Lessons in Classical Drawing: Essential Techniques from Inside the Atelier

339 Pages·2011·12.2 MB·English

by  Juliette Aristides

Copyright © 2011 by Juliette Aristides

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by WatsonGuptill Publications, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a
division of Random House, Inc., New York.

www.crownpublishing.com
www.watsonguptill.com

WATSONGUPTILL is a registered trademark, and the WG and Horse designs are trademarks of Random
House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Aristides, Juliette.
Lessons in classical drawing : essential techniques from inside the atelier / Juliette Aristides. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
eISBN: 978-0-8230-0660-1
1. Drawing—Technique. I. Title. II. Title: Essential techniques from inside the atelier.
NC730.A685 2011
741.2—dc22
2010053087

Cover and interior design by Danielle Deschenes

v3.1
HALF TITLE PAGE: ALPHONSE MUCHA, Portrait of the Artist’s Daughter, Jaroslava, 1922,
5
pastel and gouache on tan paper, 15 ¼ × 12 ⁄8 inches (39 × 32.5 cm), private collection, courtesy of
Art Renewal Center
TITLE PAGE: JOHN SINGER SARGENT, Venetian Passageway, circa 1905, watercolor,
3
gouache, and graphite on white wove paper, 21 ⁄16 × 14 ½ inches (53.8 × 36.8 cm), collection of
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY), gift of Mrs. Francis Ormond, 1950
Photo Credit: Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Art Resource, New York, NY
FACING PAGE: VICTORIA HERRERA, Seraphim Adorned by Garlands, 2009, graphite on
paper, 5 × 21 inches (12.7 × 53.3 cm)
CONTENTS PAGE: BENNETT VADNAIS, Birch Tree, 2008, graphite and white chalk on paper,
16 × 12 inches (40.6 × 30.5 cm)
COVER IMAGE: ELIZABETH ZANZINGER, Sarah Resting, 2008, charcoal on paper, 20 ½ ×
18 inches (52.1 × 45.7 cm)
The illustrations throughout the book were created with brush and ink by Jennifer Baker. They
appear on the following pages: 1.17, 1.32, 2.6, 2.10, 2.19, 2.27, 2.33, 2.35, 3.6, 3.13, 3.18, 3.26, 3.33,
4.18, 5.4, 5.6, and 6.8.
M
any people contributed to the creation of this publication. This book would never have been
started or finished without the help of D. Jordan Parietti. My thanks to two wonderful filmmakers,
Don Porter and Bob Campbell, for your vision and sense of humor. Special thanks to Fred and Sherry
Ross; Art Renewal Center is a powerful force supporting traditional art. Elizabeth Zanzinger, my
sincere appreciation for your initial design and layout. Jennifer Baker, who did the illustrations for
this book by hand with a small brush and a bottle of ink—you are one of a kind. Thanks to Sarah
Jardine Howard for jump-starting this project with early editing, and to my editor, Alison Hagge, for
your optimism and encouragement. Larine Chung, I am indebted to you for your research and
support. Kim Bendheim and Susan Torrance, your support was invaluable, thank you. A special
acknowledgment to Barbara Katus for sharing the wealth of drawings from the archives of the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Photography was done by Andrei Orlano; thank you for
sharing your vision through the eye of a camera lens. Candace Raney, executive editor at
WatsonGuptill, you have seen countless art books to fruition; thank you for believing in this one.
Pamela Belyea, executive director at the Gage Academy of Art, has been a tireless advocate of the
fine arts. I am especially grateful to my family: Frances Bendheim and Barry Bub, Dino, Natalia,
Jason, and Simon Aristides, who have contributed with love and support for the creation of this
project. My deepest appreciation goes to every artist who contributed to this book and DVD. Your art
brings beauty and meaning into a world that needs you. Thank you one and all.

CONTENTS

Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Prologue by Fred Ross
Introduction
CHAPTER 1 BEGINNING LINES:
THE WORLD THROUGH AN ARTIST’S EYE

Principle Before Practice
Look Before You Leap
Forming One Essential Vision
The Language of Lines
Locating Important Lines
Different Kinds of Lines
Be Flexible and Go Lightly
Selecting Your Materials
LESSON ONE: Master Copy Sketch
CHAPTER 2 HARMONIOUS RELATIONSHIPS:
A STUDY OF PROPORTION

Learning from Nature
The Artist’s Schema
Finding Visual Landmarks
Learning to Measure
Understanding the Sight-Size Method
Correcting Your Work
Refreshing Your Perspective
LESSON TWO: Measured Drawing
CHAPTER 3 THE ELEGANT CONTOUR:
A DISCUSSION ABOUT LINE

The Power of a Quiet Line
Forming Shapes
Using Schemas
Finding Negative Shapes
Crafting Contour
Establishing Rhythm
Determining Line Weight
Depicting Aerial Perspective with Line
LESSON THREE: Rhythmic Line Drawing
CHAPTER 4 THE ILLUSION OF DEPTH:
THE THIRD DIMENSION

Identifying Geometric Solids
Using Simple Geometric Forms
Implying the Third Dimension
Utilizing Linear Perspective
The Importance of Ellipses
How to Draw an Ellipse
Drawing Three-Dimensional Objects
Drawing a Three-Dimensional Figure
Drawing the Three Major Masses
Drawing the Smaller Forms of the Figure
LESSON FOUR: Volumetric Drawing
CHAPTER 5 TONAL COMPOSITION:
A PALETTE OF NUANCED GRAY

Creating Pattern
Simplifying with Value
Making a Value Step Scale
Using Value Composition
Understanding Relative Brightness
Identifying Shadow Shapes
Choosing a Focal Point
Finding Tonal Balance
Composing Your Subject
LESSON FIVE: Tonal Sketch