The Natural Way to Draw: A Working Plan for Art Study | Kimon Nicolaides

The Natural Way to Draw: A Working Plan for Art Study | Kimon Nicolaides | The Natural Way to Draw

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The Natural Way to...

	The Natural Way to Draw: A Working Plan for Art Study Kimon Nicolaides Houghton Mifflin, 1990 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 64 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Great for the beginner and the expert, this book offers readers exercises to improve their work.

Sometimes, the tried and true is still the best.

This classic drawing text belongs on the bookshelf of any artist or art educator, right next to Peck's Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist (Galaxy Books). I mention Peck's book here specifically because, like Nicolaides, it is often decried for being dated. Indeed, older works do occasionally present some problems; I have to apologize to my students for Peck's antiquated terminology in the section, "Distinctions of Race," for example. Nicolaides presents no such difficulties, but is nevertheless often regarded as too tough, too rigorous, too old fashioned.

Certainly, compared to The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: A Course in Enhancing Creativity and Artistic Confidence, which I have not used but have perused, Nicolaides asks a lot of his students: twenty-five sections, each requiring fifteen hours of work. This amounts to 125 three-hour sessions, and demands the rigorous work ethic of a Twentieth-Century, industrial era technician. The second paragraph of the section, "How To Use This Book" begins, "I assume that you are about to embark upon a year of art study..." and is meant to be taken seriously. A student who is dedicated to learning to draw, and is willing to commit him- or herself to spending three hours a day, two or three times a week, for a year in order to do so, will find no better guide I have encountered than this book. Educators will also find many exercises in this book which can be incorporated into a semester's lesson plans, and this is how I use this book.

The rigid instruction of this manual is unadulterated by unnecessary, dubious psychology, nor does it pretend to be quick and easy. Many "How to Draw" books are essentially shorthand, teaching quick tricks designed to allow a student (or hobbyist) to produce passable results in very little time, by following formulas or copying, step-by-step, from a master drawing. Nicolaides doesn't speculate into scientific or pseudoscientific topics outside his area of expertise, nor does he pretend that learning to draw, to truly draw from observation rather than imitation, can ever be quick and easy.

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The Natural Way to Draw

This book is tedious and time consuming but WOW the results! I started with Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (Edwards) and then moved on to The Natural Way to Draw. Edwards book (I loved it too) explains drawing in a very logical way whereas this book takes you into "the experience of drawing". If you are serious about pursuing drawing and have the time to follow the lessons in this book on schedule... I strongly recommend it! You will be amazed at how fluid it will make your drawing. I am a perfectionist and get hung up on the details... now the pictures just flow out.

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A must have

This book is essential for everyone who wants to learn how to draw and the theory behind it. A classic.

If you need help with your drawing...

Nicolaide's book has stood the test of time and has helped a lot of people learn to draw .I learned how to draw by drawing a lot.Nicolaide's approach is geared towards a large volume of drawing and so I favor that approach .No one learns to draw well by not drawing!More drawing = more progress . Don't let the schedules scare you off.Draw as much as you can and try to absorb the principles contained herein. And most important of all have fun!

Not for beginners

I'm sure this book is all that many reviewers have shared but for me,being a complete beginner, its way over my head and abilities. I need to work at an entry level and continue before I can appreciate and grasp all this author offers. I have found, The New Drawing on The Right Side of The Brain to give me this. also picked up Keys to Drawing & Secrets to Drawing REalistic Faces. Each of these selections are better suited to the level I'm at and didn't overwhelm me to take this artform on.

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