The Drawing Projects: An Exploration of the Language of Drawing

by Mick Maslen, Jack Southern

Drawing Projects combines a review of contemporary artists with a 'how to draw' guide, celebrating drawing as the process of seeing made visible.

Drawing Projects profiles ten key artists, revealing their working environments and practices, including Gavin Turk, Dryden Goodwin, Keith Tyson, Cornelia Parker, William Kentridge, Claude Heath, Tim Knowles and Zoe Mendelson. The artists discuss the value of drawing in their own work, and invites you to think about how we view life, view art and view the story that they tell together.

Drawing Projects includes fifteen projects to inspire you to join in and work through at your own pace. These detailed tutorials provide a how to draw these images guide. The combination of artists work and easy to follow projects make this a practical guide to inspire the artist in you.

Genres: Art, Drawing, Nonfiction, Reference, Visual Art

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 2011

Reviews

[Bruno Espadana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best drawing books I have seen. It is the closest possible to attending the drawing course of the authors without physically being there. With a good set of introductory theory chapters and the full scope of proposed exercises with detailed instructions and many examples, it is inspiring and creative, making you want to keep drawing and drawing and drawing. Along the book there are also several interviews with established artists of different styles which are very informative and inspiring.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in drawing and improving their skills.

[Chris Browning · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book makes me cross. So many of the ideas are shared with Betty Edwards’ Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain but it never mentions her once, and it feels like it takes that book’s populism as a personal affront and wants to take the idea of art for everyone and turn it into art for the precious few. It does this by taking tasks incredibly similar to the ones Edwards uses but filling them with jargon so it in essence becomes an elitist exercise for a select group of people. This is about becoming Artists with a capital A and not enjoying art for everyone. It’s disingenuous and elitist and an act of snobbery. It is 100% why I can’t be doing with a great deal of modern art. Awful

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always fascinating to look, as much as one can, inside another's creative process, and this book, to some extent, allows us to do so.

But what is more helpful in understanding art, drawing in particular, is the first section, "Text," which does discuss some technicalities, such as negative space and the disappearing edge, but, more importantly, manages to convey and thoughtfully discuss the emotion and intent of drawing. Maslen and Southern make a wonderful case for the importance and meaning of drawing, and the quality of line and marks. They manage to be unaffected and uninfected by -isms.

This is not an instruction manual, but it is a useful adjunct for those learning to draw who want to consider the meaning inherent in line. It is also useful for those who have drawn for some time, as it may make you re-examine your intent and experiences.

[Amy Seiber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book about drawing I have seen. After reading through it I'm super-inspired and ready to try some of the ideas. I'm sure it's a book I will come back to.

[James Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a straight-talking book about drawing that nails it for me. It has echoes of art school (one where drawing goes on, anyway.)

[J. Blair Hartman III · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it more than I liked it!

[PJ Ebbrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very dense explorations of why you should draw and how it can be used as a tool by artists. You should have it, on your bookshelves and dip into, for exercises.

[Camila Scarlette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool exercises, interviews. borrowed a Copy when I was student- I will need a copy in the future.

El libro explica el Dibujo en general, luego en sus partes (la marca, el valor de la línea, el punto, el color, la extensión, etc etc) y para cada concepto general hay una entrevista a un artista preguntando acerca del dibujo en su trabajo. Además incluye ejercicios de dibujo, de manera poco tradicional para enriquecer la noción que tenemos de la técnica misma, el acto mismo de lo que hacemos con las manos. Es un libro que si tienes la oportunidad de mirar siendo artista, deja una buena impresión.

[Peter Houlihan · Rating 4 out of 5]

l purchased this as an addition to my Art books as l find the lessons of particular interest in improving my concentration whilst drawing a new way of approaching a familiar subject l would recommend this to all who would wish to improve their drawing skills as it loosens you up to new ideas,

[Alexandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been a powerful and trans-formative tool for my development of a new drawing class at the high school level. The exercises are diverse and truly open up young artists to really explore abstract methods in drawing.

[AraLucia Ashburne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was pivotal for me.