Drawing People

I am a figurative painter, illustrator, and part time university instructor who owns two copies of this outstanding book: one for personal use and one as a supplement to teaching. There are very few books available on drawing the clothed figure, and fewer that are useful. This book is a must have for anyone who is a serious beginner or professional figurative artist. It is filled from cover to cover with clearly written text, outstanding drawings and diagrams, and valuable information and insight. Part 1 in the book covers the oft overlooked imperative issues of stance and holding the medium, direct drawing, telling a story, drawing in a sketchbook and drawing in your studio. Parts 2, 3, 4, and 5 progress in a logical way through valuable information on the figure and clothing, including: clear information on how body forms and clothing wrap around, folds including their types and how they move with the form and action of the body, fabric types and textures, patterns, and how to construct clothing on the body, plus pages on drawing hats and footwear. Part 6 includes information on design of the figure in clothing, drawing heads, hands, and children. Barbara Bradley's mastery of subject, joyful spirit, and understanding of how we think and feel moves this far beyond being a simple "How To" book. This book is about drawing the clothed figure, but it is also about expressing an opinion and portraying a living human being.

The book is surprisingly good! Filled with drawings from the first page to the last with very good text. There are not many books about how to draw clothed figures. I've had enough books about human autonomy and poses. But the thing is, how often do we see naked people walking around and waiting to be drawn? Not to mention many art sites may give you problems when uploading nudity. I was looking for a book to teach me self more about clothing folds, about everyday clothed people. This book did not dispoint! Not only that, the book actually is a well rounded educational drawing book in general. It has chapters on all the drawing fundamentals. Then it has dedicated chapters for clothed people and how to draw cloth folds. I'm so happy of having find this book, now it's on my desk all the time.

Earlier this year, Barbara Bradley was selected by a jury of 75 illustrators, art directors and educators to receive the New York Society of Illustrators' 2007 Distinguished Educator of the Arts Award. "Drawing People: How to Portray the Clothed Figure" is an organized, comprehensive collection of the lessons this outstanding teacher and former illustration department director distilled from 25 years of teaching clothed figure drawing at San Francisco's Academy of Art University. The breadth of Bradley's knowledge and understanding of drawing made this an ambitious undertaking. The result is a book densely packed with key concepts and tips for producing believable, expressive, well-drawn figures. It is unfortunate that two of the recently posted reviews here are so bafflingly critical--especially since one is written by someone who admits he lacks the skill to draw clothed figures himself. As a working illustrator for over 20 years ( Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition , The Wishing Tree , Water Beds: Sleeping In The Ocean , Octavia And Her Purple Ink Cloud , The Rainforest Grew All Around ), let me assure you that "Drawing People" is a valuable resource both for beginning artists as well as for more advanced, life-long students. Contrary to the title of my review, the inspiration and skills Barbara Bradley passed on to her many students is her real legacy. Her clothed figure drawing book is a bonus--a gift to those not fortunate enough to have experienced her teaching first-hand.

As an artist and past student of Barbara, I felt this book deserves my first book review here! I truly wished this book was made available to all of us many years ago, to be more exact I wish this book was made available to me twenty years ago. Barbara has taught alongside some of the best illustrators of her time, and has been an influence in directing some of today's best. About her book, for so long we have made Andrew Loomis' books as our drawing textbook and deservedly so, today and finally we can all experience Barbara's teaching in her book. You will learn about drawing the figure, construction of folds over the body, OPINION, rhythm, and continuity and more, by looking at her examples and reading her book. Basically I'm writing this book review, because people like my younger brother, for example, in another country and love to draw, should all know a drawing book like this is finally available, and shouldn't be without! I still wish I had this book sooner!

One of a few books on drawing the clothed figure. Great info & instruction, but like every other figure drawing book I've come across, it stops short of completed, polished, realistic figure drawings. Unless you've had other instruction or have the talent to fill in the blanks, this will only get you to a well proportioned, dynamic figure sketch.

Bradley covers a lot of ground in this book on drawing the clothed figure. The important figure basics of materials and methods, proportions, values, head and hand anatomy, gestures and expression are all included. Beyond that, she covers clothing, how it moves, bends, folds, and fit on people. This is a very good reference for simple and expressive, if not highly detailed, drawing of clothed figures. A similar, though more narrowly focused book with realistic depictions of clothed figures is Lee Hammond's Draw Fashion Models! (Discover Drawing Series) . For realistic painting of clothed and unclothed figures, Joseph Sheppard's How to Paint Like the Old Masters is one of the best.

This book was used like a textbook for my own Clothed Figure Drawing class, and it was handy to have. It has great pictures, and a lot of tips on how to draw people, what to look for and etc. It is great practice to go outside and sketch real people as you read this so that you can apply the techniques. What I found useful is things that I observe and know in my head as I draw, but the techniques now have a name and is defined better for me to use.

I love this book! I had a copy of this back in 2009 when I attended the academy of art and sold it when I left school. This is still one of the best drawing books I’ve come across.

I especially liked the instructions on drapery.

I bought the book based on a youtube recommendation. Read already through it and will be going through it again more carefully again. I never took art in school of anything and I feel like this book is opening my eyes to a different way of seeing the human figure. I have other drawing books but this one just clicked. I feel like it gave me building blocks that I will be able to use now to create better drawings. I love the tone of the book, the way the author explains, and the drawings illustrate everything beautifully. Best drawing book I bought so far and I have a feeling that it's all the reference I need (but then again, who knows). I recommend the book to anyone that is interested in learning how to draw the human figure. I love it and I would buy it again. I wish I knew about it before I spent money on other drawing books. Oh, and for a good quality hardcover book the price was just perfect.

Una herramienta genial, sobretodo al dibujar telas solas o personas vestidas. Tiene consejos y datos valiosos para aprender o mejorar. Altamente recomendado

Manuale di disegno in lingua inglese, ricco di illustazioni e descrizioni

Very nice book that offers a comprehensive approach to drawing people. I like the author's approach and stile. Highly recommended!