The Natural Way to Draw: A Working Plan for Art Study

by Kimon Nicolaides and Louis Nicolaides

Book Overview

Great for the beginner and the expert, this book offers readers exercises to improve their work. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395080487
• ISBN13: 9780395080481
• Release Date: January 1975
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 221 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Paid for “like new” got “acceptable”

I’d honestly be wary of paying extra for better quality. I paid for like new but the book I received was scribbled on, stained and very used. Certainly not “like new”

What you may need to know.

In order to help you decide whether or not to buy this book, I will try to make clear what the conflicting reviews mean. Actually, they are all right (in my opinion). Which side you take depends on the method of learning you prefer. If you want a quick, "no brainer crash course" that will get you up and drawing ASAP, then use first "The (New) Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards. The exercises in that book can be completed in less than a week; by then, you should be able to draw impressive lifelike portraits.Now, let me warn you: Ms. Edwards' book teaches you how to COPY (draw) WHAT YOU SEE just as your eyes see it. You won't learn to draw from nothing; you will need a photograph or model to work from. Simply put: you will learn to copy whatever you look at. Now, if after that, you find yourself wanting for more-- that is, you want to learn and do more -- then get this book by Nicolaides. This is a serious instruction manual that requires a lot of your time and energy. Using it is just like being in art class. You have to follow 25 schedules amounting to 15 hours of drawing each, and in all you will use more than 60 exercises. Each chapter builds on the previous ones, so it is necessary to do all of them in order, for as long as directed. This will take 6-24 months to "finish", assuming the student draws 1-6 hours a day. Does that sound too much for you? If so, don't feel bad. This book turned me off, too, when I first opened it. It does take a lot of work; I understand why some people are disappointed by it. But if you keep up with it, you will definitely see the results at around Schedule 13. Several chapters after that, I found myself experimenting with all the drawing exercises I'd learned (Nicolaides, Edwards', Pogany's, etc.) to make the drawings I wanted. I also use computer programs that Nicolaides never even dreamed of. That -- learning to combine and/or make your own drawings and nost just plain copying -- is what puts Nicoliades' book at a different class from Edwards'. That, and learning to experience the model in the natural, if old-fashioned, way. So, my advice is go first for Betty Edwards or maybe "Drawing For Teens"(?) recommended below by an earlier review. If you want more than that, then come back here and get "The Natural Way to Draw". It might bore you at first, and that is nothing to be ashamed of. But give it the effort it deserves and you will know why this book has been called "not only the best how-to book on drawing, it is the best how-to book we've seen on any subject."

Incredibly thorough, inspiring book.

Funnily enough, when I first received this book I was somewhat disappointed. I had learnt to draw with Betty Edward's "Drawing on the right side of the brain" and somehow mister Nicolaide's book seemed a little too academic to me. False. This is a wonderful book, with exercises that to last for a lifetime. The author states that you should use them in the prescribed order, but I think it will benefit those who have worked through the Edwards' book but still want more. Although the book is brilliantly inspirational and oozes with a kind sense of humour, it shouldn't be mistaken as new agey stuff. You do learn to draw if you put the hard work it requires. It is definitely worth every cent (or in my case, peseta)!.

Profound and Useful

- I just finished doing every exercise in this book. I began the book as a complete novice to art. It took me 15 months of hard work, and dedication to get through it. But it was worth it! In 15 months I have progressed from drawing stick men to producing very credible work. Creatively, I feel like I've been shot out of a cannon. I found my way of looking at things has dramatically grown. I have become more disciplined and dedicated to learning art as I've progresssed through the book. I notice I have increased mental flexibility and concentration, and am able to memorize more quickly and thoroughly than before. Instead of believing that I could never produce a masterful piece of art, I now believe that I not only can, but will.I am now busy learning to oil paint with a limited palette, and my work is progressing quickly and enjoyably. For some reason, I suspect the hardest part of learning art is behind me now. I will continue to return to this book in the future, for inspiration, and to continue to sharpen my seeing and drawing skills.