Andrew Loomis (1892-1959) is revered amongst artists – including comics superstar Alex Ross – for his mastery of drawing. His first book, Fun With a Pencil, published in 1939 is a wonderfully crafted and engaging introduction to drawing, cartooning, and capturing the essence of a subject all while having fun. With delightful step-by-step instruction from Professor Blook, Loomis’s charming alter ego on the page.
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838 reviews for Fun With A Pencil: How Everybody Can Easily Learn to Draw
4.5out of 5
★★★★★
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★★★★★
Tony Tirado –
THIS” REALLY SIMPLE BASIC STEP BY STEP DRAWING INSTRUCTION BOOK ” WAS VERY MY FIRST DRAWING INSTRUCTION BOOK THAT GOT ME DEEPLY INTERESTED IN DRAWING!! ANDY LOOMIS takes you step by step! With a little practice daily —LOPSIDED CIRCLES ARE NECESSARY AND can BECOME EXCELLENT CARTOON DRAWINGS OR IMPRESSIVE “REAL LIFE” PORTRAITS!
TOOLS: Notes: Choice of Lead: #2B- 6Bsoft. H: Hard: HB, 2H to 9H The Softer “B” pencils tend to smear much more readily than the “H”. FIXATIVE Spray: Adds a protective coating to prevent leads from smearing. #2HB TICONDEROGA PENCIL: IS A GREAT PENCIL TO START WITH DUE TO ITS LOW COST AND AVAILABILITY. MECHANICAL PENCIL: Give you a variety of choices of lead hardness to choose from. They also allow for drawing extra fine pencil line details. KNEADED ERASER, PENCIL SHARPENER. Sand Paper Manicure File cards ART PAPER: I STARTED DRAWING ON BROWN PAPER SHOPPING BAGS and CARDBOARD BOXES! Until I began experimenting on different textures of paper attempting to find which texture and media(s) worked best for me. IMPORTANT: DEVELOP PATIENCE with YOURSELF: PERFECTION COMES LATER! DESIRE TO DRAW. Drawing is to me an unexplained DESIRE to recreate from your mind; what surounds you. Although I started drawing a a young age, FUN WITH A PENCIL WILL ALWAYS BE MY ART BIBLE”. Especially when I’m going through an ARTISTIC DRY SPELL” All I have to do to get motivated is by: DOING THESE REALLY SIMPLE LESSONS in this book!!
Recently; I received a letter from my younger brother who wished to learn how to draw. in his letter he explained that: “DRAWING RELAXES ME and I want to lean to draw!” Of course he is in for a BIG SURPRISE—I just had to buy him a copy of: “FUN WITH A PENCIL!
There are many “Drawing Made Simple’ books on the market today—BUT– I found that they seem to have copied Andy Loomis’s techniques or jump you into: GREY’S ANATOMY”
Unfortunately, Andy has passed on but his drawings of characters and people live on within the pages of his many art instructional books. The Lessons are easy to do! You may find yourself mesmerized by their FUN TO DO AND SIMPLICITY!! YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF SAYING:
“DID I DRAW THAT??” “THANK YOU ANDY LOOMIS!”
CONCLUSION: I BELIEVE IN THIS BOOK SO MUCH THAT I’VE ALREADY PURCHASED TWO COPIES OF THIS BOOK!! Buy Again? DEFINITELY!!!!! AFTER READING THE FIRST PAGE OF THIS BOOK—DON’T BLAME ME IF YOU GET HOOKED ON THE LESSONS!!
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★★★★★
geomcamck –
This book is packed with useful guides and informaton provided in simple manner with exercises everey step of the way, you may find the writing a bit dated but it is from the 1940s
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★★★★★
jpcooper –
Not as valuable as the other Loomis titles recently reprinted by Titan, but still very much worth purchasing. If you don’t already own the other four books buy them first. In particular, I would recommend “Creative Illustration”. At the price Amazon is offering this beautiful, hardcover edition for it’s nothing short of a gift. Titan has done the world of illustration a tremendous service in making these classics available again. Before this project began any Andrew Loomis book would set you back a couple days wages – if you could find them. Loomis was a master at his craft and equally gifted as an instructor. Any art student would benefit from a thorough immersion in these works. I was first introduced to Loomis by way of his magazine ads. He created advertisements for many of the foremost companies in America during the 1940s, 50s and 60s. After these encounters I was compelled to purchase “Creative Illustration”. Let me just say, had I waited a few years I could have put another one of my kids through college with the money Titan’s reprint would have saved me. Not quite, but you get the point. As I still own the original and just had to compare the two, I bought Titan’s new edition. It’s a beautifully produced facsimile.
