The Big Book of Realistic Drawing Secrets: Easy Techniques for drawing people, animals, flowers and nature

This book is inspiring. I've been an artist for a long time (my whole life!), but I was trained as a cartoonist and animator. Sometimes I like to get back to the roots of classical art, and this was a great way to revisit that. The author does a great job of explaining her techniques from start to finish. The book goes from basic concepts like shading a ball, to using advanced tools I've never even heard of before like electric erasers and french curves! The depth and breadth of the instruction she's able to take you through in these pages is amazing, and has expanded my view of something as "simple" as a pencil sketch. While this book does take you from beginning to end, I would set it at a slightly higher level than "beginner." For some reason, art books are always marketed at people who have never drawn in their entire lives. Every art book is a beginner book if you read the back. Realistically, the author makes a decent number of assumptions about your experience with art and the types of techniques you may have already tried on your own or in a class. And the level goes from beginner to advanced very quickly. I also felt that the book focuses overly much on portraits. I think portraits are extremely difficult and interesting, and are a great subject to cover in detail when you're talking about realistic drawing. However, there was almost no attention covered on other components. One page, and two paragraphs, cover fabric. One or two pages on backgrounds. A few objects or images based on pets. And that's about it. It makes sense to me that the authors are primarily portrait artists, but for a general book on drawing it seemed to be a bit lacking in other areas. Overall, despite my critiques, I highly recommend this book. If you're a true beginner, don't be afraid to pick it up - but be warned that it may take you a long time to get to the level of the examples shown. If you're a mid-level artist trying to improve your skills, please check it out! You'll find an extraordinary amount of knowledge and experience on the best ways to make your drawings more realistic.

Incredible book. I actually have this book I bought decades ago but I bought it again as a gift because it gives such great guidance. It’s been a huge impact on why I’ve built such confidence in drawing portraits.

In my retirement, I took up drawing, bringing to the quest no more than a good eye and a strong desire to learn. This book has been IMMENSELY helpful: The author is knowledgable, clear, and very encouraging. She has convinced me that learning to draw has more to do with desire and effort than some inborn talent. The book includes lists of drawing tools and supplies one should have, basic exercises I've never heard of (e.g., continuous line drawing and "blind" continuous line drawing) which have been helpful and insightful, and every technique you could need to create professional looking drawings. Best of all, she has given me a confidence in holding a pencil I never thought I would enjoy. I recommend this excellent teaching tool highly.

I think this book has wonderful lessons with techniques to draw different subjects. Some of them hard, like portraits of people, some downright charming, like flowers and animals. A very good resource.

An easy to understand and thorough set instructions for learning to draw or to improve your skills.

You read most art books and you see the art in it and theres usually a mismatch. the books themselves are good at showing you some really basic foundational information. But when the art in the cover is this good the book rarely shows how to get at that same level. it's more like ok take what we showed you in this book and maybe in a few years of practice you can get this good. This book delivers. and it didn't really take that long. mind you I have been draw (more cartoon, more comic book type stuff) for a long time. and there was a wall, there was a learning curve. It's wasn't easy by no means. but within a few weeks, and a few failed attempts, I really feel like I was drawing realistically. and I was really impressed with myself. The book implores that you do the easier exercises before you move on to the more advanced stuff, no matter how good you think you are and they are right. I tried skipping and failed, fell on my face and it wasn't pleasant. But I went back and took the first few exercises seriously. and I really found them helpful. still wasn't great it took a few turns at practice. But once I got it, I got it. and let me tell you I tried for years to learn on my own or a few other books. and I never got the results I had with this book. I honestly gave up on this book like I did my other tries at drawing realistically. But I broke that wall finally. even if this isn't your style and or your like me who is studying animation and works in comics. still I'd get this book. style and dynamics you might have to learn some where else but drawing realistically, drawing from observation. this is your book. at least it was for me.

This is a gift for our grand daughter. She loves to draw and is very good at it. I wanted instructions more in the animal line rather then lots on drawing people, but it is a good book. The instructions do have a lot of how to on various tools of the trade which I think she will get bored with but that's okay if she even picks up a little from it. I'm sure it will give her idea's of things to draw.

Thank you. Excellent condition