The Art and Science of Drawing: Learn to Observe, Analyze, and Draw Any Subject
Original price was: $34.95.$20.27Current price is: $20.27.
Related Products
Adobe After Effects Classroom in a Book 2024 Release
Drawing and Painting Expressive Little Faces: Step-by-Step Techniques for Creating People and Portraits with Personality–Explore Watercolors, Inks, Markers, and More
Drawing is not a talent, it’s a skill anyone can learn. This is the philosophy of drawing instructor Brent Eviston based on his more than twenty years of teaching. He has tested numerous types of drawing instruction from centuries old classical techniques to contemporary practices and designed an approach that combines tried and true techniques with innovative methods of his own. Now, he shares his secrets with this book that provides the most accessible, streamlined, and effective methods for learning to draw. This guide includes everything needed to get started creating beautiful art, including:
-Basic Skills: Familiarizing yourself with the best materials and fundamental skills.
-Dynamic Mark Making: Bringing your drawings to life with dynamic and engaging mark making.
-Form and Space: Learning to draw in three dimensions, giving your drawings a dramatic sense of volumes and deep space.
-Measuring and Proportion: Using a series of measuring tools and strategies that will take the guesswork our of the drawing process.
-Contours: Learn to draw complex, volumetric form using three kinds of contour lines. Including information on foreshortening, one of the most sought after drawing skills.
-Shading Fundamentals: Drawing with dramatic light and shadow.
Taking the reader through the entire process, beginning with the most basic skills to more advanced such as volumetric drawing, shading, and figure sketching, this book contains numerous projects and guidance on what and how to practice. It also features instructional images and diagrams as well as finished drawings. With this book and a dedication to practice, anyone can learn to draw!
Read more
314 reviews for The Art and Science of Drawing: Learn to Observe, Analyze, and Draw Any Subject
Add a review
Original price was: $34.95.$20.27Current price is: $20.27.
Kindle Customer –
If you’re taking Bret Eviston’s class online — which I highly recommend (a five star class!) — this book is a good accompaniment. However, as a standalone book, I think there are better ones for learning to draw. But using this with the class, it’s very good.
Will –
If you are like me and are looking for a more specific art book that explains the WHY and WHAT IF of how you go from a simple circle to producing actual art, then this is for you. Most books I looked at on my search would go like this “okay draw a circle, then a few lines, then erase some stuff, and now finish drawing the Mona Lisa”. This book actually explains the steps and explains WHY you are doing what you are doing, not just WHAT you are doing, so you can apply it to your general mindset while learning to draw.
CKH –
I have been searching a book to teach me foundational principles of free hand drawing and was having a hard time finding it. Most of them are decades old and while that in itself is not always a drawback, i wanted something more modern. I finally found it in this book just published in 2021. Clear instructions, color photographs, exercises, etc. I bought both the kindle and hardcopy version. That’s how impressed I am. Between this book and Lee Hammond’s I know I’ll be able to improve my drawing to the level i desire.
Red Ball Jet –
I have some little talent, but made the common errors, too big head, but too bad as already detailed. People are complaining about having to draw 100 circles a day, but I am waaay better, could not do before, tells you the why of things. Walks you through steps to make a drawing, others didn’t. I am so glad I found it!
BookWorm –
Got this as a gift and they use it everytime they draw
Bookworm/Fitness Guru –
I’ve tried so many different drawing books and online courses. Nearly all of them fell flat. Brent Eviston’s book is different because it teaches you both the HOW and the WHY. If you want to learn to draw, buy this book and follow the lessons in order, step by step. Even better if you sign up for Skillshare and follow along with his ‘Art and Science of Drawing’ courses. When you follow this program, you’ll truly learn to draw. I still consider myself a beginner, but I have so much more confidence in my drawing abilities now that I’ve followed the lessons in the book. No hyperbole here – if you really want to learn to draw, then BUY THIS BOOK!
Sean Beck –
The vast majority of drawing books tell you WHAT to do and HOW to do it. This book adds the WHY you should do it. The WHY you should do something is so important in creating a good drawing.
For example, the author starts you off drawing freehand circles, triangles, and so on. Then you put the basic shapes together into the basic outline of a bird. WHY are you first creating a basic outline of a bird using basic shapes? So you get the right proportions and placement of the bird’s component parts BEFORE you start the details. That sounds so obvious. But without the WHY you are laying out the basic shapes, you tend to want to skip the outlining step and get right to the details of the bird you are drawing. The WHY’s of doing something also makes the information ‘stick’ in your mind. Adding the WHY’s of what you are doing makes a critical difference between this author’s drawing book and the hundreds of other drawing books out there.
Maurizio –
No matter the type of art style you would like to draw in, you need to master the fundamentals. This book teaches you exactly how to do that, if you do a search on YouTube, every artist that I’ve come across that are professional artist, they all talk about mastering basic shapes, and then learning how to turn those basic shapes into 3-D shapes, and then combining those shapes to draw whatever you would like to draw. This book teaches you exactly how to do that and much more. Hands-down, one of the best books for any beginner, intermediate, or advanced artist, because no matter how good you get, you should constantly practice the fundamentals.
