Drawing: People with Debra Kauffman Yaun

Learn to Draw Step by Step

Debra Kauffman Yaun

• Publisher: Walter Foster Publishing
• Year: 2007
• Print ISBN: 9781560107958
• eBook ISBN: 9781610598507
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art General

This new addition to the best-selling Drawing category of our How to Draw and Paint Series shows aspiring artists how to depict a variety of people in pencil from a ballerina to soccer player. Accomplished artist Debra Kauffman Yaun introduces readers to drawing supplies and basic techniques, as well as to the essential elements of full-figure anatomy; then she guides artists through a collection of step-by-step projects, starting each with a simple sketch and ending with a beautifully rendered portrait. Debra even includes information on adding color to drawings, sharing her extensive knowledge of colored pencil. Featuring a range of people of different ages and ethnicities, this book is sure to educate and inspire.

TOOLS AND MATERIALS

Graphite pencil is a versatile, practical medium that makes learning to draw convenient for any beginning artist. All you really need are a few basic tools, which are relatively inexpensive and easily can be taken with you almost anywhere. Even when you’re just starting out, it’s best to purchase the highest quality materials you can afford—better-quality materials last longer and will produce the most pleasing results. Here you’ll find a quick overview of the items that I find most helpful.

CHOOSING PENCILS The first thing you’ll want to do when starting to draw is purchase several different kinds of graphite pencils. Pencils are labeled with numbers and letters—and the combination of the two indicates the softness of the graphite. B pencils, for example, are soft and produce dark, heavy strokes, whereas H pencils are harder and create thin, light lines. An HB pencil is somewhere between the two, which makes it a good, versatile tool for most artists. The number that accompanies a letter indicates how hard or soft each pencil is—the higher the number, the more intense the softness or hardness of your lines will be. (A 4H pencil is harder than a 2H, and a 4B is softer than a 2B.)

SEEING THE WHOLE PICTURE A magnifying glass is a helpful tool for artists, especially when using a photograph as a reference. Use a magnifying glass to enlarge areas of the photograph so you can see exactly what to reproduce. A reducing glass ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Tools and Materials
• Shading Techniques
• Anatomy
• Adult Proportions
• Adult Heads
• Hands
• Feet
• Showing Movement
• Foreshortening
• Understanding Lighting
• Drawing from Life
• Bridal Portrait
• Children’s Proportions
• Children in Action
• Choosing a Pose
• Using Colored Pencil
• Achieving the Best Results
• About the Artists
• Copyright Page