Anatomy and Perspective: The Fundamentals of Figure Drawing (Dover Art Instruction)
$14.86
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With a comprehensive look at the fundamentals of figure drawing, this book offers invaluable guidance on anatomy and perspective. Artists of classical Greece and the Renaissance were highly aware of the complexity and incredible beauty of the human figure, and strove in their artwork to depict the ideal form. Carefully addressing both topics, the text includes ways to convey the structure and functions of the human figure, covers the elementary principles of drawing basic shapes, and considers the use of light and shadow. The use of cubes, cylinders, and spheres is explored in aspects of measurements as representations of parts of the human body.
Readers are also guided through anatomical sketches of different bones and muscles within the trunk, upper and lower limbs, and head, plus accessories which can be used to enhance any figure drawing – from eyeglasses to clothing that appears part of the figure’s anatomy! A comprehensive guide to the fundamentals of figure drawing, Anatomy and Perspective, will be an essential addition to the personal library of anyone interested in drawing the human figure.
- With the help of more than 90 illustrations, an experienced twentieth-century art teacher covers the two fundamentals of figure drawing that were equally important to masters of earlier eras — anatomy and perspective.
- Learn the elementary principles of drawing. Understand how to accurately represent human anatomy from head to toe with ease, from using basic forms like cubes, cylinders, and spheres to complex structures like the musculoskeletal system.
- Become a master at representing light and shadow! Understand what works best for creating a sense of depth in your drawings by mastering perspective techniques that will take your artistry to the next level.
- Explore the fundamentals of figure drawing with a focus on accessories such as eyeglasses, clothing items and more! See how these elements give life and texture to your drawings and make your drawings come alive.
- Beginners and advanced students can follow along step-by-step with this comprehensive art instruction book — it’s like having a masterclass at your fingertips! Packed with visuals so you can gain maximum understanding on techniques like shading and blending for life-like results.
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311 reviews for Anatomy and Perspective: The Fundamentals of Figure Drawing (Dover Art Instruction)
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$14.86
Kevinc6639 –
Bought for my daughter, she wants to learn to draw more. She says it’s very helpful and covers a broad spectrum on sketching
Anna L. –
La prospettiva interessa ogni disegno ed è una fortuna trovare un testo che affronti lo studio dell’anatomia umana secondo le leggi della prospettiva. Benché forse un po’ datato, il manuale è utile nel suo genere.
ProfessorF –
I bought this book thinking that it would be about drawing the anatomy of the human figure in perspective–I mean the title is Anatomy and Perspective: The Fundamentals of Figure Drawing. But I was wrong! It mainly covered anatomy and barely touched on the topic of drawing the figure in perspective. So buyer beware. Yes, there is some material on visualizing body parts as slices, but no solid principles or processes for drawing the human figure in perspective. If you are looking for a book that covers anatomy, perspective, and figure drawing, there is no better book than Andrew Loomis’ “Figure Drawing for All It’s Worth”.
No, it’s not a 1-star book. There is some interesting information on anatomy, but nothing that isn’t covered in more depth in other anatomy books or in Loomis. Thus, 2-stars.
NoNeedForThat –
You know how recipes online all seem to need to recount the peaceful languishing of an ancient noble house during an autumnal season somewhere in a shire you’ve never heard of and can’t pronounce before they actually tell you how make the gd pigs-in-a-blanket or whatever?
This is the drawing book version of that. Like, the recipe is good, but good lord, I wanna know how to draw a body that makes sense in its surroundings, not a hagiography of some insufferable Duke in the Liechtenstein Academy of Joyless Charcoal Nudes.
Taylor –
This book is a lot more text heavy than the other ones I have. Definitely a useful tool to have when I get to that point.
Reanne Rothermel –
I bought this book to brush up on my anatomy skills, while there is a lot of good information the book is dull and boring there’s not a lot of dynamic gesturing either.
J. L. Roberson –
What I’d hoped from the title was a book that explained how the human form works in perspective. Foreshortening, things like that. How silly and naive I was. Instead I get a pretty basic anatomy introduction, which I didn’t need, and pretty much nothing about how it relates to perspective. So yet another book of basic drawings that aren’t that much help but sure are pretty.
Giuseppe B. –
Buon libro per chi si avvicina alla rappresentazione della figura umana senza una base scolastica . Il testo, di facile comprensione , fornisce gli elementi basilari per poter approcciarsi alla figura umana
Roberta Jones –
Great price – impressive book that probably often goes under the radar. Fast shipping too!
Michelle –
This book is useful if one has already had some training in perspective. Some beginners will find this short book to complicated to be useful if they never had any classes in perspective.
Personally this was not what I was looking for. I was looking for more math to show the distance of an arm, hand while the figure is sitting or standing based on height.
The author didn’t think old school anatomy drawing was as important. It very well have been seen that way during the time it was written.
More photos needed to show what the book was like for purchase.
Irfan Ahmed –
Insightful, but the title would have been more straightforward had it been “Anatomy and Perception”.
This book does not cover many technicalities of perspective the way Andrew Loomis’ books do. Rather, it goes into some depth about certain optical illusions that 2D work might happen to conjure in its viewers. That is, it covers subjective perception and how it might be affected by a drawing, and how your awareness of perception as an artist might pertain to any technical or innate understanding of perspective you might already have.
Most of the book covers basic anatomy in helpful terms for the artist. Also, some of its explanations for tone depth are noteworthy. But at 96 pages, it is altogether quite brief albeit poignant on a number of points.
Mackerel –
The first two sentences of “Anatomy and Perspective: The Fundamentals of Figure Drawing” by Charles Oliver should set expectations straight:
“This book cannot teach you to draw the nude figure. Only constant practice can do that.”
This is not a tutorial book. This is not a handheld guide book. This is not a tracing book. This is a book that can either aide the amateur’s theoretical understanding of the human body or guide the beginner along the process of understanding it. It is not a cheat sheet. It is a reminder that you have to learn and practice; and repeat this process to master any craft.
If you have not already began to think about how light and perspective change, morph, distort, and skew the form of human anatomy, this book will offer methods to do so or at least get you started.