The Eye of the Painter: and the Elements of Beauty

by Andrew Loomis

The artist's first step toward the ultimate beauty, unity and organization of a painting is learning to see everything in pictorial things.

Genres: Art, Drawing, Nonfiction, Art Design, Reference

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

William Andrew Loomis was an American illustrator, author, and art instructor.

Reviews

[Hon Lady Selene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albeit a tad outdated, it is an engaging read on art that has answered many questions and raised many more, both practical and philosophical. Loomis writes unpretentiously and adamantly over the importance of nurturing Singularity in one's creations, but one would need a strong base in drawing fundamentals to fully appreciate the technicalities.
Will reread eventually.

"Once in a life class George Bridgman said to
me, "My boy, you have drawn a leg, but you have
missed the design of the leg." What he meant was
that every part is related in size and position to
the function of the leg. The bones are curved and
of certain length to function together, and the
muscles loo are positioned for the most efficient
operation. Where the movement requires most
strength—such as in the calf of a leg—there is
the largest development. This is design."

[Zel Polev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was just alright. While it had some nice ideas, I also thought it to be very outdated. He mixes in practical approaches with abstract ideas, which was alright with me. However, I also took his advice with a grain of salt as he had very specific ideas of what makes an image work. I think this teeters close to a paint-by-numbers territory in which art-making becomes very methodical in nature. He balances this out with vague pronouncements about beauty and art, which becomes subjective and thus elusive.

I actually trudged through this book because of its outdated ideas. I found it hard to take the book seriously and just read it for the little gems of sentences. I suppose I could find those in another book though. With that said, I think this book was alright.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Loomis's final book where he presents many of his theories on painting and its creation. It uses examples from other artists and does cover a bit of abstract art but it mostly covers representational painting. Most of the art is shown black and white, even though the original was in color, a cost cutting measure. While there is some technique in here, some of it is obsolete, I doubt you will run across any lead based paints and there are other basic color triads that are available based on modern pigments. I agree with Loomis that a beginner should start out with representational art first, but I know many who disagree with that. An interesting read on art theory, but his books on illustration are better.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best/most inspiring books i have read on painting. Loomis is a master at setting up guidelines and looking at drawing/painting in a very technical way, but he also has an artist's spirit and relay's the fundamentals of layout, design, and color theory in this book.(in accordance with his style)
It is a very easy to read, and has some moments that you won't find in other artist's books. I believe also that his books are free to download in pdf form on some sites. Check it out if you get a chance, it is not printed anymore but worth the time reading, i guarantee you will get something out of it.

[Robin Tobin (On the back porch reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Andrew's style for physical anatomy sketching..

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 stars. I do not understand why this book is out of print. Maybe his another book "Creative Illustration" covers the same topic, I am not sure. It is a very good book. I would recommend it to any practicing artist but it can be also read even by those who do not draw or paint. It will change the way you look at any painting or drawing. I would not call this book "beginner level" simply because beginners will not get out from this book as much as someone who has been practicing drawing or painting for some time and has some established views and questions he is seeking answers to. In this book Andrew Loomis tries to break down the concept of beauty in painting and drawing. In the first part of the book he lists 12 elements of beauty and quickly talks about each one: unity, simplicity, design, proportion, color, rhythm, form, texture, values, quality of light, choice of subject, technique. Then he designates one chapter to each one each one of them where he describes each element in more detail. In this book you will find a lot of practical advices which you can use in your drawings and paintings. The chapters about Color and Light are especially good, the information is well structured and quite comprehensive.

[Helsean K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, along with every other book written by Andrew Loomis is a MUST-READ for ANY artist. The knowledge attained is priceless! Whatever I read after discovering Loomis, I find way too basic and ordinary!
Loomis’ books have that ‘magical’ feeling of discovering a treasure through a book after finishing it! I recommend this book above all, but all his other books as well, to all artists.

[Hala · Rating 5 out of 5]

اهم مافيه انه ازاي تاخد الكادر

لو قدامك منظر او بترسم في حته

landscape

ايه اللي ممكن يشكّل لوحة في المكان ده

تاخد ايه وماتاخدش ايه

زائد المنظور

والاسكتش المبدئي

[Joseph Fidelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The guidelines are well articulated. It's a book relevant for every artist most especially artists that are trying to find their voice in art

[Mario Russo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid stuff as always from Loomis.

[Melissa]

Can read here: http://illustrationage.files.wordpres...

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any andrew loomis book is required for the beginner (or seasoned) artist. I haven't been able to put this much into use yet because i am still dabbling, but I found it very informative.