I’m beginning to think I’m reviewing the wrong book. As to “Fun with a Pencil” it is just as the name suggest – lots of fun. Filled with great suggestions for the aspiring cartoonist it presents characters straight out the Golden Age. Perky young ladies and quirky older gentleman combine with helpful hints on perspective and composition to produce a worthwhile book of instruction. Anything associated with the name of Andrew Loomis is gold. And this volume is no exception. It is only by comparison to the four previous works that this title should suffer. If you can shell out the do-re-mi, buy all five books – you won’t regret it.
This book is well produced in every respect. It is constructed to take years of wear and tear just like its companion volumes. I thank Titan, again, for the commitment they made to this series and wait to see what they have in store for us in the future.
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★★★★★
Georg G. –
Ein wunderbares Buch, das den Nutzer langsam und unterhaltsam an die Loomis-Methode für Karikaturen und Portraits heranführt. Die Moralapostel, die hier von Rassismus reden, verstehen offensichtlich die Absicht von Karikaturen nicht. Es werden Weiße, Schwarze, Gelbe und “Rothäute” auf die Schippe genommen. Wer da Rassismus gegenüber Schwarzen sieht, sollte einmal seine Haltung überdenken. Und natürlich kommen diese Vorwürfe – obwohl in Englisch – aus Deutschland, da leben heutzutage die besseren Menschen. “Die schärfsten Kritiker der Elche waren früher selber welche.” (F.W. Bernstein) Man sollte unbedingt die gebundene Version kaufen!
A wonderful book that slowly and entertainingly introduces the user to the Loomis method for caricatures and portraits. The moralists who speak of racism here obviously do not understand the purpose of caricatures. Whites, blacks, yellows and “redskins” are taken for a ride. Anyone who sees racism against blacks should rethink their attitude. And of course these allegations – although in English – come from Germany, where the better people live nowadays. “The harshest critics of the moose used to be moose themselves.” (F.W. Bernstein) You should definitely buy the bound version!
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★★★★★
Tesha pearson –
Really good for beginner help you build your drawing specially facial feature, head angles over all you get what you pay.
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★★★★★
Harv –
The knowledge in this book is life-changing. You’ll get everything you need to get started with drawing. Andrew Loomis is a great teacher and artist. And all you need to start is to draw a circle (even just a really bad mishaped one). If you want to learn to draw, this is the book.
However the paper back of this book is absolutely atrocious… It’s low quality, it’s been enlarged so the images are all blurry or pixelated. I would not recommend buying this,at least the paper back version.
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★★★★★
kikeo58 –
Loomis sponsored (invented?) the Loomis method for drawing heads. Here, he relaxes and invites you to exaggerate that method for fun caricatures. The result is breaking free from strict rules. Really helps you to experiment forming your own style. I strongly recommend it for all of those people with a compass or circle template. Loomis didn’t mean an exact circle, and this book shows you what he meant.
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★★★★★
LGregor –
Leafing through this book can be deceptive because it looks very simple! Loomis starts you off with all kinds of circles almost none of which are anywhere near perfect, and he shows you how to make a head and face which actually looks like a head and face. This in itself teaches a lot. He progresses through still simple but increasingly more perceptive exercises. He ends up with something like the classic Loomis head, and then onto figure drawing that’s somewhere between stick figures and good gesture drawing. The book shows its age and has a lot of distracting typos and the examples are largely adult male. I think it’s a great book for showing an absolute beginner he/she can do with consistent practice but not taking it too seriously, but just playing around with a pencil. Definitely recommend this book
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Esbeckett –
Absolutely the fundamentals I needed in a form I needed. I bought the hardcover because I have a difficult time reading the digital version on screens, so… … Then I got the book, and it turns out, it’s actually larger than the tablet I use. It’s no joke. The plastic sleeve that they put on the book is garbage, it fits loosely and isn’t strapped on at all. That’s common, but I removed it. The paper is thick and heavy, so it’s very easy to prop the book open and draw while you read it. For the size and the paper, I think it’s worth what I paid. Keep in mind any level of artist can make use of this sort of book. It goes over the basics, which we sometimes forget in a rush to try and draw cool stuff by skipping steps. Really, that doesn’t work when you do that.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
bullet08 –
Read number of reviews indicating different color print is not showing. I have a hardcover, and blue ink print is in the book. Well bound book with an easy steps to follow. Doesn’t really go into technical details, but does have instructions to follow. Should be good for the beginners looking for straight forward instructions.
