Barrington BarberRessenyes

Very nice pictures. Nice insight, though much of it I already knew. Makes a great reference for my own artwork.

Praktický kurz pre výtvarníkov
Autor sa v tejto knihe delí o svoje bohaté skúsenosti a vedie študentov od prvých krôčikov, cez základy kreslenia ako takého a pokračuje praktickými lekciami až po štúdium kresieb starých majstrov.
Či ste začiatočník, či skúsený kresliar, v tejto knihe nájdete bohatú inšpiráciu a hlbšie rozviniete svoj talent.

This is a very short but also very practical introduction to perspective in drawing. It takes us through the basics and ends up with a few examples of works by skilled artists. Not enough there for me to want to keep the book so I'm donating to charity. I give it three stars.

“Learning to draw is not difficult – everybody learns to walk, talk, read and write at an early age, and discovering how to draw is easier than any of those processes! Drawing is merely making marks on paper which represent some visual experience. All it takes to draw effectively is the desire to do it, a little persistence, the ability to observe and a willingness to take time to correct any mistakes. This last point is very important as mistakes are not in themselves bad – they are opportunities for improvement, as long as you always put them right so that you will know what to do the next time.”



In “6-Week Drawing Course” by Barrington Barber



Drawing is the foundation of all visual art forms. There is a situation of the lack of visual literacy today as a result of the passive stance taken by those who have images produced with no effort with the pressing of a button or key. They take a passive stance rather than a participatory stance with their surroundings and they rarely get a grasp of how to make tangible ideas with a pencil and paper ... I'm all for drawing it is what I teach and do. Getting students who never spent more than 5 minutes with a drawing medium in their hands is a challenge considering how easy it is for them to appropriate imagery from the internet and use Photoshop as a tool that basically figures it all out for them.

The beauty about being a creative is that one does not see all the culminations of errors, frustrations, and emotional setbacks as critical factors that influence great works of art, which we all are capable of. So we rely on perfection which is just a delusion and another setback to making another piece. The culmination of imperfect and fragile or better yet incomplete thoughts come rushing from the past experiences as bulks of gold that structure one or a few pieces of art that may move others. I think that is hyper special. Then you may walk away from one chapter to the next. I say disconnect and bring your inner treasures to share with the world, you never know how may cry, smile, or shiver before your work of art.

If you're interested in learning to draw, it's a very good idea to start off with some very basic fundamentals. Having a more well-rounded understanding of form, shape, values, texture, etc. will help tremendously when practicing along drawing tutorials such as this one. Doing some simple exercises with more simplified objects will also give your hand some confidence. Making smoother, quicker and more confident marks is the key to making a more convincing drawing.

This is a great book - very helpful. For those that consider drawing the stuff here as to difficult, remember, without practice you will never achieve your goals. Don't be so hard on yourselves! Keep at it. You have to train your mind and hands together so they will work together. The only way we can improve is by practice - learn what isn't right by comparing what you draw with these kind of books. Take a day or so off to rest your mind or draw something else, then go back to it. I promise your drawings will improve. That is how I do it and it works well. Oh, to see your progress, keep your work so you can later lay them side by side to see how you are coming along. You CAN do this if you stick with it, practice, objectively observe, and study! Don't give up now!

It's really sad when you think about how much you grow away from creativity and alternative forms of expression when you're being gorilla-gripped by life and forced to function like a machine for what feels like forever just to realize one day how much you've lost yourself and things that were a part of you.

Some of my stuff:

https://manuelaantao.blogspot.com/2020/02/imperfect-and-fragile-6-week-drawing.h...

Perhaps the word ‘spiritual’ is too loaded. Any job or occupation or task can be a transcendent experience if one is totally in the present. Drawing is just one of many. There are artists who are fairly prosaic and those who are poetic. A great drawing, in my opinion, transcends its material composition... charcoal, ink, paper, etc., and creates a new experience. Yes, eye/hand coordination are essential and achieved through thousands of hours of practice. There are probably road sweepers who exceptional or dish washers or whatever. Our culture, as you know, elevates certain occupations.... so artists and rock stars enjoy greater rewards.

Having said that, for me being able to draw is a magisterial skill, a deeply yearned for ability, something that can never really be conquered. Nowadays drawing is back, with atelier and the sight-size method springing up everywhere. A drawing that you make that you’re happy with (such a rarity) can give you a lifetime of pleasure.

As the late theatre designer John Elvery wrote on a drawing for a stage prop: "Words fail, see sketch". Quite often people who say "I can't draw" were told that around age seven when it's thought that one should be learning to draw things that look like things. They should be ignored (the teachers) and people should just keep drawing.

I have re-started to draw now having never done more than the odd back of envelope stuff. I thought I would like drawing buildings (being exercises in perspective and straight lines) but have surprisingly found that I like drawing portraits. I just use photos at the moment, but am fascinated as to what makes a face recognisable - our eyes (or brains) filter so much from real life and then a similar process reconstructs a face from the marks we make on the paper. It has changed the way |I look at people now.

I started drawing every day in 2020. Why? Honestly, I am compelled to. I draw whatever comes to me. If I am uninspired I draw a line or a shape and see what it becomes. Today I drew a whole array of pots and pans from a photo. Yesterday I drew a duck in the desert, wearing an explorer type outfit. When I don't have quality sketchbooks, pads or other decent surfaces to draw on I will draw on the backs of envelopes, letters or packaging. I think it might serve a purpose so necessary for me that I am unable to see it. And besides, I don't need to know the real why as long as the compulsion remains.

Rembrandt is so frighteningly good that I sometimes avoid looking at his drawings…

Excellent step-by-step book. I started convinced that I couldn't draw, and was producing decent landscapes within a week.