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Figure Drawing: A complete guide to drawing the human body
Understand the human body and transform your art with bestselling author Jake Spicer
Informative and instructive, this book will equip artists of all levels with the ability to make clear perceptions of the human body and translate them onto the page. Figure Drawing begins with basic principles and builds progressively, after showing you how to develop and expand your sketching practice, how to observe and see differently, and how to create a language of marks to enable you to bring this vision to paper.
As you travel through the book, you'll discover how a deeper understanding of the human body and its anatomy can transform your work. By the end you'll feel confident that everything you see, experience and understand about the body can be transformed into personal, focused and responsive figure drawings.
Informative and instructive, this book will equip artists of all levels with the ability to make clear perceptions of the human body and translate them onto the page. Figure Drawing begins with basic principles and builds progressively, after showing you how to develop and expand your sketching practice, how to observe and see differently, and how to create a language of marks to enable you to bring this vision to paper.
As you travel through the book, you'll discover how a deeper understanding of the human body and its anatomy can transform your work. By the end you'll feel confident that everything you see, experience and understand about the body can be transformed into personal, focused and responsive figure drawings.
- GenresArtNonfictionDrawing
288 pages, Paperback
Published August 17, 2021
About the author
Jake Spicer
30 books35 followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 22, 2021
A really thorough guide to drawing the human body from life. Clear writing, and really cogent on what it means to draw another human.
Am recommending this to my life drawing students - it’s such a thorough, up to date grounding in the discipline.
Am recommending this to my life drawing students - it’s such a thorough, up to date grounding in the discipline.
November 22, 2022
ANOTHER GREAT DRAWING BOOK BY JAKE SPICER
This book really goes into a lot of detail. I found all this information very valuable. My drawing has improved a lot by reading and following the advice given in this book.
This book really goes into a lot of detail. I found all this information very valuable. My drawing has improved a lot by reading and following the advice given in this book.
February 9, 2026
I do figure drawing as a hobby but never had a formal education. I’ve tried a lot of resources for artists throughout the years but always failed to apply complex theories described there. this book, however, contains a lot of guidelines on how to apply theoretic knowledge to practice. I think it helped me a lot to fill some of the blanks I have in understanding figure drawing basics.
February 2, 2025
Very thorough explanations for drawing. I found myself diving into areas I struggle with when drawing the figure but skimming other sections that I feel I already have a good grasp. I will definitely be returning to this over and over again to continuously improve
February 11, 2025
thorough af
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews





