Synopses & Reviews
Ruskin's The Elements of Drawing, first published in 1857, remains one of the most sensible and useful books on how to draw and paint, both for the amateur and the professional artist. Ruskin reduces the art of drawing to its simplest elements - the making of marks, the perception of shapes and silhouettes before going on to more complex exercises and the use of colour. He emphasizes the importance of observation of natural forms, and of graduated study; and much of his method has strong links with recent methods of teaching.
John Dunstan, well known internationally both as a painter and an experienced author of practical books on painting has provided an introduction, commentary on the text and drawings and colour exercises to illustrate more fully Ruskin's method and instruction. Where Ruskin refers to the work of other artists such as Dürer, Titian and Turner, a reproduction of the work, or a drawing after the origianl, has been included.
Synopsis
John Ruskin’s The Elements of Drawing, first published in 1857, remains one of the most sensible and useful books on how to draw and paint, both for the amateur and the professional artist. Ruskin reduces the art of drawing to its simplest elements—the making of marks, the perception of shapes and silhouettes— before going on to more complex exercises and the use of color.
Synopsis
Ruskin's The Elements of Drawing, first published in 1857, remains one of the most sensible and useful books on how to draw and paint.
About the Author
From his early youth John Ruskin drew obsessively, a discipline
that he not only kept up right through the production of his great
literary works, but which was essential to them. This book is the
result of quite considerable teaching experience - Ruskin had been
giving informal lessons by letter to friends for some time, for he
could never resist giving advice; and he also taught more formal
classes at the Working Men's college, a duty he shared with Rossetti.
It was as a sort of distillation of all this experience that The Elements of Drawing was born; and also from his development as a draughtsman.