Illustrer

by Helen Birch

Drawn from Life offers bite-size lessons that will help anyone master the classic practice of life drawing. Over 100 pieces of art by contemporary artists illustrate fundamentals such as line, contour, and color, plus surprising and innovative techniques that will take your drawings to the next level. Showcasing a wide range of styles and methods, this is a refreshing new guide to a timeless art form.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Creative, Drawing

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Elizabeth A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book blurb: Drawn from Life offers bite-size lessons that will help anyone master the classic practice of life drawing.

See that blurb? I disagree with it. This little book will not help anyone master anything. This book is a curated collection of art pieces what showcase various styles of drawing techniques. The text that accompanies each piece of art is cursory at best, but this little book is like holding a mini gallery in your hands. Flip through, admire the variety of artistic styles on display, then get out your own sketchbook and draw.

[Castles · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not a guiding book about figure drawing, which is refreshingly OK by me after reading couple of those lately and finding they are obviously very similar. The book is short and interesting little readings of drawings and sketches of her selected artists. You can learn a thing or two, and I did got some tips about equipment and some special pencils to look for, but honestly, most of the times those readings into drawing don’t stick with you.

Digitally, this book is a disaster in a sense of first reading about the piece, and only then getting to actually see it. Weird ordering of subjects which made this book a game of guessing. I bet it works differently in print.

[Sundry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun little book for exploring and sampling styles.

[Carolina]

Crawfurd Adamson 18
www.crawfurdadamson.com

Yadgar Ali 40, 80, 88, 118, 128, 138
www.yadgar-ali.blogspot.co.uk

Harry Ally 32, 162, 190
www.harryally.com

Alexandria Angelo 44
www.cargocollective.com/alexandriaangelo

Dwayne Bell 11, 66, 170, 184, 199, 201
www.dwayne-bell.com

Heidi Burton 26
www.flickr.com/photos/heidillustration

Chelsie Cater-Tooby 108
www.chelsiecatertooby.wordpress.com

María Cerezo 176
www.flickr.com/nuevaprimavera

Paolo Čerić 36
patakk.tumblr.com

Karen Darling 150
www.karendarling.ca

Phillip Dvorak 34, 46, 146, 156
www.phillipdvorak.com

Martin Etienne 68
www.martinetienne.com

Bridget Farmer 70
www.bridgetfarmerprintmaker.com

Maria Gil Ulldemolins 12–13, 56
www.tinymighty.me

Sylvie Guillot 106, 114, 196–197
www.sylvieguillot.com

Jylian Gustlin 20, 28, 42, 52, 186
www.jyliangustlin.com

Paul Heaston 48, 92, 132, 136, 142, 158
www.instagram.com/paulheaston

Mark Horst 14, 104, 120, 166, 178
www.markhorststudio.com

Emily Isabella 74
www.emilyisabella.com

Loui Jover 78
louijover.tumblr.com

Marilyn Kalish 130
www.marilynkalishfineart.com

Gamlet Khoudaverdian 116
www.flickr.com/photos/19246625@N05/

Ekaterina Koroleva 96
www.ekaterina-koroleva.de

Jonathan Kröll 76
www.jonathankroell.de

Julian Landini 60
julianlandini.blogspot.com.ar

María Mantella 126
www.flickr.com/photos/mariamantella

Mirco Marcacci 102, 188
mircomarcacci.tumblr.com

Agata Marszałek 90, 174
www.behance.net/agatamarszalek

Leo van der Meer 64
leovdm.tumblr.com

Elina Merenmies 98
www.anhava.com

Denise Nestor 112, 182
www.denisenestorillustration.com

Derek Overfield 24, 54
www.derekoverfield.com

Ann Pajuväli 16
annpajuvali.tumblr.com

Martín Palottini 148
www.martinpalottini.com.ar

Endre Penovác 168
www.penovacendre.com

Helena Perez Garcia 192
www.helenaperezgarcia.co.uk

Sophie Rambert 84
www.sophie-rambert.com

Michael Reedy 38, 134
www.mikereedy.com

Paul Richards 50, 94
www.paulrichardsdesign.com

Manuel San-Payo 140
www.flickr.com/photos/manuel_san-payo/

Robert Scholten 194
www.robertscholten.com

Debbie Smyth 180
www.debbie-smyth.com

Deanna Staffo 30
www.deannastaffo.com

Helen Ström 22
helenstrom.blogspot.fr

Marc Taro Holmes 100
www.citizensketcher.com

Mark Tennant 144, 152, 160
www.marktennantart.com

John Paul Thurlow 124
johnpaulthurlow.tumblr.com

Katie Louise Tomlinson 62, 72, 110, 154
www.ktillustration.com

Philip Tyler 122
www.zimmerstewart.co.uk

Cynthia Wick 164, 172
www.cynthiawick.com

Steve Wilkin 86
www.stevewilkin.co.uk

Bryce Wymer 58, 82
www.brycewymer.com

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very pretty. The art pieces showcased in it are stunning, and there's a good variety. The organization of this book is done well, too, with a visual index of all the art at the beginning, and then organized by theme/technique.

But, it's not at all what I expected it to be. As someone who has spent 30 years saying "I can't draw," I've recently taken an interest in trying to learn. Mostly, I somewhat decently recreate what other people have done to try to get the feel for it. I was hoping this book would have some helpful hints, or prompts and exercises, to learn to draw from life. But, instead it talks about what to pack in your travel art kit and how to pick what paper to use. It doesn't give any exercises for a beginner, and instead of talking about the process or how to improve, instead it briefly dissects the showcased art.

Pretty book, but not all that helpful.

[Taylor Ashbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Love this author

This author offers great lessons, examples, and inspiration. It is so helpful and interesting to view excellent work with an excellent (and efficient) description of the materials and process for each. Highly recommended.

[A J · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the an artist wanting to revitalize his drawing skills (especially if these skills have been lying dormant under the guise of 'doing research' on the internet), Helen Birch provides me with brainstormed methods with visual examples to kickstart myself.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pick up this book for inspiration and ideas on new ways to tackle a drawing, and along the way I get tips for problems I’ve encountered. A reference I return to regularly.

[Kate Quigley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for inspiration but not so much for teaching you, if that’s what you’re looking for.

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really sure if I would say, "trips and tricks". More like a detailed source of information on the style the artist portrayed in their drawing.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers a lot of good insight for contemporary artists. I definitely want to dabble with charcoal again, it has been a while.

[Theremin Poisoning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful for challenging oneself

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best read in a book, rather than digitally on a tablet.