Figure Drawing: Design and Invention

I can't recommend this book enough. IMO it has to be among the top 10 art books in any artists' library. The book is very thorough, accurate, concise, and a pleasure to study from and learn. Michael Hampton is an amazing teacher. He breaks down difficult aspects in figure drawing and human anatomy in an easy way for beginners to understand. Combined with his super clear color-coded diagrams, you know you are getting everything that you need to have a solid understanding of the topic. He uses references to refer to shapes of muscles (such as a goldfish or a dagger), so that students can remember easily how to approach drawing the muscles in perspective. He has enough anatomy information to aide the leaner in understanding the most important aspects that make sense to an artist. This is not a dedicated anatomy book, but it has enough information to get you started and it is such a valuable resource to get started on human anatomy for artists. Michael Hampton does the hard part of simplifying a very complex topic and he really eases it in. The information is blended nicely with how to draw the figure with amazing diagrams that will encourage you to copy and practice. During my figure drawing classes at school, our professor uses this book quite often. It is one book that is always present in class next to the overhead projector, to reach out to and use as a reference. Typically a class will be combining beginner, intermediate, and advanced (special projects) students studying the figure. This book is one of the favorite references for that range of skills. I personally have used this book extensively when I started studying and drawing the human figure and I still refer to it regularly now that I'm not a beginner. The book is filled with useful diagrams, tons of them. The text is just to the point, very focused on getting the ideas across. I have only two issues with this book: first, it doesn't contain an index. Second, it still doesn't have a volume 2! I would love to see an advanced version focusing on challenging and more advanced topics in figure drawing. Having a great teacher of Michael Hampton's caliper naturally leads to such request. If you are serious about learning figure drawing, grab this book!

Over a long period of time, there is progression in understanding a subject. Similarly, there is progression in instruction, in terms of pedagogy and materials Figure drawing has progressed over the centuries(millennia), and it saw a great period of realism and draftsmanship during the renaissance. A great progression of instruction and more importantly instructional material in the form of books happened during the 20th century. Kimon Nicholaides, Brigdman, Hogarth, Loomis, Vilppu to name a few. Each one improving and excelling in a manner that was not available previously. The student of today, has access to the totality of all these developments, and particularly the internet has made it more rapidly possible. This book is a very refined and concise book, that has in it, some aspect or the other of all the learning and understanding of the art of drawing the figure, as well as all the developments that has happened in the teaching of the subject, in terms of how to approach the learning. You might already have all the best books published on the subject, yet I feel this one is a must add to the bookshelf. The book deals with the following topics... - A general approach of Gesture, and how the rhythmic flow of lines capture the essence of the pose. - Next the building up of the form using simple forms such as Boxes, Spheres and Cylinders are dealt with. These basic forms are only an aid in visualizing and positioning the various body parts, since these are gross approximations. - Next the landmarks of the anatomy are presented. Though the study of the human body can be carried out to any possible depth right into the very soul, as artists one need to know and apply just the "right enough" detail to create the believability. Anatomical landmarks provide such key elements , which when properly positioned and presented help create the appearance of a real figure. - After this broad treatment, the anatomy of all the important parts of the body are very clearly dealt with. Basically the Skeletal and Musculature are the primary elements that go into the study of anatomy. One interesting aspect is that each part , say the Deltoid muscle for instance, is analyzed for its Gesture, Shape and Volume. And using a unique color for that muscle, the figure is shown in various poses and angles, clarifying the particular part, and how it changes based on what the figure is doing. For instance, the rectus abdominis does a lot of twist and turning as the figure goes about doing various actions. these variations help visualize and understand the muscle group better, enabling one to apply accordingly and create a convincingly real figure. As Vilppu would say, all these basic tools such as spheres, boxes etc, are only gross tools, in reality none of the body parts are like these. For instance the Pelvis gets approximated to a box, or a bowl or a series of discs, but in reality the pelvis is nothing like any of these. The only way to draw a pelvis perfectly is to know the pelvis perfectly. But once that is known, these tools can help in visualizing and constructing. and help apply perspective, proportions etc. One certainly will get best results by taking a regular art school class, or if not, by going through video lectures. and this book would make a great companion to it. In the current context, for a person embarking on self-learning to draw the Figure here is a possible approach, Part A: Learn How to draw. (line, form, gesture, mass, light, etc..) Drawing lecture videos - Vilppu Drawing Manual based videos, with demonstrations Books to use during this period would include, Text Book: Vilppu Drawing Manual. Reference: Natural Way to Draw Part B: Learn How to draw the Figure (Anatomy, Action, Expressions, Drapery, Types etc.) Anatomy Lecture videos - Vilppu Anatomy, including the three part Head Anatomy and the demonstrations Books to use during this period would include, Text Book: Figure Drawing : Design and Invention, Reference: The Figure Walt Reed, Burne Hogarth books, Brigdman, Andrew Loomis, Will Eisner Expressive Anatomy etc. As one moves along one should get a bit of Perspective, Composition, Story Telling etc.. and more towards the discipline of specialization. This book under review fits in so perfectly as the text book for learning constructive anatomy, with all the details needed for learning as well as for reference.

