The Drawing Handbook

Book excerpt: Designed for beginning and amateur artists, this guide to the essentials of drawing features comprehensive, easy-to-follow lessons and more than 500 detailed illustrations. Frank Lohan, a renowned artist and popular instructor, conducts readers through each step of the creative process, from grasping the concepts of perspective and proportion to producing lifelike drawings of a variety of subjects—landscapes, architecture, animals, flowers, and faces. Step-by-step exercises focus on attaining the fundamentals of composition, visualizing the geometry of the subject, working with perspective, and mastering drawing techniques for both pencil and pen and ink. Each exercise includes gridded outline compositions to help students develop their drawing abilities. Suggestions for the selection and use of tools will assist in achieving professional-quality results.