Drawing for Beginners by Dorothy Furniss is surprisingly robust for a beginner’s drawing book. After a few pages devoted to technical hints (principles of drawing with various mediums), the book jumps right into the subject at hand, suggesting a sampling of simple things to draw, and walks the reader through the process of drawing them.
“How do you draw?”
“I think…and then draw around my think.”
We must think with the brush and the pencil; we must think first and then draw round our ‘think.’
But these well-illustrated lessons only start with “simple.” Next comes toys, people, hands, feet, heads, faces, features, hair, animals, and how to catch a likeness.
What of a leaf, an ivy leaf ?— for that we can easily find whether we live in city or country.
It is a quaint shape when we come to observe it closely. Would you call it a long, square, or round shape? I should say that it resembled a heart.
Then we will draw a heart-shape. Next we see a large vein running through the centre of the heart. It extends from the very tip of the leaf to the stout little stalk which eventually fastens itself on to the main branch.
Now we had better mark the chief points of our leaf, which are three in number. And also there are two or three a trifle smaller. These we also draw. And we note that the large central vein is met by two smaller veins, and that these, with two more, radiate from the stalk.
Turn the leaf and look at its back and see how wonderfully these veins converge to the stalk.
Put in some of the veins lightly and carefully, choosing the biggest and the most important.
Next we should note that the light comes from one side, and the side farthest from the light is in shadow. We might shade the edges of the leaf with our pencil and sharpen and shade the strongly curved stalk, and any other part that needs to be strengthened.
Proportion is covered, as is using color, perspective, action and composition, light and shade, and advice on making corrections.
Of special interest to those using nature study, an entire section is devoted to sketching out of doors.
Drawing for Beginners is an ideal art resource for those who are ready to think with their brush or pencil.
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