Saturday, December 19, 2009

A BOOK RECOMMENDATION

I have been reading and studying the latest drawing book I've received from Amazon. It's Juliette Aristides' Classical Drawing Atelier and well worth whatever I paid for it (less than the $30 price listed inside - it's a hardback book and a good, large size, too).






If you just bought it for the drawings inside by Degas, Raphael, Michaelangelo, Rubens, Prud'hon, and Ms. Aristides own drawings, it would be worth it. But it's also one to study, since she talks about the history and themes of drawing and then takes you right into the principles of design, line, value and form. It is clearly written (well, I did have a bit of a snooze when I was reading the mathematical equations for the Golden Ratio and the Fibonnaci sequence - but that's just me and my math deficiency). It doesn't take her long to get into the 3 different methods of measuring for drawing and how that's done.



I am enjoying it and learning from it and, since there is no Life Drawing class today (our session is over for 2009), I'll be reading and studying it more this weekend.


I got another surprise in the mail: an instructional DVD of Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson's collage work! I'll be enjoying viewing that this weekend, too. I love Elizabeth's work and I just ordered this on the 16th and it was delivered yesterday!! That's quick service :)

3 comments:

Barb Sailor said...

This looks like a very interesting book - you might like to know that you are not the only mathmatically challenged artist - I joined the ranks at a very young age.

RH Carpenter said...

I am embarrassed how challenged I am with math - anything other than straight addition and subtraction - I've even forgotten some of my multiplication tables! When someone starts talking using math, I feel like they are talking in a different language and I just hear: Blah blah blah and then you take the square root of 5 and blah blah blah. :(

Barb Sailor said...

Math is a foreign language to me - I have conveniently forgotten all my college math. This must be an artist right-brain thing.