FIGURE DRAWING: FOR ALL IT"S WORTH

Photograph Dale DiMauro

When I came upon this book in Hadley, Ma., at one of those large bookstore chains, I was struck by the quality of it's content. This book, Figure Drawing: For All it's Worth(A Book of Fundamentals for an Artistic Career), by Andrew Loomis, is considered a classic. This is the best book on figure drawing I have seen. And I have seen many. 

The cover may appear sexist for some and it probably is when you consider today's values. However, it was originally published in 1943 when times were different. However, I do believe the book and it's contents to be tastefully presented. 

Drawings by Dale DiMauro

Loomis provides a straight-forward approach at grasping the proportions of the human body and identifying key landmarks in conveying it's form. I like how he emphasizes certain exercises which pushes the artist along in capturing the human form. 

The above drawings I did based on this book. Loomis encourages the reader to repeatedly draw the human figure, free-hand, until you have it memorized. At that point you are familiar with the body in motion and can capture various postures. 

At this point I feel like I am progressing in capturing the human proportions quickly, in a fluid manner.