Bridgman's complete guide to drawing from life
Filled with more than 1,000 drawings within twenty-two expert lessons, this combines six well-known books by George B. Bridgman, the celebrated artist and lecturer who taught figure and anatomy drawing for many years at the Art Students League of New York. Professionals, students, and anyone interested in drawing will find it a comprehensive source of both instruction and inspiration. Included Works Constructive Anatomy Bridgman's Life Drawing The Book of a Hundred Hands The Human Machine Heads, Features, and Faces The Female Form The Seven Laws of Folds
Stats for nerds
2recommend
2mentions
2people
2011–2025years
100% recommend
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- I believe it's a cartesian production of three sets:
- What (the subject: portrait, human figure, landscape, animals,...)
- How (the medium: Drawing, painting, digital painting,...)
- Why (the objective: Study, doodling, full piece, Technical, illustrations,..)
The what is mostly a bunch of rules about anatomy, poses, perspectives, best practices...
The how is where you learn the concept of edges, values, color palettes, etc.., as well as the specificity of each medium.
The why is mostly tips and techniques.
What and How is your best bet for starting. Animation is kinda a why. So select one subject (portraint and figure drawing are really complicated), then learn the basics of one medium (I'd go with pencil). And then learn about it.
Most books focus on the subjects. The books about How generally assumes you have practiced a lot and are looking for better approach.
What I currently have on my bookshelf are:
- Figure Drawing - Design and Invention, Michael Hampton: The author also post on Youtube
- How to Render, Scott Robenson, Thomas Bertling
- How To Draw, Scott Robenson, Thomas Bertling
- Imaginative Realism, James Gurney
- Color and Light, James Gurney
- The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression, Gary Faigin
- Classic Human Anatomy, Valerie Winslow
- Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life
And a few others
- Anatomy For Sculptors, Uldis Zarins
- Anatomy of Facial Expression, Uldis Zarins
- Figure Drawing for All It's Worth, Andrew Loomis: It may be free
- Force, Michael D. Mattesi
- The ones that helped me the most were:
Universal Principles of Design
Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life -- this is not related to design that much, but it's a staple life drawing book and once you can draw a person's face well, everything else becomes easier to draw.
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