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Bert Dodson
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Keys to Drawing Paperback – August 15, 1990

by Bert Dodson (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,369 ratings
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Anyone who can hold a pencil can learn to draw.

In this book, Bert Dodson shares his complete drawing system—fifty-five "keys" that you can use to render any subject with confidence, even if you're a beginner.

These keys, along with dozens of practice exercises, will help you draw like an artist in no time.

You'll learn how to:

   • Restore, focus, map, and intensify
   • Free your hand action, then learn to control it
   • Convey the illusions of light, depth, and texture
   • Stimulate your imagination through "creative play"
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  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    North Light Books
  4. Publication date
    August 15, 1990
  5. Dimensions
    8.47 x 0.45 x 11 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0891343377
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0891343370
  8. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
1,369 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book very informative and easy to understand. They also say it provides a solid introduction to drawing with excellent visual backup. Readers also mention it's fun to read and for adults of any skill level.

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ContentDrawing booksReadabilityCraftsmanship
79 customers mention "Content"79 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very informative, with extremely helpful techniques and thought-provoking suggestions. They also appreciate the detailed oriented exercises and say the book starts to challenge them immediately.

"...(how to make something look exactly like you see it, extremely helpful techniques to make an accurate drawing and to make sure your subject will fit..." Read more

"...This is all good stuff and very helpful...." Read more

"...It is 221 pages, complete with lessons or projects for you to work on, on your own, or could be used for Classroom work...." Read more

"...In that sense, "Keys to Drawing" is more of an instructional and inspirational guide... it gets down to nitty-gritty about what I wanted to practice..." Read more

69 customers mention "Drawing books"69 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a solid introduction to drawing, with clear photos and explanations. They also say it's an excellent resource for beginners and more seasoned artists, and for adults of any skill level.

"This book is already helping my drawing and I've only done the first 3 lessons! It is detailed yet easy to follow...." Read more

"The IntroductionThis book, is probably the best drawing book i've ever read...." Read more

"...This rather scattered approach mars what is otherwise a solid introduction to drawing." Read more

"...It is full of wonderful drawings, in pencil, pen and ink, wash and ink, charcoal, black and white photos of pastel drawings ( or pastel paintings )..." Read more

60 customers mention "Readability"60 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to understand and wonderful for learning to draw. They also say it's written in a clear, fun style that makes it an enjoyable read. Readers also mention that the book explains proportion and foreshortening very clearly. They appreciate the simple, logical, and thought-provoking suggestions.

"...It is detailed yet easy to follow. I do agree it's more geared toward the adult beginner as I think it might be a bit too much for kids...." Read more

"...in the classic Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, but in a very fun and easy way to access. Would recommend..." Read more

"...What I love about this book is that is is very brief and straightforward, and it doesn't bother wasting any time on the behind-the-scenes,..." Read more

"...Anyone can learn to draw. This book provides excellent instruction for beginners and it will be a welcome reference on any artist's bookshelf." Read more

9 customers mention "Craftsmanship"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-structured, with high-quality pages that hold up well. They also say it's easy to follow and well laid out.

"...It's become a classic, with its approachable info and solid techniques...." Read more

"...It offered great instruction and a solid foundation in the fundamentals for the beginning artist...." Read more

"...Easy to follow and well laid out." Read more

"...It took only 2 days!! It was in very good shape. It was great to have the book before everyone else. My sister will be ordering as well. Thanks!" Read more

I don’t draw/ haven’t drawn... anything ever.
5 out of 5 stars
I don’t draw/ haven’t drawn... anything ever.
I don’t understand some of the complaints. But then again, I’m not far into the book (at all). I’m no artist (everyone I’ve ever known can draw better than me). It’s not my thing, but I found this book and the attached image is my very first attempt at this exercise in the book (my first serious attempt at drawing- no bs). I don’t even know if I’ll personally continue drawing, but if you can follow instructions, and you’re passionate about this sort of thing, this book HAS to be worth it lol it taught ME. And if you knew my amazing artistic abilities- you’d understand how great this attached drawing is, as a testament to the instruction in this book. It looks bad but it’s the best thing I’ve drawn (and other reviewers haven’t posted their “homework” so..?)
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Top reviews from the United States

Joanne Tillett
5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful and challenging
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book is already helping my drawing and I've only done the first 3 lessons! It is detailed yet easy to follow. I do agree it's more geared toward the adult beginner as I think it might be a bit too much for kids. I couldn't draw worth a darn and every time I tried it looked like a 5 year old did it but I honestly see a big improvement! It has helped with me not being do critical of my work, I pick apart everything when it's not perfect!!
One person found this helpful
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Sheean | The Davintagist
5.0 out of 5 stars The Book That Covers it ALL PERIOD
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2009
Verified Purchase
The Introduction

This book, is probably the best drawing book i've ever read. Not only does he cover so much, but Bert Dodson also goes into detail with out boring the reader to sleep (unlike drawing on the right side of the brain)
If you used amazon.com's online reader and see some drawings that look childish inside, don't let those discourage you. I was discouraged by those and immediately saw a new light when I actually READ the book. Many books that have fanciful pictures haven't covered NEARLY as much as Bert Dodson's book. I am ordering his other book,  Keys to Drawing with Imagination: Strategies and Exercises for Gaining Confidence and Enhancing Your Creativity

The Meat

Keys To drawing covers things like, "Drawing what you See NOT WHAT YOU KNOW". Drawing from our minds or knowledge tends to be the problem with us. Humans have perspective filters that cause us to assume that we already KNOW how an object looks. So, as a result, when drawing, we tend to mix these "perception images" in with what we're actually seeing. Our minds dont take in as much information and detail about the subject as we think it does.This area of drawing from one's mind is a huge setback with many people, who eventually feel sure that they absolutely can't draw.

