Drawing and Illustration: A Complete Guide

by John Moranz

Utilizing as few words as possible, but presenting a tremendous variety and volume of illustrations, this all-in-one guide details the fundamentals of drawing in its various phases and fields. In the opening pages, the author points out the first step on the road to creative artists must learn how to see people and things in terms of pictures, then master the techniques needed to express themselves on paper.
Geared to newcomers and yet still beneficial for more experienced artists, Moranz’s illuminating advice covers everything from nude and draped figures to the art of portraits and sketching animals. He covers the effective use of various mediums, including pencil, charcoal, pen, and wash. Plus, he offers helpful tips on developing a sixth sense about perspective, the basics of composition, reflecting light and shadow, and more. There's even a chapter on taking drawing one step further — from a pleasurable hobby to a successful commercial venture.

Genres: Drawing

408 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2008

Reviews

[Parka · Rating 3 out of 5]

(More pictures at parkablogs.com)

This book on drawing instantly reminds me of Figure Drawing for All It's Worth by Andrew Loomis. The wonderfully illustrated examples look so similar, in terms of style and the subjects drawn.

The book covers a bit of everything. There's drawing the figure, drapery, perspective, composition, advertising and even animals. Don't buy this book thinking it's a dedicated figure drawing book, because it's not, although half of it is actually on figure drawing.

The teaching style here is basically showing you some really good illustrated examples and useful tips on each subject. The figure drawing examples are real good but the rest are somewhat dated, especially examples for advertising.

There's a major downside considering this is a book that teaches drawing. Compared to other books, it lacks the use of guides as a construction tools, guides like box, blocks, mannequins. While drawing from examples shouldn't be too hard, constructing your own figure will be very challenging. While the tips are insightful, they aren't the step-by-step instructions anyone can follow along to.

So if you're looking to construct your own figure, you might have to look elsewhere. The figure drawing illustrations are great though.