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★★★★★
Alison Brown –
Absolutely love this drawing book! So retro and has great illustrations to teach you so many tips! Loomis is brilliant!
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★★★★★
LVTX25 –
It’s a good book bur basic if you have some talent for drawing.
Tony Tirado –
THIS” REALLY SIMPLE BASIC STEP BY STEP DRAWING INSTRUCTION BOOK ” WAS VERY MY FIRST DRAWING INSTRUCTION BOOK THAT GOT ME DEEPLY INTERESTED IN DRAWING!!
ANDY LOOMIS takes you step by step!
With a little practice daily —LOPSIDED CIRCLES ARE NECESSARY AND can BECOME EXCELLENT CARTOON DRAWINGS OR
IMPRESSIVE “REAL LIFE” PORTRAITS!
TOOLS:
Notes:
Choice of Lead: #2B- 6Bsoft.
H: Hard: HB, 2H to 9H
The Softer “B” pencils tend to smear much more readily than the “H”.
FIXATIVE Spray: Adds a protective coating to prevent leads from smearing.
#2HB TICONDEROGA PENCIL: IS A GREAT PENCIL TO START WITH DUE TO ITS LOW COST AND AVAILABILITY.
MECHANICAL PENCIL: Give you a variety of choices of lead hardness to choose from. They also allow for drawing extra fine pencil line details.
KNEADED ERASER,
PENCIL SHARPENER.
Sand Paper Manicure File cards
ART PAPER: I STARTED DRAWING ON BROWN PAPER SHOPPING BAGS and CARDBOARD BOXES! Until I began experimenting on different textures of paper attempting to find which texture and media(s) worked best for me.
IMPORTANT:
DEVELOP PATIENCE with YOURSELF: PERFECTION COMES LATER!
DESIRE TO DRAW. Drawing is to me an unexplained DESIRE to recreate from your mind; what surounds you.
Although I started drawing a a young age, FUN WITH A PENCIL WILL ALWAYS BE MY ART BIBLE”. Especially when I’m going through an ARTISTIC DRY SPELL”
All I have to do to get motivated is by: DOING THESE REALLY SIMPLE LESSONS in this book!!
Recently; I received a letter from my younger brother who wished to learn how to draw. in his letter he explained that: “DRAWING RELAXES ME and I want to lean to draw!” Of course he is in for a BIG SURPRISE—I just had to buy him a copy of: “FUN WITH A PENCIL!
There are many “Drawing Made Simple’ books on the market today—BUT– I found that they seem to have copied Andy Loomis’s techniques or jump you into: GREY’S ANATOMY”
Unfortunately, Andy has passed on but his drawings of characters and people live on within the pages of his many art instructional books.
The Lessons are easy to do!
You may find yourself mesmerized by their FUN TO DO AND SIMPLICITY!! YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF SAYING:
“DID I DRAW THAT??”
“THANK YOU ANDY LOOMIS!”
CONCLUSION:
I BELIEVE IN THIS BOOK SO MUCH THAT I’VE ALREADY PURCHASED TWO COPIES OF THIS BOOK!!
Buy Again?
DEFINITELY!!!!!
AFTER READING THE FIRST PAGE OF THIS BOOK—DON’T BLAME ME IF YOU GET HOOKED ON THE LESSONS!!
geomcamck –
This book is packed with useful guides and informaton provided in simple manner with exercises everey step of the way, you may find the writing a bit dated but it is from the 1940s
jpcooper –
Not as valuable as the other Loomis titles recently reprinted by Titan, but still very much worth purchasing. If you don’t already own the other four books buy them first. In particular, I would recommend “Creative Illustration”. At the price Amazon is offering this beautiful, hardcover edition for it’s nothing short of a gift. Titan has done the world of illustration a tremendous service in making these classics available again. Before this project began any Andrew Loomis book would set you back a couple days wages – if you could find them. Loomis was a master at his craft and equally gifted as an instructor. Any art student would benefit from a thorough immersion in these works. I was first introduced to Loomis by way of his magazine ads. He created advertisements for many of the foremost companies in America during the 1940s, 50s and 60s. After these encounters I was compelled to purchase “Creative Illustration”. Let me just say, had I waited a few years I could have put another one of my kids through college with the money Titan’s reprint would have saved me. Not quite, but you get the point. As I still own the original and just had to compare the two, I bought Titan’s new edition. It’s a beautifully produced facsimile.
