Ideal Book for Beginners

This book is squarely aimed at those of us at the stick-figure drawing level, who would like to be able to draw for pleasure. Betty Edwards has clearly devoted countless hours of time both to teaching and thinking about teaching. The result is an extremely well-thought-out course, not only -- or even primarily -- in drawing, but rather in the perceptual skills that lead directly to being able to draw. She sees drawing, at the level of being able to draw, say, a realistic and recognizable portrait, as a skill that is as readily learnable by an average person as driving or reading. She reduces this skill to a handful of separate elements, each clearly taught and explained, with exercises designed not only to teach the skill but also to quickly build self-confidence. Although the book emphasizes general perceptual skills, enough tips on materials and techniques are provided to help beginners quickly learn to draw pictures that will please them. Whether you continue to develop your drawing skills or not, at the very least this book will help you appreciate the visual world in a new way.

You can draw.....It's not that complicated!

I bought the first edition of the book ages ago and loved it. I recently came across a reference to it again and decided to check out the latest version. I still love it! This is a great teaching tool for the hobbyist or student. Just enjoy the excercises and watch your skill level rise! You'll be impressing your friends and colleageus in no time (and they don't have to know how easy it is!)

Ac

The exercises provided in this book will teach you how to draw accurately from life. They are flawless. Both succinct, and supportive, Betty Edwards provides an excellent, solid bedrock of technique for you to simply sit down and draw exactly what is in front of you. Be it a still life or a life model, the techniques explained in this book are there for you to utilize.

This book has nothing whatsoever to do with creativity. It concerns itself with realistic life drawing - the foundation of any visual creative endeavor.

The triumph of this book is not that it contains any new revelation. Indeed, much of what is taught can be found in The Natural Way to Draw by Kim Nocolades. The triumph of this book is that it simply teaches it in a better, more experienced way - with more clarity and brevity. This book knows how to "Teach" drawing from life.