Lessons in Classical Drawing: Essential Techniques from Inside the Atelier

Aristides goes chapter-by-chapter through every stage of the drawing process from planning and measuring to blocking the major shapes to final touches. Many beautiful illustrations help to get through the slower parts. The thorough instructions, explanations, and technical tips are the reason I would recommend this book to a beginner (like myself). The book uses art historical references and classical design principles to demonstrate how and why the works of great masters have survived many changes of taste and remained relevant. The book contains a lot of practical information about drawing supplies and techniques; very clear explanations of sight-size method, measuring (with a knitting needle or a piece of paper), identifying main lines and angles in the drawing, using plumb line to establish a vertical, and so forth. The book is printed on glossy paper with high-quality illustrations. There's also a DVD with drawing lessons. This is third Aristides book I bought, in part because reading her books is like talking to a like-minded person.

Together with her book on Classical Painting, Ms. Aristides’ books revolutionized my approach to doing artwork. I started as an almost complete beginner with no formal training. Reading and practicing gave me the skills and techniques to progress very quickly. I had been trying to learn drawing for several years, using a variety of teaching sources (including a good course by The Great Courses). However, I hadn’t come across such a succinct and useful source until I started these books. See my attached photos an example of how I progressed since starting the books. The books are extremely well written - witty, in-depth, personable, and thorough, with excellent examples throughout. There is also a fair bit of what I’d call philosophical writing about creating artwork, which helps to connect technique to the wider questions of making art. Ms. Aristides also discusses a lot of common problems and challenges that beginning artists encounter, and her ideas are very helpful. There’s a reason this book and Lessons in Classical Painting: Essential Techniques from Inside the Atelier are so highly reviewed!

I have two previous books by Juliette Aristides - both are overviews of painting and drawing (no easy task) this book focuses a little more on technique and specific exercises. The highlights: a. beautiful reproductions and well chosen examples of master drawings both from old masters and contemporary artists. b. insightful commentary. Although this is about technique - Aristides never loses sight of the 'big picture' (which by the way is an essential technique!) c. More in-depth surveys' of drawing techniques including master copying, rythmn and line. There is no substitute for an atelier and working with a master, but this book is as close as it comes. In her book "the creative habit" Twyla Tharp recounts a story of a master ballerina coming to a basic dance class and going through the 'basics' at the barre. She goes on to say that masters always practice and never lose site of the fundamentals. For that reason alone all artists, beginners and especially advanced artists, should have this on their bookshelves. There are a LOT of drawing books out there, but this is one of the best published in recent years.

I had the fortune of discovering this book and reading through it. while I was taking drawing and painting classes in college. also taking life drawing the same time. the college had a few books they had recommended but we never really referred to those in class. I flipped through them and wasn't much to say about them. But this book had everything we went over in class and more. and really helped me personally. I discovered the books by this author while looking into ateliers. and I wanted to sorta replicate the experience as much as I could on my own at home. college was great but didn't ask to much cause most of the students were at a beginner level. more in-depth study was left to a graduate level or atelier. this book went over all the basic principles like line, value, light and shadow. But in way that was more dense and with better examples. the assignment where also great. working through the book in conjunction with the stuff I was doing in class. was a great experience. I've been looking for something like this for a long time. and I'm glad I found it. because where most teachers or books would define and explain the elements and principles of drawing in a few quick lines. and hope you'd put together the rest yourself. this book explained things in such detail, and she would write a whole chapter on each. while then giving you the very same simple yet effective assignments similar to the once done classically since the renaissance. The type of assignments she would give today in an modern atelier. Juliette is great teacher and I look forward to reading more of her book and eventually checking out her video. Next I'll be reading her book on painting.

If you are interested in Atelier education or fine drawing this is a great book to get. Aristides is an amazing artist and teacher,she runs her own Atelier program at Gage in Seattle and I hope to study with her there in the near future. I love the sections on Light and Shadow and The Illusion of Depth. This really covers a broad area of knowledge in a small span of time. It also includes a DVD in the back that is a very helpful aid to use with the book. The binding is very strong and well done for a book that costs $20. I haven't left my house without it since it came in the mail. If I'm out and about and I have a few minutes and I'm not sketching, then I'm thumbing through and absorbing this book. I highly recommend it.

