Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Highly recommended! A great start for drawing newbies!
I have been drawing for a long time (since I was 4). Drawing is a major influence and passion in my life, so I always am looking for new art books, and new perspectives on drawing. I consider this book to be an excellent addition to any artist's (or aspiring artist's) library.Also, I once attended a class taught by one of Betty Edwards' students. It was such a helpful and inspiring class, and everyone improved dramatically. It was a wonderful class. Even though I am no longer a drawing "newbie", I found new insights and new ways to observe and see, thanks to this book. It truly can help new artists and "non" artists draw more accurately. It's amazing! Fabulous! However, this book is not the ultimate book on drawing, and it should never be regarded as such. It cannot possibly answer every question, or provide every insight. It is only a first step. Drawing accurately is just one component to being an artist. (And I hasten to add, I'm REAL big on drawing accurately, I think it is important.) There is a lot of exploration and growth that each artist must undertake in order to fully develop. There will be further study of anatomy, color, line, etc. etc. This book does not pretend to teach everything, and no one should expect it to. But, don't worry about that right away, if you are a "newbie". Get the book, enjoy it, learn from it, and then look into other books. This book will give you that needed "jump start" and will help you gain a great deal of confidence. You will be most pleased with the progress you will be able to make, thanks to this book.
Rating:  - Try a Different Book!
When the first book came out many years ago I was extremely excited, and actually wrote my senior thesis for my Art Education degree about the right/left brain theory. I used the material from the first book to instruct the kids in my classes when I began to teach. Then I paid a lot of money to go see Betty Edwards give a lecture. I was disappointed, turned off, and my whole image of Ms. Edwards was crushed. Now the new book...my true opinion is that she is trying to reinvent the material to make a few more bucks. This book has some viable exercises, and would be fine for the non-drawing person who needs some direction. However, there are a lot of other books (like The Natural Way to Draw) that are a whole lot better. Betty Edwards is not God's gift to learning how to draw...practice and determination are. My advice? Get a different book.
Rating:  - Ideal for those with no confidence
I can understand why some previous reviewers who already have developed skills in drawing would see this book as overrated but I think that it is heavily aimed at those who believe that they can't draw and who are radically unsure of how to begin. My own experience was that this book debunked some of my core beliefs about drawing: I can't draw because I don't have the manual skill; people who can draw are dismissive of those who are not as able as them; there is no use in trying if I can't become a brilliant artist; etc, etc.This book made me realise for the first time, despite attending art classes for many years at school, that drawing well is not about the dexterity of your hand but about how you see things, the approach you take to looking at an object and how you translate that to the page. Not having a scientific background, I am not able to judge the accuracy of Edwards's use of right/left brain theory but in some ways the 'truth' of it is irrelevant. What is important is that you recieve the confidence to give it a go and to persist, and not be intimidated by those more advanced than you. Subjectively, I have found that time spent drawing is a very different experience to my usual language based pursuits, and I do feel that I'm stretching hitherto unused faculties, whatever side of the brain they are on. I would strongly recommend this book to any beginners interested in improving their ability to draw what they see. Practising this is no less of an artistic endeavour than any other - the element of originality and self-expression exists in everyone's unique way of seeing and interpreting things around them, This book simply helps you to pay more attention.
|
