Over a long period of time, there is progression in understanding a subject.
Similarly, there is progression in instruction, in terms of pedagogy and materials
Figure drawing has progressed over the centuries(millennia), and it saw a great period of realism and draftsmanship during the renaissance.
A great progression of instruction and more importantly instructional material in the form of books happened during the 20th century.
Kimon Nicholaides, Brigdman, Hogarth, Loomis, Vilppu to name a few. Each one improving and excelling in a manner that was not available previously.
The student of today, has access to the totality of all these developments, and particularly the internet has made it more rapidly possible.
This book is a very refined and concise book, that has in it, some aspect or the other of all the learning and understanding of the art of drawing the figure, as well as all the developments that has happened in the teaching of the subject, in terms of how to approach the learning.
You might already have all the best books published on the subject, yet I feel this one is a must add to the bookshelf.
The book deals with the following topics...
- A general approach of Gesture, and how the rhythmic flow of lines capture the essence of the pose.
- Next the building up of the form using simple forms such as Boxes, Spheres and Cylinders are dealt with. These basic forms are only an aid in visualizing and positioning the various body parts, since these are gross approximations.
- Next the landmarks of the anatomy are presented. Though the study of the human body can be carried out to any possible depth right into the very soul, as artists one need to know and apply just the "right enough" detail to create the believability. Anatomical landmarks provide such key elements , which when properly positioned and presented help create the appearance of a real figure.
- After this broad treatment, the anatomy of all the important parts of the body are very clearly dealt with.
Basically the Skeletal and Musculature are the primary elements that go into the study of anatomy.
One interesting aspect is that each part , say the Deltoid muscle for instance, is analyzed for its Gesture, Shape and Volume. And using a unique color for that muscle, the figure is shown in various poses and angles, clarifying the particular part, and how it changes based on what the figure is doing. For instance, the rectus abdominis does a lot of twist and turning as the figure goes about doing various actions. these variations help visualize and understand the muscle group better, enabling one to apply accordingly and create a convincingly real figure.
As Vilppu would say, all these basic tools such as spheres, boxes etc, are only gross tools, in reality none of the body parts are like these. For instance the Pelvis gets approximated to a box, or a bowl or a series of discs, but in reality the pelvis is nothing like any of these. The only way to draw a pelvis perfectly is to know the pelvis perfectly. But once that is known, these tools can help in visualizing and constructing. and help apply perspective, proportions etc.
One certainly will get best results by taking a regular art school class, or if not, by going through video lectures. and this book would make a great companion to it.
In the current context, for a person embarking on self-learning to draw the Figure here is a possible approach,
Part A: Learn How to draw. (line, form, gesture, mass, light, etc..)
Drawing lecture videos - Vilppu Drawing Manual based videos, with demonstrations
Books to use during this period would include,
Text Book: Vilppu Drawing Manual.
Reference: Natural Way to Draw
Part B: Learn How to draw the Figure (Anatomy, Action, Expressions, Drapery, Types etc.)
Anatomy Lecture videos - Vilppu Anatomy, including the three part Head Anatomy and the demonstrations
Books to use during this period would include,
Text Book: Figure Drawing : Design and Invention,
Reference: The Figure Walt Reed, Burne Hogarth books, Brigdman, Andrew Loomis, Will Eisner Expressive Anatomy etc.
As one moves along one should get a bit of Perspective, Composition, Story Telling etc.. and more towards the discipline of specialization.
This book under review fits in so perfectly as the text book for learning constructive anatomy, with all the details needed for learning as well as for reference.
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A must have for all types and calibers of artists who work in realism or not. .
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2021
I don't know if they said "good" conditionor what,, but I boughtthis book used I think and it is as brand new as if I had pulled it off the shelf at the book store! It's really in perfect condition! This is the absolute best encyclopedia for gestures, forms and figures in all types of positions and the muscle structure in each one. I'm a nurse so it's hard for me to say if you'll need to know basic anatomy, such as the different muscle groups, but this book appears to go into depth with that as well..although it seems somewhat intermediate when the muscles are grouped and shown. I just got this book a couple of days ago along with several others so I can't give you a detailed low down. But I will say the book is very large with tons of diagrams and photos and drawings. I just flipped through it and could already know I will be referring to this book for every drawing I do that has one person or ten people in it. It is definitely a must have for artists of all types, experience, and calibers. More advanced beginners to professional artists can benefit from this book for their lifetime of drawing figures of all types. You can draw, sculpt, paint figures using this reference and using the muscle structure, positions and proportions morph them into all types of characters that can be well into the supernatural, horror, and whatever style art you are into. Get the book. If you hate it, sell it. But you won't hate it.
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2021
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Top reviews from other countries
Jeff Walmsley
A MASTERLY CLASSIC OF ITS KIND - NOW IN ITS SIXTH EDITION
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 7, 2016John C
Not self explanatory. No direction for practice.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 8, 2020
Teresa Ward
Impossible to read on a Kindle buy hard copy instead
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 13, 2021
Teresa Ward
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 13, 2021
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jd
Full of errors in the drawings. Avoid like the plague.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 25, 2021Mr. Michael Mcdonnell
Most easy to follow anatomy book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 22, 2020
