Figure Drawing for All it's Worth

The book arrived next day. Its an informative book that goes into great detail. Would recommend for anyone who already draws and for those just starting out

This book has been the most sought-after work on figure drawing for decades. Since it has been out of print, old copies have been changing hands for high prices. This new edition has been a long time coming, but what a joy to see it at last! This is a facsimile copy, which means that it has been created from an original print of the book, rather than from the original artwork and page layouts. Even so, the results are excellent, and the illustrations are crisp and clear.Loomis was an illustrator, author and art instructor at the American Academy of Art. This book was published in 1943 and, ever since, has been the standard work on the subject. It covers all aspects of figure drawing, explaining detail and with unequalled clarity, how to draw the figure. As you might expect from the cover artwork, he focuses almost entirely on the nude male and female figure, but also spends some time looking at how the techniques may be applied to drawing children. The final ten pages look at how to draw the clothed figure. Obviously, it looks at how to draw the head and the hands, but for this I would get a copy of Loomis' separate book on the subject, "Drawing the Head and Hands", which is also being reprinted (around October 2011).Loomis' style of drawing has a distinct 1940s look about it. Some of the hairstyles, complexions and poses are redolent of the times, but this does not age the work at all. It merely reflects our changing ideas about supposedly typical male and female figures. The content remains fascinating, insightful, compelling and inspiring. His drawings are lovely things, always delicate and lively. The final few pages, about working as an artist, are amusing rather than useful to today's artists, but it's all part of the original 1943 publication.I have a large collection of books on figure and portrait drawing, and I have been after a copy of this book for decades. It has been well worth the wait. It is a must-have. And now that I have a copy, I will be throwing out a few books that this one happily replaces!

I pressed the order button and ...Wham! (Apologies to Roy Lichtenstein) No sooner had I confirmed my order than the books appeared at my door. Well okay! Not quite, but substantially less than twenty four hours for delivery is in my book a pretty spectacular performance, and that's free delivery, wow! Well done Yodel. Now to the true subject matter, the original of this volume is older than me and from the illustrations and the slightly stilted prose it is quite evident. That does not matter one iota, not a jot, this is the quintessential drawing handbook and that it was unavailable for so many years a tragedy. This book will not turn me into a great artist, not even a competent one, only by really applying myself to mastery of the subject can I achieve that, but this book, and its companions will show me how to apply myself and to achieve the desired results. Even if I merely wanted this as an artistic artefact to further swell my burgeoning art history section it would be worth the price, it is wonderful and inspirational and a fitting tribute to an excellent illustrator. Enough of the fulsome praise, I am now to put its contents to the test, but it is a lovely thing to behold.Drawing the Head and Hands A. Loomis *****Successful Drawing A. Loomis *****The Fundamentals of Drawing: A Complete Professional Course for Artists Barrington Barber *****Drawing and Sketching in Pencil A. L. Guptill *****The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing Anthony Ryder *****

Wonderful book, exactly what I was needing. Nothing can compare to having the book in front of you to work from. The book is structured well and I've already improved greatly, just from chapter one! Loomis can be a bit word heavy in sections but leaves the exercises without clear direction, however the book is entertaining to read and the techniques easy to pick up and figure out yourself.There was an interesting point in a review that I had read, which noted that since the book is outdated and old fashioned in style, the proportions of the figures are idealised and unrealistic. As an example, he teaches that a womans waist is around the same width of a head. However, as he states in the book, the exercises aren't to copy him line by line, but how to do it yourself. He teaches you the technique, from there your own intelligence should get you to drawing your own preferred proportions.Brilliant book for anyone wanting to get a handle on figure drawing from the ground up!

A technical book created essentially for professionals but very informative for anyl artists who wish to devellope their ability to draw people in proportion, in any position, in perspective, with volume etc.Full of interesting détails; I can clearly say I have learnt something new from this book. I recommend it

O livro em si é de ótima qualidade, as ilustrações têm boa definição e a gramatura das folhas é alta com uma textura agradável. O conteúdo pode ser datado, mas dentro das expectativas e basta saber tirar proveito do melhor. Já o empacotamento deixou muito à desejar e acabou amassando uma parte da capa do livro.

If you're questioning whether to get this book - do it. It'll save you a lot of hassle trying to piece together bits of info from the internet - the vast majority of which were ripped directly from this book. The hardcover is honestly just the right size - you'll see what I mean if you order it. The illustrations are just big enough to comfortably study but the book is just small enough that it isnt TOO cumbersome. Its about the size of a not-too-thick textbook (which I guess it is). Print quality is good.

Ottima edizione. Da studiare. Illustrazioni molto chiare. I modelli sono quelli degli anni quaranta ma ciò che conta è la tecnica illustrata, non il soggetto

O quê falar além de "Andrew Loomis"?O livro é ótimo. Serve para quem já sabe desenhar e para quem está a começar a aprender.Capa dura, papel de boa qualidade e ótima impressão.

Je travaille dans le domaine artistique depuis plus de trente ans et il faut reconnaître une aberration totale : nous n'avons pas en français l'équivalent des livres traitant le dessin, la peinture, etc comme celui-ci.Et c'est une constatation générale. En francophonie, je vais dire, un livre de qualité et de type pédagogique comme celui-ci est publié à un nombre limité d'exemplaires, vendu souvent cher et tombe assez rapidement en rupture de stock. Qu'il s'agisse d'histoire, de dessin, d'architecture, c'est partout pareil.En anglais - et depuis des années je suis obligé de me documenter en anglais pour les raisons évoquées - en anglais, donc, la qualité du livre se reflète rarement dans son prix ou sa rareté."Figure Drawing for all it's worth" est un bijou et une mine d'or pour l'apprenti dessinateur ou même le professionnel. Et la différence entre l'apprenti et le professionnel c'est juste que ce dernier gagne sa vie en dessinant car quand on pratique une activité artistique on est toujours en apprentissage et ça jusqu'à la fin de ses jours."Fu with a Pencil" premier livre d'Andrew Loomis vous permet déjà d'entrer en douceur dans cette "façon" d'aborder le dessin : shapes ans gesture. Les formes et la gestuelle très usitée de nos jours en dessin animé, characer design, etc. Ce livre-ci complète le premier en prennant le débat un peu plus sérieusement.Un livre à lire et à relire.Les autres livres d'Andrew Loomis chez Titan Books sont tout aussi intéressants quoique je conseille surtout "fun with a pencil" et celui-ci.Les réproductions sont excellentes et le livre date de 1943.