The Art of Figure Drawing

If one read the introduction to Clem Robin's book you'd notice who he studied under, and why his concepts are "borrowed" However, explanations can't exactly be plagiarized, so the same concepts would be repeated in not only his book but many other books. There are rules to figure drawing that has been repeated over and over. So saying this, I enjoyed the book because Robin's explanations were UNDERSTANDABLE. If you're simply looking at the illustrations like Hogarth, you can learn, but sometimes it takes a better understanding when the author tells you the ideas behind the concepts. Many of the books I have such as Bridgman's and Hogarths, are great concepts in their illustrative approach, but rather hard to read. Some of the language is dated and in such a cold mechanical approach, it's harder to grasp what is being said. His notes on lighting and showing how to work with shading was EXTREMELY helpful. I also like the fact he had some illustrations on overweight people as well. There won't be that one anatomy book that solves all, but I really do enjoy life drawing books so it is interesting to see each author's take and how well they can explain the concepts. I'm sure there are people that will look for more beautiful illustrations, which is fine, but sometimes ti's great to read what it takes to make said art instead of simply copying it. That helps develop your own style.

As an amateur who loves to draw, I've read quite a few books on the subject, and spent numerous hours in life drawing (i.e. from a live model) sessions. Clem Robins' book is by far one of the best out there. First of all, Mr. Robins' example drawings are some of the best I've seen in this kind of book, each of them expressing the model's unique gesture and personality with a surprising economy of means. That kind of skill level is not easy to come by. I find myself going back to the examples just to remind myself of how compelling an image of the human figure can be crafted with just a few simple drawing tools. The explanatory text is easy to follow and full of gems of information, and gives clear examples of how to approach a live drawing in several different mediums. The nuts and bolts, as wells as the subtleties, of producing a convincing figure drawing are difficult to convey in any format, and I feel that Clem Robins book meets the challenge admirably.

The first thing that really impressed me about this book when I began poring over it was the way that he relates established ideas of planes, perspective, rendering, and shading to the human figure - something that never *entirely* happened in my life drawing classes. But what has affected me most profoundly is how he describes, and with his drawings thoroughly demonstrates, how to use the line quality of the hatching to describe the contour, shading, and texture of a given surface. Nothing new by any means, but it is presented with such thoroughness and clarity here that one can very easily see how it all serves and simplifies the task of drawing a figure. Beforehand I was always so concerned about proper proportions, lines, and shading (not to mention the clock) that my drawings, although accurate, still had a haphazardness that I couldn't shake and now I know why and what to do about it. That alone was worth the price of admission.This certainly isn't the only book you'll need if you want to learn figure drawing - you'll need at least one good anatomy book as well as books dealing more thoroughly with your medium(s) of choice, but it is an excellent introduction for making the transition from drawing to figure drawing and is one I plan to work from for some time.

I've been involved in figure drawing for about three years, hardly an expert. Still I found that this book contained information I've not encountered elsewhere or in other guides to figure drawing. ( I have a shelf full of them )Some of the ideas the author presents have changed my understanding of what it is I am trying to accomplish in my drawing. I recommend it to anyone trying to come to terms with 'classical' drawing style. People more into avant garde may find it somewhat lacking in passion, but thats just the style of drawing presented.

Thanks for this lovely experience. Coming to this book with no experience in drawing techniques, but some limited familiarity with anatomy, I was deeply impressed by its beauty and readability. The wealth of marvelous drawings and thoughtful organization of content kept me involved to the last page. But most pleasing to me was how Robins communicates complicated thoughts and ideas with such (apparently) effortless ease and clarity. What wonderful insights he provides to those of us whose only exposure has been endless hours of museum gazing. I will be buying gift copies for an art historian friend and also for a friend who is a budding artist.