A Clear & Easy Guide to Successful Drawing (Art for the Absolute Beginner)

This has helped me get started in drawing simple things. I'm a calligrapher and feel like I have artistic ability but drawing does not come easy. My son is an artist too and figured this would help me get started...

The instructions for drawing are presented in a clear, step-by-step format. Each lesson is either one or two pages long and easy to follow. I have been studying drawing for about seven months and found this book extremely helpful as a supplement to my drawing lessons.

This book is the best for the absolute beginner. He keeps it simple and explaines what all the numbers and letters mean on the pencils. Mark tells you what pencils to use for each drawing exercise. How much simplier can it get? In the back of the book are word definitions. Now get drawing!

This book is the best for the absolute beginner. He keeps it simple and explaines what all the numbers and letters mean on the pencils. Mark tells you what pencils to use for each drawing exercise. How much simplier can it get? In the back of the book are word definitions. Now get drawing!

Over all I would definitely recommend this beginner drawing book for others. It definitely does challenge you, but in the end its absolutely worth it. It covers all elements to shading, proper common shapes as an outline to a beautiful drawing in the end, to much much more. This book takes patients, but if you stick with it I strongly feel you will become a outstanding well rounded drawer!!

This really explains all the "tools" one needs for drawing. It does have very good examples and does show
how to draw basic items; a cone, a square box, etc. I think it's great and would help a beginner get off to
a good start. It did meet most of my expectations, sometimes though, I'm not always sure what I'm looking
for in an explaintion of how to draw. Sometimes you just have to have the "gift" or if you can following the
basic instructions in this book, you may do very well.

This book has improved my perspective in terms of drawing. I also like the different techniques of shading and cross hatching that were found in various places of the book. Great for beginners. The portrait section could use some more basic tips. Otherwise a nicely detailed book.

My wife likes this book but has some quibbles too. She would like a beginner's drawing book to be just that - for beginners. Now, this book is probably pretty good for beginners until you get down to the little details. For example, how should one actually hold the pencil? Should the grip be changed for various types of drawing, or if you're comfortable with one grip and can still do the type of drawing suggested should you hold on to that grip? With erasers, should you actually knead the kneaded eraser or should you let it be? When it says to draw parallel lines to show the top of the head, eyes, bottom of ears, chin, etc., how does one begin? These are things she can guess at but doesn't really know, and it would be nice to have them spelled out the way an art teacher would in a classroom situation. We're beginners here, so assume we know nothing. (All of this is what my wife asked me to put in).