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Rating: 
Summary: "pretend you've never seen one before..." OH BROTHER!!!
Review: "Life Drawing Class" by Lucy Watson:
...begins Chapter 1 under the following headliner:
"When you start drawing figures, pretend you've never seen one before." -Lucy Watson
OH BROTHER! Pullleeeeeezzz!
First of all, nobody needs to "pretend" anything, in order to draw, and secondarily, if drawing is premised upon Watson's requirement that we be able to pretend, a goodly portion of the drawing audience will be unable to proceed. The author's mindset here is absolutely corny to begin with. "Pretend"? Let's all just pretend we can draw and do it.
I have continually in my mind, one particular rule regading drawing instruction books. (this is my personal rule, but I find it critical in judging HOW-TO-DRAW books). THOU SHALT NOT, in a beginning drawing book, instruct the student in the use of color and painting. Learning simply to draw is fundamental, and requires the total dedication of most of any beginning book. Watson violates this rule with a foray into the use of color, halfway through this book, which at only 128 pages, is far too short on basic drawing. In my opinion it is the multitude of cloned books like Watson's that cause many beginners to give up drawing (and subsequently, painting as well) as a HOPELESS endeavour, and convince themselves that they just cannot "get it". In fact, it's a clear case of The-Instructor-Just-Cannot-Teach.
The illustrations of drawn figure models are stiff, lifeless and inarticulate. It is MASSIVELY overpriced with an exorbitant list price of $24.95. Is this for real??? Unbelieveable!
I think I'll simply take Lucy Watson's advise in Chapter #1 and "PRETEND" I never saw this book before.
Rating:
Summary: "pretend you've never seen one before..." OH BROTHER!!!
Review: "Life Drawing Class" by Lucy Watson: ...begins Chapter 1 under the following headliner: "When you start drawing figures, pretend you've never seen one before." -Lucy Watson OH BROTHER! Pullleeeeeezzz! First of all, nobody needs to "pretend" anything, in order to draw, and secondarily, if drawing is premised upon Watson's requirement that we be able to pretend, a goodly portion of the drawing audience will be unable to proceed. The author's mindset here is absolutely corny to begin with. "Pretend"...ha ha ha So much for chapter 1. I have continually in my mind, one particular rule regading drawing instruction books. (this is my personal rule, but I find it critical in judging HOW-TO-DRAW books). THOU SHALT NOT, in a beginning drawing book, instruct the student in the use of color and painting. Learning simply to draw is fundamental, and requires the total dedication of most of any beginning book. Watson violates this rule with a foray into the use of color, halfway through this book, which at only 128 pages, is far too short on basic drawing. In my opinion it is the multitude of cloned books like Watson's that cause many beginners to give up drawing (and subsequently, painting as well) as a HOPELESS endeavour, and convince themselves that they just cannot "get it". In fact, it's a clear case of The-Instructor-Just-Cannot-Teach. The illustrations of drawn figure models are stiff, lifeless and inarticulate. It is MASSIVELY overpriced with an exorbitant list price of $24.95. Is this for real??? Unbelieveable! I think I'll simply take Lucy Watson's advise in Chapter #1 and "PRETEND" I never saw this book before.
Rating: 
Summary: A first-rate "how-to" instructional resource
Review: Life Drawing Class: A Step-by-Step Course In Figure Drawing And Painting by artist and art educator Lucy Watson is a self-teaching or art education course supplement tool for learning how to draw representational art in a variety of different media, including charcoal, chalk pastel, white conte pencil, watercolor, and more. Color illustrations, examples of working from photographs, theory, and practice, all combine for a first-rate "how-to" instructional resource ideal for anyone seeking to improve human figure drawing skills.
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