Cover Image: Read This if You Want to be Great at Drawing People

Read This if You Want to be Great at Drawing People

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Member Reviews

I really liked this book's approach to drawing, since it laid out many styles. Showcasing multiple styles (instead of just one "draw it like this" approach) not only gives more options to novice artists, but also makes it clear that there is not one "right" way to draw.

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This book is very informative and makes a great reference book. Easy to follow instructions. I am predominantly a painter but I realize I can improve my painting by improving my drawing skills.

I would recommend this to any aspiring artist.

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Read This if You Want to Be Great at Drawing People is a book of drawing exercises.

These range from breaking down the subject into the most minimal of basic lines, careful measuring out, light and shade, crosshatching, to creating a portrait in negative space. To do this you need to have some experience of drawing. So the book is not for beginners.

This is a book to look at, try the exercises, then think about what you’ve done in light of taking another look of the book.

Read this…is something very useful for busy people because many of the exercises can be done reasonably quickly. Having both samples of the exercises and their relevance to drawings from historical and contemporary artists adds some depth to a book, which is clearly designed to be kept close, referred to frequently and thought about in terms of artistic practice.

By working on them in daily practice in the same way you would practice arpeggios or scales on a musical instrument, you can develop your technique over a period of time.

This is about looking at people and your drawing anew. Encouraging you to change your perspective and thinking about your drawing differently should create a new dimension to your creative practice.

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I’ve been a little burnt out on art books lately. This one was a pleasant surprise. It Is a very nice blend of informational, samples, and projects for your to try on your own (there’s blank spaces included for that if you’re the type who likes doing the lessons right in the book.

It covers pretty basic lessons. There’s a lot of doodling with loose lines, using different colored paper for different effects, using lighting, using negative space, scale and proportion, composition, etc. It feels like a 60s-80s art book, and I mean that in a good way. It doesn’t try to give you any new ways of doing things, it just gathers the best of those classic books and whittles that info down the most important aspects of drawing people. It’s actually probably a good starting book and a good refresher for people who have already read other art books and/or mastered some of them.

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This is a very simple book, but having said that it really packs a punch. Each page covers one important aspect on what to concentrate on when drawing people. Each page spread is like an art lesson all on it own, and as you progress through the book, the skills mount up with a degree of difficulty. I like this book, nothing flash but very informative.

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I thought the first part of the book was the best part. I really appreciated the clear and concise exercises. I also thought it was a smart choice to intersperse the materials throughout the story. My only complaint is that I felt like the book was lacking meat; at least half the book is examples of portraits from various artists instead of more focused guidance on how to achieve similar results.

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Read This If You Want To Be Great At Drawing People analysis the portraits of all kinds of artists, from DaVinci and Van Gogh to Dumas explaining the drawing; the various techniques used, composition, light, and different art supplies.
Even though it does not come with a lot of prompts or instructions, it is the explanation of the hand of all the masters that makes the book an interesting read for both people wanting to learn to draw as someone like me who took numerous drawing lessons in Art School. The part about light is also interesting for, for example, photographers.
I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley but, it's a book that I need in print for my library because I love to the concept of studying art and adding those techniques to my work.

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I have always had a lot of trouble drawing people. People are complex to draw on so many levels: proportions, perspective, expressions, depth, texture, movement. I can go on and on. It's very easy for someone to look at a drawing of a person and tell when it's off. Intuitively we have a sense for how it should look even if we don't know how to draw.

So I was really looking forward to what I could learn from this book and it did not disappoint. It has multiple sections including:
- Starting Out
- Accuracy
- Composition
- Tone
- Lighting
- Individuality
- Approach

Each section has about 6-8 examples of how to approach that topic. I especially liked the Starting Out section because it has tangible exercises for me to try in short bursts of time. The whole book is broken down in very easy ways that feel very doable. There is a wide array of examples so you don't have one right answer on how to draw people. You can pick one that resonates with you the most and give it a try.

Like all art books, there's no magic the book can provide that suddenly makes you great at drawing people. Only practice can do that. But this book gives you several approaches so that you can find a way to start tackling it and enjoy practicing.

thank you to netgalley and Laurence King Publishing for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Super informative without being absolutely overwhelming! I liked the little exercises scattered throughout the book, with examples of portraits done in the same style. A handy little guide book if you're looking to teach yourself!

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This book’s title plays a very important role here. READ this book. Read Is the word here. Although there are some active drawing prompts and activities, this is very much a book to read to try to teach you to draw. Consider it an art lecture on paper. It wasn’t very graphically engaging or special. Cover is cute.

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This is a book full of ideas and things to think about when attempting to draw people. It covers a wide range of subjects and is aimed at the established artist. Lots of different styles and themes are used, and the book is full of illustrations. There are no step by step instructions but plenty of food for thought and enough details to help an artist improve their work in many ways.. It demonstrates the complexities and details of being a good portrait or people artist. A good book for an artist to have on their shelf and dip into when required.

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