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Summary: .
Review: "People who thought they couldn't draw - but after learning from this book the work was pro quality. " This reviewer has managed to stuff portraiture into a neat little shake and bake package.Of course their art would look "pro" if a teacher is behind you correcting each line out of place! However,creating portraits of people, by yourself is something which requires practice, hundreds and hundreds of hours. I don't think it is fair to say that this book will make beginners, "pro". That is wishful thinking and a total belittlement of art! I have to agree with the first review, the art does look mediocre. It would probably suit a beginner, but obviously disappoint someone a little more skilled.
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Summary: .
Review: "People who thought they couldn't draw - but after learning from this book the work was pro quality. " This reviewer has managed to stuff portraiture into a neat little shake and bake package. Of course their art would look "pro" if a teacher is behind you correcting each line out of place! However,creating portraits of people, by yourself is something which requires practice, hundreds and hundreds of hours. I don't think it is fair to say that this book will make beginners, "pro". That is wishful thinking and a total belittlement of art! I have to agree with the first review, the art does look mediocre. It would probably suit a beginner, but obviously disappoint someone a little more skilled.
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Summary: does this have anything to do with drawing?
Review: copying from photographs. Hmmmmm.... isn't that what a copy machine or scanner is for.
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Summary: Great technique
Review: I found this book perfect for the kind of colored pencil work I wanted to do. It is great for learning how to burnish and improving on individual colors and features of the face, however, a host of other techniques outside of burnishing are not much mentioned. I would not recommend this book for beginners learning to draw but rather artists already familiar with the basics who want to pick up another medium. Of the 12 or so colored pencil books I've read, this is definitely in my top two.
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Summary: Great technique
Review: I found this book perfect for the kind of colored pencil work I wanted to do. It is great for learning how to burnish and improving on individual colors and features of the face, however, a host of other techniques outside of burnishing are not much mentioned. I would not recommend this book for beginners learning to draw but rather artists already familiar with the basics who want to pick up another medium. Of the 12 or so colored pencil books I've read, this is definitely in my top two.
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Summary: It would help if the author was a good artist.
Review: I've created (and sold) countless portrait drawings and paintings through the years, and I love drawing portraits. I was expecting that with all this good feedback, this book would be something special. I was appalled. I'm sorry, but the drawings just weren't very good. There was one portrait in particular (of a young African American boy) that was truly warped. The features mishapen, the rendering, shading and color were all off. Actually, all the artwork in this book is rather amateurish. Some of the artwork was a little better, but generally, it was decidedly mediocre. The colored pencil techniqe isn't good either. I confess that I lose respect for an art instruction book when the art examples in the book are rather bad. And then there's the "grid" thing, which is the *only* drawing method taught in this book. Sure, it is a good learning aid, and is useful in many ways. But other drawing techniques (like freehand drawing) should be learned, so that the artist can have some measure of freedom and flexibility. The grid method is way too limiting to be used exclusively. It can almost be something like a "crutch", if an artist never moves past it. (Always having to draw those squares, squares, squares on everything! Yikes!) That's why it's too bad that this book only covers the grid method. Most artists will discover that as their skills develop, they will eventually want to start drawing from life, (or eventually even draw things from their imagination). They'll never learn any of that from this book. Get Betty Edwards' drawing book, if you want to learn more about how to *really* draw. This book doesn't cover a fraction of it. And for colored pencil techniques, get Bet Borgeson's fabulous colored pencil books. She's absolutely marvelous. I'm glad that this book helped other people, and I'm sure there must be something good in it (though I couldn't see where. I guess I was too blinded by the mediocre artwork). But there are FAR better drawing and colored pencil books out there.
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Summary: Lee Hammond Does I t Again
Review: Ok..the previous reviewer just doesn't get what this book is about. Even professional artists often use projectors, photos, slides, etc for serious drawings and paintings. The point is not that you are copying from a photograph. The real treasure of this book is that it teaches and encourages ANYONE that they can draw well and create works of art they can be proud of. Any book that helps someone realize a dream or goal like that is a book I like whether it's copying from a photo or not. People, especially portraits, are often perceived as being very difficult to learn but Ms. Hammond shows how using a simple medium such as colored pencil and her lessons in seeing, placement, value, edges, etc can result in very beautiful portraits worthy of framing and hanging on any wall. The first chapter demonstrates several students first attempts at a portrait and then a few weeks later their second attempted portrait of the same person. The difference between these two attempts is stunning. These people went from childlike drawings to amazing professional results. Just ordinary people. People who thought they couldn't draw - but after learning from this book the work was pro quality. THAT is what really makes this book worth 5 stars. The fact that it uses photographs to teach portraiture is incidental.
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