beginners! Only *Intermediate-level* artists need apply.