The book is mainly about being able to simplify the human body into shapes and then forms. It doesn't go into rendering the body, but it does have diagrams of muscles and bones. It's really good for being able to draw from imagination by breaking everything down. Also, if you're expecting this book - or any anatomy book for that matter - to replace observation and figure studies, it won't. You still have to do figure studies, books like this just help break it down. But after doing figure studies and having this knowledge, it makes it easier drawing from imagination. Also, this book won't teach how to render a figure. A rendered figure includes color, lighting, and painting/drawing technique you'd learn from doing studies. The book doesn't have much photography in it, but I like that. The lack of photos helps the reader to stop overthinking a figure and actually break it down. It really makes the exercises and ideas universal and not tied to one particular photo of a figure. The book goes from gesture drawing, to form, and then the different parts of the body. It really goes into detail with the bones, muscles, and landmarks of the body. It helps construct the body in a simple yet informative way. After that, the book goes on to drapery, and then light and shadow. They aren't the most expansive sections, but they're nice. The book really helps the reader understand form by giving exercises like wrapping and T lines and such. I honestly really recommend this book, for beginners or people new to figure drawing. This book could also help you understand Loomis' Figure Drawing Book, which I think is more for Intermediate artists (still really good, but it may be harder to understand for beginners). As for Amazon packaging and everything, it didn't come protected, but my package was mostly full and had some stuffing in it. A bit of the top of the spine is scrunched up, but it's hardly noticeable.

I PURCHASED 2 BOOKS. ONE FOR ME AND ONE FOR MY GRANDDAUGHTER (ALTHOUGH I THINK SHE IS TOO YOUNG TO FOLLOW THIS). I CAN'T EXPRESS THE JOY THAT I GET FROM THIS BOOK, ALTHOUGH I HAVE ONLY GONE ABOUT 17 PAGES IN. I HAVE SPENT MOST OF MY LIFE DRAWING AND PAINTING BUT THIS BOOK HAS OPENED UP WAYS OF DRAWING THE BODY IN A QUICK, EASY AND INFORMATIVE WAY. FOR THOSE WHO ARE A BIT SLOW AND HARD HEADED LIKE ME. THIS BOOK IS THE MACK DADDY OF ALL ART BOOKS THAT I HAVE EVER PURCHASED TO HELP OR SELF-TEACH. I WISHED I HAD THIS BOOK YEARS AGO BECAUSE MY ART WOULD HAVE BEEN LEAPING OFF THE PAGES A LONG TIME AGO. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS READ, RE-READ, PRACTICE AND PRACTICE AT YOUR OWN PACE. IN A VERY SHORT TIME YOUR WILL BE ABLE TO BRING YOUR DRAWING TO LIFE. AND YOU WILL ACTUALLY RETAIN THIS INFORMATION AND BUILD ON IT. I SUGGEST THAT WITH EACH SECTION YOU READ, GO BACK AND RE-READTHE PREVIOUS SECTIONS. THIS WILL HELP TO RETAIN WHAT YOU ARE LEARNING. YOU WILL BE SURPRISED WHAT YOU MISSED. 234 PAGES ON GESTURE DRAWING, HEAD, ANATOMY, THE ARM, HAND, LEG, FOOT, DRAPERY AND NOTES ON LIGHT AND SHADOW. THE PAGES ARE VERY COLORFUL AND THAT MAKES IT EASY TO FOLLOW.

I'd have to agree with one of the other reviewers with regards to the fact that although the first half of this book is excellent, the second half is somewhat of a pile of dookie. There are a lot of good notes and tips on building gestures, though there never actually seems to be a systematic/step by step method to explain the logic behind the gesture building process. However, the fact that the gesture building process takes a minute or less, there is a great deal of leeway towards trial and error. As far as I can tell there aren't any notes on foreshortening, and one of the issues with the method presented in this book is that it is somewhat difficult to add foreshortened elements in this gesture method (for me at least). Despite this, I think that the best part of this book are the anatomical diagrams of the torso. The torso diagrams are awesome. Unfortunately, there isn't much worthwhile with regards to anatomy once you get past the torso anatomy section. Although the arm diagrams are pretty useful, they are not nearly as comprehensive as the those done for the torso, and as far as the legs go, the anatomical breakdown is nearly non-existent. However unfortunate this may be, the torso/back anatomy section is pretty much unsurpassed by any other anatomy text I've seen so far (that includes Bridgman/Hogarth and the number of flat-body anatomical diagrams out there). This is due to the clarity with which the forms are depicted, which is also heavily influenced by the fact that the book is of incredibly high print quality (probably why it is so expensive). I'd pay an arm and a leg for arm and leg diagrams with the same level of clarity as those done for the torso...

