How to Draw Lifelike Portraits from Photographs - Lee Hammond
Oct 28, 2009 Book Reviews
If you’re looking for a comprehensive, easy to follow guide to drawing portraits, How to Draw Lifelike Portraits from Photographs is it!
Lee Hammond’s book will take you from complete beginner to confident portrait artist in no time flat, something to which I can attest first hand!
When I first became interested in drawing, I didn’t take any lessons or go to classes. I taught myself through a combination of online tutorials and books from the library. This particular book is one that stands out in my memory as having a huge impact on my drawing ability.
More recently, I’ve signed this book out from the library again. I have a tentatively scheduled drawing class coming up and wanted some inspiration on how to start my lessons.
As I flipped through Lifelike Portraits, I was amazed at how much information I had retained and internalized. Much of my own drawing process comes from this book!
Since I’m a pack rat and have kept all of my sketchbooks, I can show you exactly how this book affected my drawing! On the left is a typical drawing of a face out of my imagination. Only a few pages later in my sketchbook, and after reading Hammond’s book cover to cover, I drew the girl on the right (who happens to be Liv Tyler). Still not a stellar representation, but a huge improvement on my previous portraits!
This book will take you right from the very beginning, starting with drawing tools and shading techniques, to individual lessons on each facial feature, different types of hair, and even how to draw clothes!
The entire drawing process is broken down into manageable chunks that are easy to learn, and each technique is clearly illustrated through Hammond’s own examples and portraits.
If there is a book that is more easy to follow, full of more information and more able to teach portrait drawing, I have not found it!
Hammond has also written other drawing books including Lifelike Drawing In Colored Pencil, Drawing Realistic Pets from Photographs, Paint People in Acrylic, and many more!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to get started with portrait drawing, or anyone who is wanting to take their portraiture to the next level!
Book Review: Rothko, by Jacob Baal-Teshuva
Sep 22, 2009 Book Reviews
As some of you know, I’m a big fan of Abstract Expressionism and when I saw Rothko, by Jacob Baal-Teshuva, I was instantly drawn to the bright, glossy cover. I was a little bit skeptical, only because books like these often don’t offer anything besides reproductions and a simple biography. They are usually a shallow survey of an artist’s life and usually leave you wishing for a more in depth look at the artwork. A quick flip through the pages revealed that there was at least as much writing as pictures and one look at the price ($16.95) sealed the deal!
At that price, this book would have been well worth it for the reproductions alone! You will find over 80 images of Rothko’s (and other’s) work, all in full colour and many full page reproductions. While I can’t attest to the accuracy of the colour (having not seen all of Rothko’s work in person) I can say that the images were bright and luminous, the colours vibrant and sumptuous.
This book covers Rothko’s life and career from his childhood in Russia to his suicide in 1970. The biographical parts of the text tended to be a little dull, and often unnecessary. I was left wondering why I needed to know what Rothko’s father did for a living, or what name his brother took upon moving to America. At times, the biographical info was plunked into the middle of an explanation of the artwork, with no indication of how the two were related besides the fact that they occurred at the same time. Interestingly, while Rothko’s father is talked about in some detail, his mother is hardly mentioned at all!
It was during discussions of Rothko’s work and the art world of the time that the writing came to life. The author does an excellent job at setting the stage for Abstract Expressionism. It’s fascinating to read about the interactions Rothko had with other artists. He was rubbing shoulders with the likes of Clifford Still, Adolph Gottlieb, and Barnett Newman. Rothko’s relationships with these artists, and the profound effect they had on his work, are described in detail. It sounds like it would have been a wonderful time to be alive! These artists were all working towards a new form of art, painting together by day and philosophizing together by night.
The best part of this book is that it is full of first-hand quotes from Rothko and those around him. Some of these quotes are confusing and take some time to wade through: “I will say without reservation that from my view there can be no abstractions, any shape or area which [lacks] the pulsating concreteness of real flesh and bones. Its vulnerability to pleasure of pain is nothing at all” (pg 45). Others, though, are direct and to the point, profound in their simplicity: “The progression of a painter’s work, as it travels in time from point to point, will be toward clarity” (pg 38). These serve to illustrate the man behind the paintings: intellectual and thoughtful, but often defensive and misunderstood.
The book chronicles Rothko’s rise and fall. It begins with his early surrealist work, then to the transitional multiform paintings (which I’d never seen before and was hugely impressed by!), to the colour field paintings he’s known for and finally the darker versions of these in his late career. As he became more successful, it seemed that Rothko became less happy. His work became dark and gloomy, lacking the luminosity in his earlier work. Towards the end of his career, Abstract Expressionism was already going out of style and Pop Art was on its way up. Of Pop Art, Rothko said, “Are these young artists plotting to kill us all?” (pg 67) which seems to sum up his negative attitude prior to the time of his death.
I usually skim through art books, looking at the pictures and reading captions, but this was one of the few that I’ve read cover to cover. It’s a relatively short and easy read, but full of information on Mark Rothko that goes beyond basic biography. Rothko, by Jacob Baal-Teshuva, is both a good read and a good reference.
The Dot: Inspiring Art Book for Kids (and Adults!)
Aug 10, 2009 Book Reviews
By Peter H. Reynolds
It’s too bad we couldn’t all have art teachers like the one of the heroine of this book. When Vashti complains that she can’t draw, her teacher suggests that she “just make a mark.” This sets Vashti off on a creative adventure, making every kind of dot imaginable.
This book teaches kids and grown-ups the importance of exploration and the unique creativity in something so simple as a dot. It proves the point that everyone is creative and unique in their own way. Maybe you can’t draw like Da Vinci, but what can you do? This story is a lesson about finding what interests you and diving into it head first, regardless of the consequences. Perfect for children, I think this story is even more relevant to many adults.
To me, this book expressed the importance of repetition and in-depth exploration of one subject. Each of Vashti’s dots, while only a dot, is a whole new experience.
Aside from a great story, Reynolds includes some wonderful illustrations.
Also, check out Ish, another book about art and creativity from Reynolds. I haven’t read it, but from looking at Amazon, it looks good too!
Tags: art tips, books, Creativity, getting started
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