When the head tips upward, downward, or to the side, those center lines and equator lines really help to place the smaller forms in their proper relationship.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
From “Fun with a Pencil,” by Andrew Loomis.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Loomis Baby Heads
These drawings of baby heads by Andrew Loomis show the importance of careful construction, especially in foreshortened poses.
When the head tips upward, downward, or to the side, those center lines and equator lines really help to place the smaller forms in their proper relationship.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
From “Fun with a Pencil,” by Andrew Loomis.
When the head tips upward, downward, or to the side, those center lines and equator lines really help to place the smaller forms in their proper relationship.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
From “Fun with a Pencil,” by Andrew Loomis.
Thanks! Andrew Loomis was the master teacher. Yes, indeed.
ReplyDelete"Fun with a Pencil" is still one of the best books for beginners. However, he does tend to assume from the start that the beginner can think in three dimensions, which is generally not so.
ReplyDeleteThis is the biggest problem in drawing for most learners. Many never get it, and work entirely in flat pattern (which can be attractive and commercially successful).
Don Cox - I agree about Loomis' assumptions. There are certain throwaway lines in books like 'Figure Drawing for all it's Worth' that may discourage the novice. I recall he says something along the lines of 'it will only take a few nights to memorize the figure'. If only it was that easy!
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ReplyDeleteJames,
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving a bit late.
off topic but I received Color and Light and LOVE IT. I have only had a chance to skim through but its looks pretty darn thorough- and its nice to have all these collected observations in one book...
the accompanying paintings are wonderful - my father's up around columbia county (i am in NYC) so a lot of your pleine aire. looks quite familiar :)
I first bought this book second hand as an 8 yr old. It was my first 'how to draw' book. Loomis forgot to mention the years of practice and square miles of forest I would have to work through to become moderately competent. But it was an inspiration then and still is.
ReplyDeleteI've been enjoying working through Loomis' exercises in this book on and off for a couple of weeks now (after James linked to the PDF version available online). My actual intro to drawing was Betty Edward's Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. She takes the draw-shapes-you-see-not-objects approach, while Loomis' is more of the sculptural approach used by comic artists that often draw from their imaginations. I think to be really competent you have to master both methods, really.
ReplyDelete