Rating: Summary: A great introduction to character art Review: A wonderful book by an oustanding artist. It might be not so complete and consequent than some later "how-to-draw-this-how-to-draw-that" books (Jack Hamm's, Gottfried Barmes', among the best ones), it is not full of tricks and deceiving oversimplifications, but it has... Spirit! Grace! Inspiration! The thing is: you'll learn to draw by drawing. And drawing a lot. And then drawing some more. On the way, it is nice to meet some old master who can point right or wrong and give some encouragement. Well, these great old artists are rare. This book is your next best alternative. What are publishers and distributors (like Amazon) waiting for to reissue Willy Pogany's other works? We need mor of this type of art!!!
Rating: Summary: A great introduction to character art Review: A wonderful book by an oustanding artist. It might be not so complete and consequent than some later "how-to-draw-this-how-to-draw-that" books (Jack Hamm's, Gottfried Barmes', among the best ones), it is not full of tricks and deceiving oversimplifications, but it has... Spirit! Grace! Inspiration! The thing is: you'll learn to draw by drawing. And drawing a lot. And then drawing some more. On the way, it is nice to meet some old master who can point right or wrong and give some encouragement. Well, these great old artists are rare. This book is your next best alternative. And you won't suffer, or feel unappropriate or too small, when exercising with this book. You'll feel uplifted! What are publishers and distributors (like Amazon) waiting for to reissue Willy Pogany's other works? We need more of this type of art!!!
Rating: Summary: Great book, step by step instructions Review: I just finished reading this book and I really enjoyed it. It offers great step-by-step instructions on how to draw almost anything. the illustrations are great. It is a must have book.
Rating: Summary: First of the top 3 drawing books Review: I've purchased over 25 drawing books, and own the most popular titles of the HOW-TO-DRAW genre. I rate Pogarny's "The Art of Drawing" as #1 of my personal top three books on drawing. Conflicts abound in how drawing is to be taught, and the current popular books reflect this ongoing conflict. For example, many popular books disregard the classical method. They are full of master sketches, and unfortunately, putting those pictures in the books doesn't show us specifically how to draw them. Pogarny breaks it down to geometric basics, and his demonstration of perspective is not to be found in any other book. I rate this book Number One of my top 3 for beginners.
Rating: Summary: good illustration, but some "mature audience" themes Review: Really good, but with some "mature audience" themes, thus, not for minor children etc. Otherwise, I very much recommend it.
Conflicts abound in how drawing is to be taught, and the current popular books reflect this ongoing conflict. For example, many popular books disregard the classical method. They are full of master sketches, and unfortunately, putting those pictures in the books doesn't show us specifically how to draw them, because they employ "Invisible Problem Solving" teaching methods, skipping the use of "simplified figurettes" or "human puppets".
Pogarny breaks it down to geometric basics, and his demonstration of perspective is not to be found in any other book. I rate this book very highly as a beginner instruction.
Rating: Summary: good illustration, but some "mature audience" themes Review: Really good, but with some "mature audience" themes, thus, not for minor children etc. Otherwise, I very much recommend it. Conflicts abound in how drawing is to be taught, and the current popular books reflect this ongoing conflict. For example, many popular books disregard the classical method. They are full of master sketches, and unfortunately, putting those pictures in the books doesn't show us specifically how to draw them, because they employ "Invisible Problem Solving" teaching methods, skipping the use of "simplified figurettes" or "human puppets". Pogarny breaks it down to geometric basics, and his demonstration of perspective is not to be found in any other book. I rate this book Number One of my favorites for adult beginners.
Rating: Summary: Inexpensive but valuable Review: This book appears deceptively simple because of the compact style of instruction, but study of the absolutely beautiful linework will tell you more about drawing then any other book.
Rating: Summary: Maybe the finest book on figure illustratuion ever compiled. Review: This book will knock your socks off
Rating: Summary: This book has both practical instruction and inspiring style Review: This book, by deceased illustrator Willy Pogany, is, along with Jack Hamm's book, the best one on drawing the human head and figure. The book covers perspective, shape, and figure drawing in step-by-step practical fashion. Also included is an inspiring section of Pogany's own sketches of fanciful worlds and creatures. This book makes you want to practice and practice the steps, so that you too can create your own lively characters and scenes.
Rating: Summary: Just a different set of "left-brain" symbols Review: This is a time-honored book, it seems, that shows you many symbolic approaches to representing reality in drawing. It is in direct opposition, I think, to the "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" approach, which teaches you a method of "seeing" what's in front of you, so that you don't have to represent it as symbols. For example, this book shows how you can draw the hand by seeing it as a collection of triangles and cylinders, connected by ropes (a classical drawing approach). Well, we know that it isn't triangles and cylinders--it's irregular and organic, and besides, everyone's hands look different: understanding it geometrically is just a symbolic crutch to help you see it as it is. Wouldn't it be better just to be able to "see" your hand clearly enough to draw it? Try Betty Edwards' approach, and then come back to this one. You'll see what I mean. Being able to see already, however, I find some of the pencil drawings helpful, and I'm glad I bought the book. Sometimes reducing drawings to schematics, as these are, can help you to discover your own, lingering visual symbols.
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