I’m beginning to think I’m reviewing the wrong book. As to “Fun with a Pencil” it is just as the name suggest – lots of fun. Filled with great suggestions for the aspiring cartoonist it presents characters straight out the Golden Age. Perky young ladies and quirky older gentleman combine with helpful hints on perspective and composition to produce a worthwhile book of instruction.
Anything associated with the name of Andrew Loomis is gold. And this volume is no exception. It is only by comparison to the four previous works that this title should suffer. If you can shell out the do-re-mi, buy all five books – you won’t regret it.
This book is well produced in every respect. It is constructed to take years of wear and tear just like its companion volumes. I thank Titan, again, for the commitment they made to this series and wait to see what they have in store for us in the future.
Georg G. –
Ein wunderbares Buch, das den Nutzer langsam und unterhaltsam an die Loomis-Methode für Karikaturen und Portraits heranführt. Die Moralapostel, die hier von Rassismus reden, verstehen offensichtlich die Absicht von Karikaturen nicht. Es werden Weiße, Schwarze, Gelbe und “Rothäute” auf die Schippe genommen. Wer da Rassismus gegenüber Schwarzen sieht, sollte einmal seine Haltung überdenken. Und natürlich kommen diese Vorwürfe – obwohl in Englisch – aus Deutschland, da leben heutzutage die besseren Menschen.
“Die schärfsten Kritiker der Elche waren früher selber welche.” (F.W. Bernstein)
Man sollte unbedingt die gebundene Version kaufen!
A wonderful book that slowly and entertainingly introduces the user to the Loomis method for caricatures and portraits. The moralists who speak of racism here obviously do not understand the purpose of caricatures. Whites, blacks, yellows and “redskins” are taken for a ride. Anyone who sees racism against blacks should rethink their attitude. And of course these allegations – although in English – come from Germany, where the better people live nowadays.
“The harshest critics of the moose used to be moose themselves.” (F.W. Bernstein)
You should definitely buy the bound version!
Tesha pearson –
Really good for beginner help you build your drawing specially facial feature, head angles over all you get what you pay.
Harv –
The knowledge in this book is life-changing. You’ll get everything you need to get started with drawing. Andrew Loomis is a great teacher and artist. And all you need to start is to draw a circle (even just a really bad mishaped one). If you want to learn to draw, this is the book.
However the paper back of this book is absolutely atrocious… It’s low quality, it’s been enlarged so the images are all blurry or pixelated. I would not recommend buying this,at least the paper back version.
kikeo58 –
Loomis sponsored (invented?) the Loomis method for drawing heads. Here, he relaxes and invites you to exaggerate that method for fun caricatures. The result is breaking free from strict rules. Really helps you to experiment forming your own style. I strongly recommend it for all of those people with a compass or circle template. Loomis didn’t mean an exact circle, and this book shows you what he meant.
LGregor –
Leafing through this book can be deceptive because it looks very simple! Loomis starts you off with all kinds of circles almost none of which are anywhere near perfect, and he shows you how to make a head and face which actually looks like a head and face. This in itself teaches a lot. He progresses through still simple but increasingly more perceptive exercises. He ends up with something like the classic Loomis head, and then onto figure drawing that’s somewhere between stick figures and good gesture drawing. The book shows its age and has a lot of distracting typos and the examples are largely adult male. I think it’s a great book for showing an absolute beginner he/she can do with consistent practice but not taking it too seriously, but just playing around with a pencil. Definitely recommend this book
Esbeckett –
Absolutely the fundamentals I needed in a form I needed. I bought the hardcover because I have a difficult time reading the digital version on screens, so…
… Then I got the book, and it turns out, it’s actually larger than the tablet I use. It’s no joke.
The plastic sleeve that they put on the book is garbage, it fits loosely and isn’t strapped on at all. That’s common, but I removed it.
The paper is thick and heavy, so it’s very easy to prop the book open and draw while you read it.
For the size and the paper, I think it’s worth what I paid.
Keep in mind any level of artist can make use of this sort of book. It goes over the basics, which we sometimes forget in a rush to try and draw cool stuff by skipping steps. Really, that doesn’t work when you do that.
bullet08 –
Read number of reviews indicating different color print is not showing. I have a hardcover, and blue ink print is in the book. Well bound book with an easy steps to follow. Doesn’t really go into technical details, but does have instructions to follow. Should be good for the beginners looking for straight forward instructions.
Alison Brown –
Absolutely love this drawing book! So retro and has great illustrations to teach you so many tips! Loomis is brilliant!
LVTX25 –
It’s a good book bur basic if you have some talent for drawing.