Drawing
People: How to Portray the Clothed Figure
By: Barbara
Bradley
My
Rating:
In
this book by illustrator and instructor Barbara Bradley
you will find many tips to help you accurately portray
the clothed figure. Many of her own drawings and sketches,
all in pencil, are included in the chapters. Artists
from novice to expert are sure to find something of
use in this book.
Barbara
Bradley begins with general drawing tips, such as
explaining how to properly hold a pencil, and set
up a workspace. Next, She moves discusses different
body types, proper prospective, and creating accurate
proportions. All this advice is excellent for portrait
artists.
Everything
is simplified, but conveys plenty of helpful information
on how to create accurate sketches. Each page is filled
with example sketches to help you on your way. One
thing I personally liked about this book is that she
illustrates the relationships between how the body
bends, and it's affect on clothing. Different types
of folds are described and pictured in great detail.
Also included are exercises to practice the techniques.
She discusses briefly how to experiment with different
mediums and paper. While she does discuss light sources
and tonal value, not much time is devoted to those
subjects.
Her suggestions for drawing heads and hands are very
helpful. Perspective and proportion of the head and
facial features are discussed first. Then, she shows
wonderfully how the position of the eyes and brows
affect the emotion of a subject. This is a great section
for the beginner, since she offers some general tips
to remember, and shows many different sketches displaying
varying emotions. Next, she elaborates on the different
shapes of noses and mouths, which is an interesting
study.
There
are a full two pages devoted to drawing hands, that
includes several tips, and drawings of hands in different
positions. Pencil artists will also find the information
she provides on how aging effects head and hands useful.
One interesting sketch showed the progression of a
woman's head from age 25 to 85. It beautifully illustrated
how the facial features change.
Finally,
she devotes an entire chapter to drawing children.
Children have different proportions then adults, and
she gives some tips for drawing them correctly.
The
sketches throughout the book are enjoyable to see.
They all have a lovely sense of movement. She draws
many different types of clothing, from all time periods,
and emphasizes how it should sit on the body. Also
included are sketches of different shoes, hats, and
more. One thing I was a bit disappointed in, is that
the pictures appear to be somewhat unfinished sketches.
As a result, they do not have a nice clean look, neither
do they illustrate fully how the proper tonal values
should be established for a realistic look. However,
the information is still of great value.
In
conclusion, definitely pick up this book if you want
to expand your knowledge of proportions and improve
in drawing people. The information she includes on
basic shapes of bodies, facial features, and hands
is sure to help any artist studying the human figure.
Keep in mind this book does not delve into drawing
figures with realistic detail. However, it gives you
all the basic elements to master drawing figures,
which is a great foundation to build on.
In
the next article . . .
Read
my product review of Derwent
Graphitint Pencils.
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