Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69802 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

From Library Journal
It's rare to find good, comprehensive books on drawing the anatomy. Each of these the first, the return of a classic; the second, a focused study; and the third, lessons from the masters deserves a place on library shelves. Bridgman was a legendary teacher at New York's Art Students' League. There, he originated a system of drawing known as "constructive anatomy." In 1952, his seven books on anatomy were gathered into one volume, which became a standard work at art schools and universities. Published now for the first time in paperback, it holds up as an indispensable volume, with more than 200 illustrations of hands and hundreds of images of arms, shoulders, heads, torsos, legs, knees, and feet. Fairley's book concentrates on those troublesome extremities hands and feet. Sketchbook exercises are followed by eight detailed painting demonstrations in watercolor, oil, and other media. Fairley then continues on to portraits in which variations in age, skin tone, composition, mood, and movement are integrated. Advanced students will find Hale and Coyle's Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters a rich source of inspiration. Hale, like Bridgman, was one of the great teachers at the Art Students' League. His student, Coyle, gathered together Hale's famous lectures to produce this compendium. Hale drew on principles found in 100 masterpieces by such artists as Leonardo, Michelangelo, Rubens, Raphael, D?rer, Titian, and Rembrandt. In 1995, Giovanni Civardi's trilogy Drawing Human Anatomy (Sterling, 1995), Drawing the Female Nude (Sterling, 1995), and Drawing the Male Nude (LJ 3/15/96. o.p.) reached a high standard for good, basic books in this genre. These three surpass Civardi's works and are highly recommended for serious artists and comprehensive library collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

WOW!
WOW! Just got this book and had no idea it was soooo good! If you're into the constructional way of drawing the human figure, this book is for you!
The mechanics of the body are so clearly shown and with many illustrations - all pages in this book are filled with useful information.

So far I have been using those books by Gottfried Bammes, especially "Die Gestalt des Menchen" and I've considered that book to be the best of all my artistic anatomy books. This book by Bridgman comes very close to actually changing that and that's saying something!

If this constructional way of drawing seems confusing I'd suggest you start with "Figure drawing for all it's worth" by Andrew Loomis. That would give you the general idea. (I do believe there is an online version of that book somewhere)
You could also start with "The drawing manual" by Glenn Vilppu
I promise you that to construct a figure is the proper way to draw - at least that's how artists have been trained since the renaissance. Even when drawing from life you should still construct.

A GOOD COMPLIMENT TO HOGARTH
This book goes good with Hogarth's Dynamic Anatomy. I have gained better understanding from studying this book as well as Hogarth's. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to know a little about human anatomy.

great product, for any skill level, any drawing class.
This is a very helpful and thorough book. It's a great book to draw from, great for structural help. Great price on amazon! It's worth it because buying the individual books is much more expensive!