Drawing From Within: Unleashing Your Creative Potential

by Nick Meglin, Diane Meglin

14 fun and freeing drawing exercises release your inner artist! Drawing for the sheer pleasure is what this book is all about. Nick Meglin, former art instructor at the School of Visual Arts NYC and former editor of MAD Magazine knows all about art...and how to have fun! He shows you how to stop trying so hard and how to find the joy and satisfaction in the simple act of drawing. There are no tricks, no secrets, no special materials to buy, only an unbridled enthusiasm for the creative possibilities within each one of us. Nick, along with daughter Diane, provides ideas and guidance to get you started on an amazing journey of self-discovery and artistic enjoyment. In fourteen fun and freeing exercises, you'll see how easy it is to make drawing a part of your daily activity. With sketchbook in hand you'll discover how to be more focused on life around you, and how that life can feed your art. You'll learn how

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Drawing

240 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1999

About the author

Nicholas Meglin was an American humor writer and editor. Meglin spent most of his career at the magazine Mad, on whose editorial staff he worked for 48 years.

Reviews

[Bonny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books about drawing I have read ! The whole theme of this book is just to draw without regard to what the final result will look like, or what others might think of your work.

It isn't a 'how to' instructional book with defined techniques. Rather, it explains more of an 'approach' to your work. There are assignments that you do, but they are designed to release your creativity instead of giving you finite techniques as tp how you should do each project.

There are examples of drawings by famous artists both historical and contemporary, well known and unknown. You 'learn' as much about the diversity of creative drawing from the examples as you do from the text.

I read it cover to cover in one sitting. It delivers insight without excessive words, but rather with abundant encouragement.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

After I bought this book at the bookstore, I read the reviews for it on Amazon. I have to say, the people who are giving this book low marks have seriously missed the point. Which is unfortunate, really, because they're missing out on a lot.

This book differs from a lot of how-to art books in that it doesn't "teach" you to draw. Instead, it coaches you on getting out of your own way, dialing down the inner critic, and pumping up the personal expression with a few drawing prompts at the end of each chapter. Only a few because they don't want to bog you down in a lot of emotionally intense stuff. For example, at the end of the first chapter, you're charged with drawing the human figure. For non-drawers like me, that's a pretty tall order. I can tell you right now, any human figure I draw will be more sticklike than anything from Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks. But perfection or imitation isn't the point of the exercise. Practice (and process) is the point.

Basically, the only way to get good at drawing is to just do it. A lot. But before you can "just do it" you have to give yourself the mental and emotional room to experiment, mess up, and learn without judgement.

[Sue Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practise, practise, practise. A simple philosophy that artists like me always find so easy to ignore.

This is a great book to make you do it. Fast reading chapters with simple and concise exercises to do in conjunction with them. It's really all about doing it. It's not about the materials, it's about using them.

[Nessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a marvellous and refreshing book. After a while How to Draw books become boring, formulaic and tedious. This one is very different. It is packed full of original and truly enjoyable drawings that are full of life rather than learned technique. The psychological insights are spot on and feel true to experience and were very satisfying to read, lifting the spirits rather than depressing them with pictures of squares, cones and cylinders! I loved this book and would highly recommend it.

[Margaret M Knepper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A drawing book that doesn’t tell you how to draw. Instead it tries to give you confidence. ENJOY drawing. Draw for yourself not others. Take risks. Practice Practice Practice

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A goodie.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick easy read with lots of examples of imperfect drawings - which is exactly the point. Basically, just draw and enjoy doing it. It's the only way to learn to draw. Now I can't wait to put it into practice, go back and do all of the assignments. And enjoy the process!

[Gypsy Novela · Rating 5 out of 5]

very wititly written book on art and perception.

[Ania Siachewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

...very inspiring,a new look at an old topi.

[Shikin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deep Stuff.

[Captelaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, with exercises in each chapter… great book for inspiration…