As a professional illustrator, I disagree with you. Have you read the Preston Blair books? They start with general lessons on how to think about and construct any shape in 3d, and I haven't seen a book with better examples of using lines of action (if you know of any, then please tell me).
I think it's a good idea for people to learn to construct simple 3d shapes before they tackle the complexities of human anatomy; it creates a framework for thinking about the drawing. I'd agree that there are better ways to learn drawing than from books, but still, a good book is much better than nothing.
I think it's a good idea for people to learn to construct simple 3d shapes before they tackle the complexities of human anatomy; it creates a framework for thinking about the drawing.
Yep, I absolutely agree. That's what I meant by saying that a foundational understanding is needed first.
I've seen parts of the book but have not read the entire thing. If he does have chapters on these foundational elements, then that's good and it's probably a better book than many others.
It's not a perfect book, but there's definitely much more to it than just "Follow these three steps to draw exactly this cartoon animal in this exact pose". The very first exercise is to take an actual egg, draw construction lines and a face on it, and then to study it and draw it from every angle.
Comments
As a professional illustrator, I disagree with you. Have you read the Preston Blair books? They start with general lessons on how to think about and construct any shape in 3d, and I haven't seen a book with better examples of using lines of action (if you know of any, then please tell me).
I think it's a good idea for people to learn to construct simple 3d shapes before they tackle the complexities of human anatomy; it creates a framework for thinking about the drawing. I'd agree that there are better ways to learn drawing than from books, but still, a good book is much better than nothing.
Yep, I absolutely agree. That's what I meant by saying that a foundational understanding is needed first.
I've seen parts of the book but have not read the entire thing. If he does have chapters on these foundational elements, then that's good and it's probably a better book than many others.
It's not a perfect book, but there's definitely much more to it than just "Follow these three steps to draw exactly this cartoon animal in this exact pose". The very first exercise is to take an actual egg, draw construction lines and a face on it, and then to study it and draw it from every angle.