This Book also covers topics like restating (a form of not erasing, but simply drawing a new line over the mistake), self critiquing (not having a negative dialogue with yourself, saying things such as, " That foot doesn't look right!" or " I never draw eyes good!"), the light source (learning how to tell where a shadow will form, how light affects and object, and "mapping" to assist in capturing light easier), the power of squinting (to flatten objects around you, and make them more manageable),negative space, merging shapes together, proportion (how to make something look exactly like you see it, extremely helpful techniques to make an accurate drawing and to make sure your subject will fit on the page, all done with tools you already have) and so on... really, there is lots more! (all of which I thought weren't going to help me the least bit in improving my drawings, but actually improved me and gave me as much insight as if I went to college and took a whole art class!)

Still Unsure? Read on!

Has anyone ever read those get rich quick books that always promise they know ways to make you rich, but always disappoint anyway? Well, keys to drawing is definitely the opposite. He, Bert Dodson, breaks these steps down clearly, with no shilly-shallying, no over stressing of a point. Some artists or authors have a hard time explaining themselves and can run on and on but him, oh he definitely knows what he's talking about.

More Books

I'm only thirteen so please excuse the lame review and just hold my word to it. I drew little people who were far from realistic, but with this book, along with Carrie Stuart Parks book ( ) I can already see drastic differences in my sketches!. I would also recommend  Lifelike Drawing with Lee Hammond . But lifelike drawings with lee hammond or secrets to drawing realistic faces probably do not break the steps down as easy or have as much detail as Bert Dodson because the authors tried to squeeze so much things into the book without putting much detail for each subject.

Purchasing this Book

The book is about the size of a textbook with less pages. (REALLY BIG) and I got my own (new book btw) for a really low price because I don't buy from amazon, i buy from the sellers within the amazon website.
93 people found this helpful
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Adrienne
5.0 out of 5 stars Very pleased...
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
Excellent book. It covers much of what is explained in the classic Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, but in a very fun and easy way to access. Would recommend...
3 people found this helpful
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John Morgan
4.0 out of 5 stars A method to the madness?
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2013
Verified Purchase
Having recently rediscovered a love for watercolor and colored pencil, I decided that my drawing skills needed improvement if I were ever to achieve my dream of going to places and painting what I saw. At home, there are many substitutes for drawing talent. For instance, it is a simple matter to trace the lines of a photograph displayed on a laptop and then transfer the tracing to good paper. This is not possible in the field: hence the need to learn to sketch.

Like many drawing books, Dodson is about getting past formulae for drawing certain objects to developing a general set of principles for drawing anything. By formulae, I mean the tendency to reduce drawing certain objects down to simple patterns. For instance a triangle on top of a square is a house, a circle on top of a rectangle is a tree, and so on. Dodson's strategy, like most other drawing books, involves reducing objects to constituent shapes, and then drawing them. In this fashion, you can, in principle, draw anything, and represent what you actually see rather than an archetype. This is all good stuff and very helpful.

The difficulty comes in some of the crazy exercises Dodson suggests to get there. While many are on the mark, some seem to be of little help. For instance, there is a chapter on the "handwriting" of the artist. By handwriting, Dodson means the particular style each artist employs in drawing. He presents a number of different styles and then challenges the reader to copy one of the pictures in the artist's style and then to independently execute your own piece in that same style. Copying can be a fine tool for learning, but, coming as it does in chapter 2, it makes little sense for a beginning artist to try to mimic the style of, say, Matisse, when he or she has not yet developed her own style in any respect. This rather scattered approach mars what is otherwise a solid introduction to drawing.
32 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Erin S
5.0 out of 5 stars Everything I needed
Reviewed in Canada on May 18, 2024
Verified Purchase
It was everything I needed. It explains things clearly, and is easy to follow. It has definitely improved my drawing skills.
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S.J.
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book, teaches how to get started.
Reviewed in Belgium on October 21, 2023
Verified Purchase
It's very well organised and explains everything in detail; I really recommend this book! The exercises look complicated, but I'm amazed how well I could draw by just following the explained theory :o
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Silas
5.0 out of 5 stars Step by Step guide to better drawings
Reviewed in Germany on May 7, 2023
Verified Purchase
Das Buch ist verdammt gut aufgebaut. Ich neige dazu gerne Bücher irgendwo anzufangen und dann woanders weiterzulesen. Das klappt bei dem Buch hier nicht. Ich musste beim lesen regelmäßig stoppen, bis ich mich durchgerungen habe, die Aufgabe zu machen, weil man dafür erstmal Zeit finden muss. Aber genau diesen Aspekt des Ernst nehmen des Buches genieße ich sehr, da ich so die Hinweise und Tipps auch ernstlich umsetzen kann. Ich lerne sehr viel daraus wirklich mal einfach zu befolgen, was gefordert wird.

Ich kann das Buch uneingeschränkt empfehlen
One person found this helpful
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Niklas
1.0 out of 5 stars Not at all what I thought
Reviewed in Sweden on November 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
I searched the web for "how to draw, for beginners" and this book was on everybody’s top lists, so I bought it. I thought that there was going to be step by step tutorials on how to draw, but its not. I don’t even know what this book is all about. For me as a beginner, it didn’t give me anything at all. Waste of money!"
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
Reviewed in Brazil on December 31, 2018
Verified Purchase
Excellent book on drawing! Lots of tips and exercises. I waited for so long, and now it will be a chapter to be read on weekends, enjoying it little by little.
2 people found this helpful
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