"Freehand Figure Drawing for Illustrators" Book Review

Okay, first of all, I am not a great artist, so this book review might be a little short. :) I enjoy art (somewhat) but I wish I could draw better (believe me, I'm working on it!). I've actually started art classes with a fantastic art teacher (and I'm with friends and my sister so it's great!!!) so my sketches will hopefully improve with time.

Anyway, this book (Freehand Figure Drawing for Illustrators) caught my interest and I got it. I have yet to read it word for word, but I'm working on it. As a beginning artist, a lot of this stuff goes way over my head but it makes sense still.

I really appreciate all the example drawings that are throughout the book. Mr. Ross (the author) doesn't just tell you what to do, he explains it through his drawings. The book also progresses in difficulty, starting with describing how to draw different points of view by placing the vanishing points at different places and such. (This is about where I am in my art hobby - I'm actually supposed to do a drawing that contains vanishing points for my art class this week!) He then explains how to draw mannequins, how they are different, and what they should look like for different angles. (I can't wait to get to this point because it looks so interesting!)

Each part of the body (torso, muscle-type for each gender, how the torso and hips are connected, etc.) is explained and illustrated to show how a person would stand and what it would look like from each angle.

Later on in the book, head construction, including the eyes, nose, and ears, are explained in detail. There are great illustrations to refer to from different angles; for example, on pages 98 and 99, there are 7 different drawings of the ear, all from different angles. It's so cool and very, very helpful!

David Ross even gets into the human skeleton and how all the bones connect, which shows why the body looks and moves the way it does. If you are interested in how to draw the human body in ways that you never thought you could, this book is definitely one I would recommend.

*Note: For those of you who are uncomfortable looking at human bodies without clothes (it's not too detailed but detailed enough to make some (including me) uncomfortable at times, you might want to flip through the book before you buy it to make sure it's something you are okay with. Honestly, I don't really appreciate all the female models in sports bras, halter tops, and really-short shorts but I do like the helpful tips and instructions contained in the book.

What would I rate this book?
4 stars - the drawings are very well done and the explanations aren't overly confusing, which is great for me. The only part I didn't really like was the immodesty (noted above) but that's a personal conviction that I realize not everyone has.

Would I recommend this book to a friend?
Maybe, if they are really interested in art.

I received this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks so much for reading! Be sure to follow through email or G+ and comment below what your favorite things are to draw!

Now go change the world!

~Annalysa