Draw What You See Not What You Think You See - Rachel Shirley

This handy-sized guidebook could prove helpful if you have low confidence in drawing or if your efforts are less than satisfactory despite repeated attempts at capturing what is seen in front. You might be an absolute beginner or one who has spent a lifetime away from creative activities due to work or family commitments. You might cringe at the idea of picking up a pencil due to a severe inner critic or an affliction that can only be described as picture dyslexia. The first part of this book attempts to decode the underlying causes of this difficulty via a test and questionnaire, to be followed with special drawing exercises from the most basic. The main part of this book does not take the orthodox approach of informing on vanishing points, perspectives and plotting, but merely to help you see what is in front of you. Instead, this book starts at the beginning, to learn the language of line from A, B and C. Within you will find a series of drawing exercises geared towards combating distorted perceptions in drawing by exercising all fields of vision. This includes exercises on visual judgment, symmetrical drawing, abstract drawing, pictures within frames, negative shapes, the weight of marks, upside-down drawing and more. Further chapters explore the realms of tonality, again via the language of shading from A, B and C. Opportunities for progression can be found within the latter chapters exploring specialised shading techniques. A guide on the prescriptive areas of drawing can be found in the final chapter for guidance. This includes a section on plotting your drawing, the artist's viewfinder, vanishing points and how to draw ellipses. Book's statistics: 15,500 words and around 90 black and white images. Hardcopy version measures 8.5x5.5in and is 110 pages long. The author has a PCET qualification in teaching as well as a Degree in Fine Art.