Drawing from Observation by Brian Curtis
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Textbook (Paperback - Older Edition)
- 336pp
- Sales Rank: 97,733
Textbook Information
- ISBN-13: 9780072410242
- Edition Description: Older Edition
- Edition Number: 1
- Pub. Date: November 2001
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies, The
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: November 2001
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies, The
- Format: Textbook Paperback, 336pp
- Sales Rank: 97,733
- ISBN-13: 9780072410242
- ISBN: 0072410248
- Edition Number: 1
- Edition Description: Older Edition
Synopsis
Perceptual drawing, in which one renders the physical world as it appears to an observer, is the focus of this new text for the introductory drawing course. With an emphasis on progressive skill development, Drawing from Observation offers a balanced mix of hands-on technique and perceptual theory while making a compelling argument for the long-term value of studying perception-based drawing.
More Reviews and RecommendationsBiography
Brian Curtis joined the art department at The University of Miami in 1985. He is a representational painter whose current series of psycho-mythological narratives explores those transitional, tentative moments that occur between times of purposeful activity. In an age that is often categorized as being in a perpetual state of crisis he seeks, by monumentalizing the ordinary, to reinforce the shared human core that is embedded in everyday experience.
Brian completed a five-year project of writing, illustrating, and designing an introductory perceptual drawing text, Drawing from Observation, which McGraw-Hill published in 2002. This book contains over two hundred drawings from Miami students. Brian spent 2001 in his studio preparing for a solo exhibition of his narrative paintings, charcoal drawings, and digitally manipulated images installed at the Lowe Art Museum. In February of 2002 Brian presented a paper at the 90th Annual College Art Association conference in Philadelphia. His paper, titled "Preserving the Post-Medieval Mindset" was part of a session on Perceptual Drawing in Higher Education.
In the spring of 1999 Brian was awarded the Dean's Excellence in Teaching award and was also a finalist for the Excellence in Teaching Award for the University of Miami for both 1999 and 2000.
Brian is the head of Miami's drawing program and works with students in painting and printmaking programs.
Customer Reviews
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Drawing from Observationby Anonymous
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September 07, 2008: I've been required to teach with this text for four years in a collegiate Beginning Drawing class. The most valuable portion is on a layered, progressive sketching technique that Curtis calls 'Intuitive Gesture.' My students ask if this is more intuitive than the Pure Gesture and Pure Contour-- two elemental techniques we do that strongly contribute to 'Intuitive Gesture,' but are not talked about. The chapters on using the 'clock' and plumb-lining 'Mondrian tool' as a means of judging angles are helpful. The chapters on perspective are hit and miss, often containing confusing illustrations or clear examples of finished 1 and 2 point drawings. 'Biomorphic Form' chapter translates observational drawing strategies to fantastical or cartoonish drawings. The effectiveness of the Cross-Contour chapter is limiting due its illustration of only single-directional stripes on a cloth (a topographical or gridded approach would be better). The historical information throughout the book is valuable, but a chapter on the Golden Section, with lots of graphic images (not hand drawn), highlights the disjunct between the intent of this book and its realization.
Drawing from Observationby Anonymous
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August 19, 2002: I'm really glad I found this book. All the others I've seen, though they are fun to look at, are nearly impossible to learn from. They try to cover every possible approach to drawing and, as a result, never get down to the nitty gritty of how to actually draw. This book is refreshingly different. DRAWING FROM OBSERVATION starts by discussing how to hold your pencil and then takes you step by step through the techniques and underlying theory of perceptual drawing. If Leonardo were here now, I bet he'd love this book. Thanks Professor Curtis!
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