Product Description

Classic approach to the dynamics of drawing by brilliant teacher with insights and practical advice on line drawing, mass drawing, visual memory, materials and much more. 84 plates and diagrams reinforce Speed’s clear presentation.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42954 in Books
• Published on: 1972-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 296 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780486228709
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Customer Reviews

the best ever done in English
It's easy to pontificate and very, very hard to draw. Suspiciously absent from most books on drawing are drawings by the author. But Speed, a journeyman painter whose career bridged the 19th and 20th centuries, drew wonderfully well, and his drawings vindicate his ideas. Additionally, Speed's career embodies the best of the academic tradition and the then-contemporary discoveries of the Impressionists. His assessment of Monet has stood the test of time, as have his splendid instruction on the nuts and bolts of drawing. If you can only have one book on drawing -- and I have a vested interest in this area -- Speed's is the one to get.

a superb guide to traditional drawing
Though written nearly a hundred years ago, Harold Speed's book is a gem. We live in a time when traditional drawing techniques are hard to come by, but Speed takes us back to the essential skills of the late nineteenth century. If you dream, as I do, of drawing like Ingres and painting like Sargent, this book will point the way. An absolute classic.

Very "theory" oriented but great read
If you're looking for a quick drawing book you can thumb through on the plane, this isn't it. However if you want a classical approach to drawing and painting theory, complete with very opinionated prose that teaches you the fundamentals of how drawing and painting should be - get this book. On a bookshelf filled with quick fixes and 30-second lessons on the go, Speed's drawing text is a welcome change. You'll read this again and again, gaining more knowledge out of it each time.