Draw People in 15 Minutes: How to Get Started in Figure Drawing

by Jake Spicer

Yes, you can draw! And Draw People in 15 Minutes will show you how. By the time you finish this book you'll have all the skills and the confidence you need to sketch people on the move or on the couch.

Professional art instructor Jake Spicer takes you through every aspect of drawing from life, from sketching bodies in a busy public space to drawing a model from real life or a photograph. Carefully crafted exercises break down the drawing process into easily digestible parts, while step-by-step tutorials demonstrate how you can create a full-length portrait in just 15 minutes. With advice on everything from materials to use to how to get a person's proportions right, including how to draw hands, feet, and fabric, this is the complete course for anyone who's ever wanted to draw people.

Genres: Art, Drawing, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

This is Jake^Spicer, where ^=space.

About the Author:
Jake Spicer is a Brighton-based artist, drawing tutor and author of several popular instructional drawing books.

Reviews

[Lisa Cobb Sabatini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won Draw People in 15 Minutes by Jake Spicer from Goodreads.

Draw People in 15 Minutes by Jake Spicer is a book for anyone who is serious about developing drawing skills. The book thoroughly covers the various materials used in drawing, theories, techniques, and practicing core skills. Also provided is a step-by-step tutorial and reviews of areas needing more focus by the artist.
Like many books on drawing, Draw People in 15 Minutes has many illustrations, but unlike most other drawing guides, Spicer's book is loaded with written guides to help the reader think about his craft. Important terms are defined for easy understanding, and encouraging exercises are offered.
This book is the perfect guide for anyone determined to develop skills in illustration.

[Carol Fillmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book:) Author has packed a lot of content in 128 pages, with step by step very clear instructions. The exercises provided look easy but know they are not. Takes a lot of regular practice to get as good as the examples provided. This book impressed me and it`s one I`ll be buying in the near future: I borrowed the copy just read from the library. Highly recommend this book for anyone interested in drawing people.

[Jacca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really useful book that goes through the fundamentals of drawing with a focus on anatomy and clothing for drawing people specifically.
It’s bizarrely laid out so that the first half covers drawing people quickly as a whole whilst the second half goes through techniques and body parts, clothing piece by piece. I think it would’ve made more developmental sense vice Verda but still, a helpful book that I’ve learnt a lot from nonetheless.
It is well laid out with guidance, instructions, wisdom, and specific activities for a thorough education.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick tutorial book on drawing people. I liked the step-by-step instructions that felt just basic enough to not be patronizing for those of us who have been drawing for many years. I think this book would be good for beginners too. I borrowed it from the library with the intent to improve my figure drawing in real life and it hit the mark.

[Camille · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pas très utile imo

[Arliegh Kovacs]

Draw People in 15 Minutes is a title that seems to be targeted for the beginner who wants to learn the art of sketching quickly. While I enjoyed the book because each section explained and illustrated several ways to approach sketching, it is better left to someone who has a thorough background in drawing the base of the sketches: skeletal structure, anatomy for artists, understanding and drawing the underlying muscles of the body, and the shading of draped fabric and folds. The author suggests carrying a sketchbook everywhere there will be groups of people and practicing quick sketches that aren't very detailed. At the same time, he includes several chapters on all of the details these sketches are supposed to not> concentrate on.
I think it would be a valuable reference once one has an extensive background in the above mentioned "basics". However, it was confusing as a beginner's book.

[Jacky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a free copy of this book from a goodreads giveaway!

I have always had a desire to draw, but my ability has always been somewhat discouraging. This book had some really good points and made it easy to understand basic concepts. While I wasn't able to draw someone as well as I would have liked, I did do as the book said and accomplished it in about 15 minutes. I had fun reading this book and will continue to read it over and over and practice my skill until I fine tune it. This is a fun read and it actually teaches you something!

[Arf2D2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book.

This seems like a great book. Steps are addressed systematically. For example, there is a section explaining that the skeletal system and then the musculature must be considered. Despite the step by step formula of the book, however, I still felt like it was too complicated for a non-artist (artistic dunce?) like myself. This is not to say that it is not a good book with useful details; I believe the book is for someone with slightly more talent than I.

[Con Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great exercises and pacing...

[Arika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was won from a goodreads giveaway.
From an artists' perspective it seems to be more for people that already know how to sketch and not for someone who just picked up drawing.