Drawing: A Complete Course

A superb course for teens or adults, combining all the basics of drawing with art theory, history, and appreciation. If you've got a child serious about drawing, we'd recommend this book. Over 100 exercises cover drawing techniques, media, space, composition, and design, beginning with an exploration of six types of media. Students experiment with pencil, pen & ink (or ballpoint), charcoal, art chalk or pastels, black marker with blunt tip, and brush and ink, getting their "feet wet" before plunging into composition exercises. The following chapters concentrate on building up from simple constructions, landscapes, trees, still life, people, composition, interpreting designs, expressing meanings through drawing, and more. As you progress through these, different elements of drawing are studied - perspective, balance, direction, shading, etc. Many illustrations and clear step-by-step instructions are included, making the course easy for students to use independently. Each chapter includes drawings by master artists (111 in book) correlated to the topic. These are preceded by excellent discussion questions, both general and applying to individual works. These are not just "yes/no" questions. Rather, they help lead the student to discover more about drawing and style as well as to gain familiarity with specific artists' techniques. My oldest daughter used this as an art elective and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were able to obtain most of the materials needed locally, except the Chinese-style brush. A long-bristled, pointed brush may be substituted for this. 190 pgs.