This an excellent resource for anyone interested in classical drawing and the method of the Atelier. It is beautifully written and is simply a beautiful book to look at. It is not however a step by step type of art book, and if that is what you are looking for you will be disappointed. It will not tell you exactly how to do this one thing or that one thing, but instead will tell you how to do something generally. If you are diligent and read carefully and apply the ideas to your drawings you will see significant improvements in your drawings. I strongly encourage that you also get her other book Classical Drawing Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice to go along with this one. Flipping through the beautiful pages of either book energizes me to get up and draw!!!

This book is outstanding in learning classical drawing!! There is a DVD that is included with this book which really makes it a great value and it helps in showing technique! I can't even begin to express how useful this has been in helping me with tone and value within my drawings. I wished I would have picked this book up before I started my drawing class because it would have saved me a lot of frustration. I was making the same mistakes over and over until I watched this dvd and could clearly see what I was doing wrong. Now I must try and undo what I thought was correct and relearn. I wished I would have been taught this way of drawing from the very beginning! Buy this book and dvd, you will not regret it!

This book does extremely well in providing a thorough overview of the underlying principles of drawing. It progresses logically, is easy to understand, and is well illustrated with examples that make the concepts clear. You will find yourself immediately able to apply the ideas to your own drawings. Where this book really stands out is in the area of structure- that is to say, the "how to" when it comes to laying down the foundations of good proportions, values, etc., in the beginning stages of your drawing, so that in the later stages your foundation is solid. This is very helpful for those of us mere mortals who struggle with things like getting size and value relationships correct. I have many drawing books in my collection, but I find this one to be arguably the best when it comes to structure.

Boken är mycket bra, frakten var en katastrof, med sidorna helt böjda.

Gran libro teórico-práctico. Conlleva mucha información fundamental, así como ejercicios necesarios para complementar el aprendizaje en el dibujo y ultimadamente, la representación de la figura.

This is a very well presented hardback that covers the classical approach to drawing. It is nicely illustrated throughout, with work by a selection of well known or contemporary artists, showing discussed techniques in practice. The book itself was a little smaller in dimensions than I had expected (I should look at the listed specifications first, I suppose), however the content is excellent and logically structured. An added bonus is the included DVD that expands on topics in the book. It should be noted that this is not a step-by-step tutorial book on how to draw specific subjects. The six lessons would assume that you have read the previous chapters and want to practice the principles outlined. It suits anyone looking to master a drawing approach that favours accuracy and representing the dynamic elements of their chosen subject. The author, Juliette Aristides, has written a number of books on classical drawing and painting and her knowledge and comfort with the subject comes across here. She clearly understands the value of mastering drawing as a foundation to mastering painting and makes a compelling case for it in this publication. There is a little bit of reading and thinking to do with this book, so it pays to spend some time going through it and to refer back to it occasionally. It's probably not for everyone; I would advise anyone looking for a book on specific techniques, laid out in visual step-by-step demonstrations, to look elsewhere. It's certainly not the only book on drawing you'll need as an artist due to its general nature. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to understand drawing from a tried and proven approach practiced by great artists through the centuries. I think this book would be a great addition to any serious artist's collection.

Very good book and video. Even if I draw and paint since a long time, I found good references and ideas. I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in drawing and learning art.

Juliette Aristides is on a mission to help those of us who wish for better things. Make no mistake Lessons in Classical Drawing is a textbook, a very beautiful and well thought out textbook. Volumetric Drawing in Lesson 4 " I recommend that you acknowledge the difficulties that lie ahead and set aside your worries. Calmly and deliberately break the process down into the artistic stages necessary to progress from start to finish. Your drawing will get stronger and more confident with time and practice." Thank you Juliette, you are a master teacher.