Fundamentals to drawing/sketching?

[faceofbear]

Are there any good book for freehand artists for the fundamentals of drawing? That is, an absolute beginning book to drawing. I.E. If I can only draw stick figures (I can draw more, but I'd rather start from the beginning so I know more of what I'm doing).

 

[LWB]

Hi Faceofbear,

Andrew Loomis's books are often recommended, and pdfs of those books seem to be freely available via a Google search. One thing about Loomis though, is that he jumps straight into perspective. I'd recommend you concentrate first on simple front, back and side views, in other words the 2d plane first, and worry about perspective much later.

When it comes to drawing the human figure though, I think there is no substitute for a detailed study of the underlying anatomy. But you've got to find a method of learning that is fun for you.

 

[faceofbear]

Do you know if theres a site or anything which I can get private instructions? Or find an instructor?

 

[LWB]

I don't know of any sites that supply private instruction regarding the basics, but I do know of several artists that provide video courses:

Ultimate Figure Drawing Course Known to Man by Riven Phoenix

Drawing Books, Figure Drawing Books, Vilppu Drawing Manual

The Society of Figurative Arts by Michael Mentler (he does have workshops in North America): The Society of Figurative Arts

These videos aren't cheap, and not something I would recommend. I think you'd learn just as much from scrounging free information off the web, especially the many tutorials to be found on YouTube and deviantArt, and borrowing books from your local library.

The absolute best free resource I think is Google Body.

If you enjoy learning yourself and drawing from reference and life, then you might want to consider seeking more professional tuition.

 

[he4rty]

Don't know if it helps but I've been working through some of the stuff on this site, found it very helpful and the beauty is to start with your not really drawing anything so you don't get that despondancy when your picture maybe doesn't quite match your imagination.

LINK

 

[Gumper]

Drawing From the Right Side of the Brain helped me learn to draw.

 

[RobPhillips79]

I hear to be good at drawing, you gotta practice practice practice. Every day at least 3 hours. Then once a week at least, you should draw people posing. One artist I spoke to said that if he didn't do this, he would see his skills diminishing quickly...

 

[lisah]

Drawing From the Right Side of the Brain is a good book. My instructor has used some of the information from that book. I could not draw using pencil. I've moved on to ink and brush and have found it much easier for me to do. I think you can learn the basics, but then you have to find the tools that work best for you. I have arthritis and carpal tunnel in both hands, so pencil just doesn't quite get it. Pens flow.

 

[BlueLioness]

Are there any good book for freehand artists for the fundamentals of drawing? That is, an absolute beginning book to drawing. I.E. If I can only draw stick figures (I can draw more, but I'd rather start from the beginning so I know more of what I'm doing).

If you are a beginner there is always Barnes and Noble...

Barnes & Noble - Books, Textbooks, eBooks, Toys, Games & More

....and if you look through their books they may have some geared towards beginners and they can teach you the basics?

 

[Isaiah615]

not to toot my own horn, but i have a bit of experience drawing myself. if you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

 

[Manford]

I always go to barnes and noble

 

[Isaiah615]

i'm with you, Manford. though i mostly rented "how-to-draw" books from the library, i also used to get books from my local bookstore. they helped my a lot.