Essential Guide to Drawing: Life Drawing

By Barrington Barber

The bold form of the human figure has inspired artists for centuries, providing endless variety and interest. In this inspirational workbook, author and artist Barrington Barber provides an accessible introduction to life drawing.

Learn to:
• Portray figures in movement
• Create believable dimension
• Correctly gauge figure proportions and foreshorten limbs
• Get the most out of a life drawing class
• And more!

Examples from master artists such as Giorgione, Manet and Freud show the range of materials and stylistic approaches to life drawing. This book is perfect for both budding and professional artists, providing tips and tricks to mastering this subtle art.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Essential Guides to Drawing are practical books for artists who wish to improve their skills in a particular subject area. The series covers Animals, Landscapes, Perspective & Composition, Portraits, Still Life and Landscapes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcturus Publishing
• Release date: Jun 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781839405068

Barrington Barber

Born 1934, Barrington was educated at Hampton Grammar School and later Twickenham Art Schoo for which he received a National Diploma of Design. He then practised as an illustrator (Saxon Artist) and Graphic Designer, was Art Director at Ogilvie & Mather and S.H. Bensons, and was a lecturer in Graphic Design at Ealing Art School. Other credits include freelance work, designer, illustrator, animator and painter at Augustine Studios. He was awarded a one man exhibition in 2000 at St. Oswald Studios, and also exhibited in Putney in 2003 and Cork Street in 2004. He was Head of Art at St James's Independent Schools. He now paints, draws, writes about art, and enjoys sports, walking, philosophy and meditation.

Book preview

Introduction

The human figure is both the hardest and yet most satisfying subject to draw and no artist ever really exhausts its possibilities. However, if you are trying to teach yourself, discipline and an eye for detail will take you a long way. The best way to start is by observing people carefully: the way they move, sit and stand and how they look in different lights and from different angles. The great figurative artists studied the human form for their entire lives without reaching a limit with it, so there’s plenty of scope!

Being a human oneself loads the artist with all kinds of preconceptions, which can make it very difficult to see a way through to making the first marks on paper. However, some elementary knowledge of anatomy is ours already: we know generally how we are put together; how to move various parts of ourselves; and we know the difference between feeling tense and relaxed. With observation, practice and concentration, we are only a short distance from translating this knowledge into line and tone.

It is good to study the various styles and techniques of other artists but there is no substitute for your own response to something as infinitely fascinating as the human figure. Life drawing is

the best way to learn how to do this, and in this book we look at how you can make the most of the experience of drawing the human figure directly.

Materials

Any medium is valid for drawing figures from life and I have shown a range of possibilities here and later in the book. You probably don’t need to buy all the items listed below, and it is wise to experiment gradually. Start with the range of pencils suggested, and when you feel you would like to try something different, do so. For paper, I suggest starting with a medium-weight cartridge paper.

Pencils

HB B 2B 4B

Conté charcoal pencil

White carbon pencil

Graphite pencils

Fine line pen

Fine nib push pen

White chalk

Conté stick

Willow charcoal

No 5 sable brush

No 2 nylon brush

Scraper-board tool

Clutch pencil with silver wire point

Reviews for Essential Guide to Drawing

[booktsunami · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a very short but also very practical introduction to perspective in drawing. It takes us through the basics and ends up with a few examples of works by skilled artists. Not enough there for me to want to keep the book so I'm donating to charity. I give it three stars.