Fantastic Art instructional book. The ratio of text to example images is better than any I've seen before. I found myself exclaiming "huh" or "dang" multiple times while reading because of unique tips and tricks I've not seen elsewhere.
I was very wary of the "parallel text," but the English is very clear in almost every case, and only awkward in two or three cases (I can't speak for the Korean).
The instruction definitely is in a particular style. It's one that I like, but if you're looking for realism this wouldn't be the way to go.
This is a Korean art book with English translations provided beneath each text, except for the prologue. If needed, you can also use your phone to translate it, but you are not really missing out on anything essential. Choi Won-hee, a writer for Taco, provides a brief introduction explaining what each volume covers. For those that don't know, Taco is a Propic Academy instructor, game concept designer, and webtoon writer/artist. He is active on Instagram and other social media, where he shares instructional art content focused on human anatomy, posing, and character construction.
This is not a single volume but a two-book set. The first volume focuses on the body, arms, hands, and perspective-based poses, along with some Super Deformed (SD) or chibi drawing tips. The second volume covers the face and legs.
This book was not on my radar until I started watching various artists’ art book recommendation videos. I was curious to see if there was anything worth checking out, and many of them consistently recommended this set. I did not think much of it at first until I learned that PewDiePie taught himself to draw using a variety of art reference books and videos, including this one. I do not follow him, but I have heard of him and saw his art auction off at CDawgVA’s charity auctions for the Immune Deficiency Foundation, and I was pleasantly surprised.
From there, my interest in this book grew, and I eventually decided to buy it. These books are great as reference material. I certainly find myself checking them out from time to time. However, they are most useful if you already have a basic understanding of human anatomy. A complete beginner may find these books difficult to apply at first, as they do not go into much depth in explanation and are more of a visual aid. I think they work best when paired with a foundational anatomy book and as a guide when it comes to drawing practice, especially if your goal is to draw in an anime, webtoon, or manhwa style.
The books are also compact in size (approximately 6.7 × 7.9 inches), making them easy to carry and use as portable reference material without taking up much space.