Amazon Best of the Month, December 2008: Danny Gregory’s An Illustrated Life is a visual delight of color and texture–a funky and frenetic “book about books people have made,” perfect for chronic doodlers, journalers, and art lovers. Sharing vibrant excerpts from the notebooks of 50 illustrators, artists, and designers, each accompanied by an introduction by the artist, it’s a gorgeous, intimate exploration of the creative process. Gregory’s passion for the “illustrated journal” is infectious–for him, artist’s sketchbooks represent a nonthreatening place to record “risks, mistakes, regrets, thoughts, lessons, and dreams.” Whether you are charmed by the illustrations of Amanda Kavanagh,[Read More]

A manual on drawing portraits from photographs, using the author’s blended-pencil drawing technique, and offering advice on how to suggest three dimensions on simple shapes.

A book whose sales have not diminished but rather increased dramatically since its publication 45 years ago, this bestselling classic is the ultimate manual of drawing taught by the late Robert Beverly Hale, who’s famed lectures and classes at New York City’s Art Student League captivated artists and art educators from around the world. Faithfully producing and methodically analyzing 100 master drawings—including works of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Rodin, Goya, and Rembrandt among others—Hale shows how these artists tackled basic problems such as line, light and planes, mass, position and thrust, and anatomy. With detailed analytical captions and diagrams, every lesson[Read More]