Book Description

From an award-winning English artist and teacher whose work was exhibited at the esteemed Paris Salon and London's Royal Academy comes a beautifully designed guide to drawing the face and figure. The author of such artistic references as "The Technique of Pencil Drawing" and "The Art of the Pencil," Borough Johnson also illustrated many famous poems and novels, including Longfellow's "Evangeline" and Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles. "Art cannot be taught. Drawing, like science, can." With those opening words, Borough Johnson takes a creative step forward, demonstrating how to draw the human figure with shading and texture, using pencil, chalk, and charcoal. In easy-to-follow terms, he explores the most important aspects of drawing the human form: anatomy, proportion, composition, motion, drawing from memory, and capturing emotion with an economy of line. He also offers eighty-two of his own compositions in black-and-white—subjects that include a ballerina, fencer, gypsies, violinist, children playing, and more—to illustrate his lessons. Eight color plates (red chalk drawings) are also included. Perfect for intermediate and advanced students who want to improve their skills, Figure Drawing and Portraiture is a valuable guide for every artist's reference shelf.