Favorite Art Books 14

Dozens of books have been written about figure drawing. Despite the plethora of such books, a welcome addition to the canon is a newish volume, Figure Drawing: Design and Invention, by Michael Hampton. Published about ten years ago, Figure Drawing is a great addition to my library. Mr. Hampton writes clearly and precisely and provides solid information on every phase of figure drawing.

Mr. Hampton writes in his introduction that the book is based on his teaching methods in life drawing and anatomy courses for artists. Accordingly, he deals with drawing the human figure from beginning to finish, including traditional phases from gesture to landmarks to form and volume. Furthermore, Mr. Hampton comments that one of his major emphases is not the figure itself but training oneself in various formal principles of drawing.

Of particular importance to the beginning artist is the author's admonishment that gesture drawing does not involve "a haphazard and excited flailing of the drawing medium on and around the page." Instead he emphasizes a practiced and studied approach. Gesture is the basic framework for everything the reader plans to accomplish in figure drawing. Accordingly, gesture should be studied thoroughly, the reader returning as often as necessary to the chapter. He provides fundamentals first--basic information on parts of the body, form, balance, symmetry (and asymmetry), and the value of repetition (right). 

Taking his systematic approach from gesture through basics of body structures, the author provides logical and progressive information on the body's structure. He then covers basic forms that are useful in drawing the body, with several exercises for the reader in drawing the basic forms (spheres, ellipses, etc.) that must be

mastered in order to draw believably. Further, he deals with ways to connect these basic forms. After a thorough grounding in form, Mr. Hampton approaches actual human anatomy.

Beginning with the head the reader is encouraged to learn how to develop the drawing on form in order to establish a sense of volume. The idea is to establish such a solid grounding in form that the reader will eventually be able to draw believably from imagination. Mr. Hampton builds the skulls he draws from basic forms, broken down and then reassembled. He takes the reader from sphere to cranium and from cube to jaw, eventually working into eyes, ears, profiles and more. But he does admonish the reader that the studies and exercises provided are no substitute for a thorough and complete study of the skull and the head.

From the head the book moves on to deal with the remainder of the body, spending considerable time on musculature (and refreshingly using real names) in simplified form, adhering to his general process: gesture, shapes, landmarks/volumes, anatomy and value. Using color-coded diagrams and bravura drawings of his own, Mr. Hampton demonstrates how the body's anatomy can be rendered using his simple-shapes approach.

The idea for a beginner or an accomplished artist is to employ simplified forms and shapes in a logical progression to produce believable images of human figures. As a schema, this approach can be employed in many kinds of art. Besides clarity and a systematic approach, the book is beautifully illustrated, mostly in color. There are literally hundreds of drawings that provide the reader not only with illustrations of the text but a pleasurable experience. If you're a beginner, consider this book as a way to start drawing figures. If you're an accomplished artist, it may be useful as a way to reinforce or reestablish skills.

Highly recommended.
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Previously:
Favorite Art Books 13

(There is also a website full of images.)