By Jack Hamm Drawing the Head and Figure (New edition) Paperback – 13 Sep 1996

This book is a very easy to understand guide to figure drawing. It is packed with information on how to work up good drawings of the Human body as well as faces, eyes, clothes etc. Leafing through the book the initial impression is that it is quite cramped in terms of layout but this is due to enumerate examples that you can refer to. The tone of the book is very measured and encouraging: unlike many other books on anatomy the instructions are precise and clear. All this is enhanced by Jack Hamms' clear, eminently readable drawings. I found the material on faces and eyes really good and without a doubt my drawings have improved after consultation of this book. Simple guides for grasping rudimentary forms in drawing arms, legs etc are the best I've ever seen, allowing you to get something passable down on paper which is very encouraging for more in depth study which is also presented here. I quickly learnt more about the form of the face, figure and clothing in four or five quick sessions than 7 years ownership of Burne Hogarths' "Dynamic Figure Drawing" !I recommend this book for depth of material covered, readability and concise simplicity: if you are interested in the Human figure this is one of the best additions to your reference section you can make!

Dating from 1963, this is a great volume especially, if like me, you're a crummy/failed/aspiring comics book artist.A lot of modern day super hero comic book artists could benefit from studying this book (and quite a few established professionals...). If you want to learn how to draw and you're a fan of stunning comic book artists like Steve Rude or Alex Ross, who also do painted artwork and have been influenced greatly by the likes of this author and Alex Loomis, this is a worthy extravagance.Remember to start sketching on A3 and use a 6B pencil or a fine charcoal point to mimic mr. Hamm's artistic approach and you'll be fine! An excellent book.

An excellent book for the beginner as it is full of helpful tips and crammed with examples highlighting drawing different parts of the head and body. I particularly enjoyed Hamm's capturing of the head and facial expressions. While lots of really useful information is passed on as to how to draw the body, the illustrated figures are rather idealised and more like what you would expect to find in 20th Century American comic books. If you intend illustrating similar material you have found an extremely useful visual companion. If you are seeking help in capturing what you actually see, this may well disappoint a little. Every reader, however, will get very useful drawing assistance from this compact work.

If you ever heard of one of the perfect drawing books - this is the one to go and buy. Tons of illustrations and very easy approach. Totally recommend this book. Rene, Denmark

Crammed with examples of every aspect of the head and figure.An astounding number of examples of how to draw eyes, ears, noses and all of the other parts of the body.By simple copying the huge number of examples you would improve your drawing skills.Sadly all of the drawings are now very dated.

This is one of the best value art books I have ever bought. The drawing samples are simple yet so lifelike that you should be able to construct a head or figure with some value added within an hour. I went the wrong way about this when I was trying to produce photorealistic pencil art and became bored with every picture I did because they were taking so long. This book shows you how to use construction lines to develop some amazing figure work. Well worth the money as the instructions are first class.

I don't pretend (or want) to be an artist. However, I do want to do the occasional drawing either on paper or computer. The problem is I have a standard build process for heads,figures AND facial details so they always come out similar. This book covers variations in features (mainly facial) and figure construction processes so I CAN now make different people. It's remarkably simple to follow considering the amount of data on each page.To summarise, if you're looking for a 'copybook' to give you an insight into figure and facial variations then you can't go wrongwith this book.

There is no other book on figure drawing that you will ever need. Reviewers who say otherwise have a chip on their shoulder as they do not wish to dedicate the time required to iron out flaws in their own artistic ability.Not only is this a good book, it has rekindled and transformed my life drawing.