After the inane amount of books that lack substance and are pretty much an artist's diary of all their personal studies that they try and make an instruction out of, Michael Hampton went beyond and actually teaches us the way to draw the human figure. He's basically given us a map, and the gold that is found at the end is rewarding because even in the first chapter alone, you'll feel that you can draw better. But WAIT! That's just the first chapter... Throughout the book, he tells you how to perform gesture drawing and design a pose, but then adding on it by showing/drawing each major body part from each angle, how it looks when stretched/compressed, etc - essentially teaching you how that particular body part looks on your pose(s). He also color codes each body part, which makes it easy to remember, with that coding staying consistent throughout the whole book. When it all comes down to it, he shows you how to do what I personally deem the term "lego-ing", building and stacking the body parts on the gesture frame. It is so easy to understand and comprehend, that even after a month of practicing the tips and guidelines he specified throughout this book, it is a guarantee that you will be more confident with your anatomy, and that it'll look better too. But that's not all -- the book is designed to also adapt these principles into whatever medium is your aspiration: 3D modeling, sculpting, comics, animation, etc., all while STAYING WITHIN YOUR STYLE. You will still have your very own style after studying this book, as there is no direct "this is how it is always done", "monkey-see, monkey-do" type of method. I HIGHLY recommend this book. Really worth the money.

I've heard so many great things about this book from animators and illustrators. Being an aspiring artist myself, I've been searching for good materials to aid me on my journey towards self-improvement, and when I came across this book, I knew I had to get it. Save for a weird brown stain on the back cover, it arrived in mint condition. I'm only in chapter 2 but so far, the book covers everything you need to know about basic figure drawing and then some, and explains it as if you were in a classroom. Very easy to comprehend, and there's plenty of visual aid to further solidify your understanding of what the author is trying to get across. However, I wouldn't recommend this book for absolute beginners with no knowledge about anatomy or the basis of gesture drawing, because you will be stranded and everything will start sounding garbled. Some sections need additional explanations, as I feel they're too brief, but thankfully the book provides adequate space for notes. The book feeds you a lot of information but it doesn't give you exercises to practice on for each sub-topic, so you're kind of on your own in that regard. Again, not for absolute newbies. But if you're acquainted with the lessons, and you follow the guidelines listed in the book and practice with it, I guarantee you'll find your sketches improving quickly.

The approach covered is primarily concerned with the use of line, development of form, and the simplified design of anatomy. It doesn't go into contour drawing, shading and expression. The many illustrated examples are aimed at helping students develop a feel for the form and volume of figures they draw. To that aspect, I think it does a very good job. The use of simple geometric shapes as drawing guides are simple to understand. Not only that, Michael Hampton also builds onto to those simplified mannequins with lots of clearly illustrated muscles. The muscle groups are visualised very distinctly in the examples. They are colour-coded to bring attention those that affect form when the body is in different positions. I like the part on finding landmarks -- bones that are near the skin. Colour-coded and shown very clearly, with rotating views from front to back. The book does have head drawing but the focus is on the form rather than the details of the features, although the examples do show the details. It still covers enough for for anyone to draw a decent head. One thing that's missing is the mention of figure proportions, like how many heads tall a body, length of an arm, etc. That I think will complete the book. There's nothing on bones and you won't learn how muscle works, but this isn't an anatomy reference book. That said, having an anatomy reference book to go along will be extremely helpful. This is a useful book for artists learning to create and pose their own figures. Highly recommend for beginner and intermediate artists. (More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

Great book, fast cargo. Thank you

Indispensable

Compared to the money I have paid for my art school, this is pretty cheap and yet way more valuable. It starts with gestures and everything you need to pay attention to when drawing these. Which is amazing because gestures are a fundamental skill, yet for the most part no one gives complete explanation how to approach them. So it can get frustrating and intimidating and it can lead to developing bad habits that will later translate into mediocre art. On about 25 pages Michael Hampton explains HOW to approach them and WHY to approach them that way. Instantly improved my gestures. Rest of the book is anatomy and it's pretty detailed too. Filled with illustrations showing different muscles, bones and landmarks of human body. Explaining how they interact and how simple volumes translate into body parts. There's a lot of anatomy books out there. The ones I have held in my hands were all pretty boring and underwhelming, until this one. It's well structured, detailed and offers not only direction but also reasoning for it, so you actually understand what you're doing instead of just doing what you're told. Which I believe is a more constructive way of learning.

Ich hab mir das Buch gekauft auf Empfehlung eines KI Systems. Ich habe es mir gekauft, weil ich unter anderem das Programm Blender erlernen möchte um gewisse Figuren herstellen zu können und um das möglichst detailgetreu hinzubekommen, habe ich mir genau dieses Buch zugelegt und ich muss sagen, ich bin hell auf begeistert. Es ist deutlich besser als ich dachte und wer ernsthaftes Interesse hat menschliche Figuren zu zeichnen und das Zeichnen zu erlernen, kommt um dieses Buch nicht herum.

O livro é um pouco menor se comparado ao "How to Draw", as quinas dele vieram amassadas por causa da entrega e na capa dele veio um liquido parecendo um creme, sem cheiro, sem cor e em pequenas quantidades (4 gotas), porém o conteúdo do livro (que é o que realmente importa) estava intacto. O livro é ótimo podem comprar sem medo, o conteúdo é maravilhoso e bem explicativo.