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table of content links to my writings on art
overview aesthetics art / comp drawing colour mood skill end of art contents
  Art   Books on Drawing  Painting and Theory
section A: relates directly to my in class 'drawing with keith' course
David Rankin
Fast Sketching Techniques

Excellent learning book

recommended in my
drawing with keith class

north light books
2000

This book illustrates the use of strong line in the drawing of figures and landscapes. He uses a very loose expressive technique that retains the appearance of the source image but gives it a poetic twist. This is well illustrated by the comparison between his quick sketch images and his finished drawing images.

Definitly illustrates the feeling difference between the loose approach and the frozen measured academic approach.

section B: is a more broadly based selection

BRIDGMAN:  GEORGE  B

BRIDGMAN'S  LIFE  DRAWING
(GOOD)

first published  1924
my copy            1971   Dover
ISBN  0-486-22710-3

He reduces the figure to blocks and introduces the concept of treating the figure as moulding shapes (like that going around rooms at wall ceiling join). This concept is very useful for training yourself to see the figure as an integrated system of masses rather than seeing it as a series of sections added together. Remember that clasical drawing  analyses the figures  main and subordinate parts into a series of planes and it is these planes that build three dimensional form. He also focuses upon constructing figures from within the mind rather than depending upon a model. If I may quote an old saying " you learn to draw from the study of other artists work not from life...you use life only for variety."

IEAN SIMPSON

DRAWING SEEING & OBSERVATION
(VERY GOOD)

my copy           1973  Van Nostrand Reinhold
ISBN 0-442-27650-8

Good book:  focuses on form drawing ; provides a lot of ideas and direction on how to approach drawing. He does not say drawing is simple - he says it is hard work and sets about helping you with ideas on how to go about constructing space and form.

He has student drawing examples and advanced  drawing examples - I like this approach of including both types of drawings because after a while you begin to recognize qualities that belong to student drawing as opposed to qualities that belong to advanced  drawings - I think that is important in your development.

VERNON  BLAKE

THE WAY TO SKETH  (With Special Reference to Water Colour)
(EXCELLENT)

first printing      1929
my copy             1981   Dover
ISBN  0-486-24119-X

Very informative little book, covers a wide range from drawing to colour to composition.

VERNON  BLAKE

THE ART AND CRAFT OF DRAWING

(EXCELLENT ++++)

first published   1927   Oxford University Press
my copy             1971   Hacker Art Books
ISBN  0-87817-039-1

Expensive, but a very important book on drawing, it touches on all aspects of drawing, contains analysis of master drawings, is a must for the serious student. He goes into the difference  between renaissance principles of drawing ( in terms of energy being directed down the centers of  form volumes ) and modern ideas on drawing, ( which tend to focus on the location of one contour in relation to other contours) a very readable book.

NATHAN  GOLDSTEIN

THE ART OF RESPONSIVE DRAWING     (EXCELLENT++)

my copy               1984   Prentice-Hall  third edition
ISBN  0-13-047738-9 {P}
ISBN  0-13-047746-x {C}

This is an excellent self  learning book, covering  the practice of drawing colour and mood within the dark on light mediums. Each chapter presents exercises to provide some practice applying the principles discussed in that chapter. It is one of my keynote books, I never take it out of the house for fear of loss.

His approach to art is more traditional and deals with developing the energies from within the forms.

Christopher  Hepper  (McGill University)

Reading Blakes Designs (Excellent ++)

my copy      1995  Cambridge University Press
ISBN  0 521 473810

I found this to be an excellent book on Blake. It caused me to review my conventional ideas on the role of perspective and its constraining impact on creativity. It further supported my ideas that so called civilized western representational art was intended to serve the interests of religious promotion, early topographers and scientific illustrators. If you are interested in composition it is well worth  reading.

Andre LHOTE
Treatise on Landscape Painting

(EXCELLENT+++++)

translated from French by
J.J.Strachan
first published 1939 by Editions Floury Paris
my copy: first published in English 1950 by A.Zwemmer Ltd London
printed by Lund Hamphries The Country Press Bradford

This book is a must for the serious student of art. Written by a rare extreemly knowledgable and articulate artist who introduces the reader to neglected concepts of drawing, colour and composition.

He describes the forgotten methods used to subordinate, through the use of passages, the individual form elements such that they become contributers to a unified whole. He lays out the secret behind the classical grand style for anyone willing to read carefully.

   
   
Links to Art Education Sites 
Art Lessons:  for drawing and painting: not my approach but some may find it interesting.
https://www.geocities.com/~jlhagan/index2.html

Words of Art:  an online glossary of theory and criticism for the visual arts
Courtisy of the Department of Fine Arts and Education at Okanagan University College. This is a very extensive source of art related word definitions, a must if you want to understand the varity of concepts used in the art world.

https://www.arts.ouc.bc.ca/fiar/glossary/gloshome.htm

Great Books on Line: quotations; verse. history of literature etc.

"https://www.bartleby.com/"

Used Books Portal   www.abebooks.com
New York Arts Magazine: www.nyartsmagazine.com/
This may be an interesting site on the psychology of art. I put it here until I get a chance to review it.
https://pavlov.psyc.queensu.ca/~psyc382/index.htm
Book Sellers I Have Used
thebooksellerinc@neo.rr.com     very honest bookseller (year evaluated 2002)