Maurizio –
This is an excellent book which provides valuable instruction. I’m still working full time, but about 3 1/2 years ago developed a strong interest in drawing. I’ve spent close to $200.00 on drawing books; some of them provide some insights into some aspects of the drawing process, many of them don’t provide much help, no one book I found provided a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of drawing for a rank beginner like me. This one does.
Eviston’s tone is encouraging. He states forthrightly that “drawing is not a talent” but is “a teachable and learnable skill”. I like that Eviston is unpretentious and has the confidence in his drawing and teaching ability to write that “I’ve been drawing seriously for nearly 30 years and I still make countless mistakes in every drawing I create”. In introducing his technique of using light, soft lines to start a drawing, he demystifies the drawing process for us by writing that “experienced artists draw and redraw their subject using light lines until they have captured its basic forms and proportions”. We can see that this is true when we look at master drawings by classical artists, just for example, Leonardo and Raphael. This may be common knowledge among artists and something which is taught to art students, but is the first time I encountered the idea in a drawing book marketed for beginners, even though I bought at least 10 – 12 books which were also supposed to be for beginners before I found Eviston’s (I work in a professional career but was never an art student and took no art classes during college).
Although he addresses drawing materials and equipment, he doesn’t take up too much of the book’s space doing so, another flaw of many drawing books. Eviston gets quickly into the core of the book: teaching the fundamentals of the drawing process and how to practice drawing lines, shapes – circles, ellipses, squares – then moving on to 3D forms like spheres and cylinders, shading to create the illusion of form, and, finally, touching upon figure drawing.
Throughout the book Eviston uses an encouraging tone while stressing the necessity of practice. Drawing is a learnable skill but one, like learning a musical instrument, which requires consistent and dedicated practice. You can learn to draw and Eviston’s book will be a great help to you in doing so even without going to art school, but you won’t learn to draw if you’re not willing to put in the time to practice and develop the drawing skills which Eviston teaches in this book. There are many books about drawing specific subjects such as animals, figures, flowers, or landscapes, but if you want a book which teaches thoroughly the beginning fundamentals of the drawing process this book is the one.
The book has a few minor flaws such as not including a list of recommended books for further reading and development of one’s drawing skills (though the author does have a modest reading list on his website), or, acknowledging his predecessors and historical antecedents and providing a short bibliography of acknowledged drawing classics. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that Mr. Eviston may have been a student at some point in his life of modern drawing master Glen Vilppu. Vilppu’s book is a worthwhile addition to the beginner’s drawing library, but if you will buy only one, Eviston’s book is the one to get. However, these are minor quibbles and should not dissuade anyone from buying this excellent book which, unlike many others of its kind, delivers on its promise.
Annie-Claude –
I’ll admit it: it was the scrub jay that made me do it!
Even though I own A LOT of the “recommended” drawing books out there, they never fully clicked with me, and invariably I was disappointed and disillusioned, thinking I would never be able to draw capably.
But Brent has put the fun back into learning to draw for me. His lessons make sense, and even better yet: I can’t wait to sit down and practice the next ones! For the first time, I KNOW I’ll be able to draw things on my own, because this is exactly what Brent teaches.
I’ve had difficulties turning geometric objects into still lifes, animals and people – I was missing the common denominator somehow. But Bret’s method and approach is different: he helps you understand that construction lines are not just lines – they can be circles, ellipses, triangles, squares and rectangles. By asking yourself the 5 Questions (explained in the book, of course), these geometric shapes help you capture the first, light lines of whatever it is you want to draw. Once you are satisfied that everything is more or less in place, then you begin making more definitive marks. To help you see these geometric shapes in action, Brent has a few detailed illustrations of birds where you must find the geometric overall shapes and draw them yourself.
And there’s the difference: you do not simply and mindlessly copy the drawings of the artist. You have to THINK while practicing the exercises. You have to come up with your own geometric shapes as part of the drawing exercises.
I’m well aware that other drawing books teach this too, but they gave me the feeling of being left on my own too soon afterwards, sort of like “I can only take you this far – the rest is up to you.”
I’m on chapter 2 “Form and Space” and I’ve already noticed the vast improvement in my drawing. Remember: I’ve been dabbling for many years, but now I’ve finally found a book that teaches me how to draw with a purpose.
And as for that scrub jay – he’s no longer out of my drawing reach!
BookWorm –
This book is brilliant. It breaks down core concepts for easy to understand chunks and it urges the student to go along step by step for better drawings. Equally good for art teachers.
No Ordinary Tomato –
A lovely book and has everything you need to know about drawing
citreonman –
Très bon livre pour débutant tout est très bien expliqué et claire je recommande pour ceux qui veulent apprendre à dessiner