Recently, two new drawing books caught my eye. I hope to review one or both in an upcoming issue of Drawing, but for those of you who need holiday gift ideas for the draftsman on your list RIGHT NOW, here's a sneak preview.
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Understanding Architecture Through Drawing (Taylor & Francis
Group, New York City) is not about the drawing process, but rather
about how drawing can be used as a learning tool. "The aim of this book
is to explore how freehand drawing can increase the level of
understanding of the complexities of modern architeture," writes the
author, Brian Edwards, in his introduction. Numerous sketches
illustrate the book, and chapter titles such as "Using Drawing to
Analyse an Urban Area," "Gateways, Entrances, and Doorways," and
"Sequential Sketches" have this reader intrigued--I have a feeling this
book will be my faithful companion on the subway for a couple of weeks.
The author is a professor of architecture at the Edinburgh School of
Art, in Scotland. |
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Classic Human Anatomy (Watson-Guptill/Random House, New York
City) is the dream book I didn't know I wanted. Valerie L. Winslow, a
talented artist who has taught anatomy and figure drawing/painting at
the Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, California; Cal Arts, in
Los Angeles; and Pixar Animation Studios, in Emeryville, California,
authored a spectacular book that explores and fully illustrates the
bones, muscles, and external forms of the human body in clear,
seemingly accurate fashion. Wow, this book really does it all. Winslow
clearly labels specific parts of the body--and she also pulls back far
enough to show the basic planes of anatomical forms. She even shows
exactly how various nose structures (upturned, round-tipped, etc.) are
formed. We will check this book to verify its essential accuracy, but
it looks like this will be an important reference for our staff, who
will use it to verify facts in stories for years to come. |