Basic Drawing Made Amazingly Easy (Made Amazingly Easy Series)

I have bought so many books by this artist/teacher. His ability to convey instruction simply and with good humor is priceless. I've gone from being totally inept to being able to create on paper funny ideas and critters that people recognize and at least pretend to like. I have gained so much confidence from his books and videos. This book I bought both online and as a book, which I completely recommend. If you compare it to the cost of an art class, it makes total sense. That way, depending on whether you want to work at your computer or maybe instead in your living room or den, you can, without interrupting your progress. I also go to YouTube to supplement this with some of his videos. He is very highly recommended and completely worth the price.

I love how simply the book shows how one can draw objects from basic shapes. Perspective & getting the proper shape of things without a foundation can be quite tricky, so these tips & examples are very useful. My only issue with this book, was that just a little more than half of the book covered items/objects/houses/vehicles, etc, & the other half covered a few examples of drawing people. Christopher Hart already has SEVERAL books on drawing people in many different styles, so it would've been nice for a book dedicated to items alone. After all, the background is just as important as the characters (if not moreso). Still, it's a great book, & I don't regret the purchase.

My son is a budding artist but focuses on anime and cartoon style mostly. He mentioned wanting to do more realistic style art and this book was exactly what he was looking for. It's really helped him expand his skills.

If you want a really good, practical explanation of linear perspective, this book has it. There is some very basic talk about shading, as well, though the examples I think didn't exhibit the three-dimensionality that shading can really give, for instance in the furniture demonstrations. All of this is useful for the beginner (I am well beyond beginner and I have an intuitive observational approach that helps me as well, but I think that revisiting the basics can often be useful). Where the book falls down, I think, is where it fails to observe. For instance, a so-called secretary or cabinet-desk is shown with books in it, and we are advised to show the books in the left half as shorter than the books in the right half (on account of perspective). But this gives an absurd effect, since all the books placed in the cabinet would have to be exactly the same height, in order for some of them to appear slightly shorter (and I think that even if they are supposed to be the same height, the shortening is too pronounced). In fact, anyone that possesses lots of books will know that some are tall and some are short and some are in between. So the idea of imposing a rule of perspective on them is absurd and unnatural.Then we progress to the human face and figure. This section is deeply compromised by a number of things. Even allowing for the standardization/idealizing that the book is working with, to give beginners a foundation, the man figure is too precise: rough-hewn, highly muscular, almost a caricature. How about showing what a fat man looks like? A man that is slim but doesn't exercise and has a cubicle job? A man that *doesn't* have 'chiseled' features? (Most don't really, in my experience.) Then we come to the women, which is even worse. They are all stupendously young-looking (teens? twenties?), are dressed somewhat improbably, and are described and shown unnaturally -- as if cosmetic enhancement were a part of their essence. Women do NOT have dramatically upturned eyes, as a matter of course. They do NOT have lashes that look like windshield wipers. This is fantasy and it is artificially cartooning and hyper-sexualizing the female face and form. Even the poses were ridiculous. I lost respect for the book as a teaching device at that point.

I own several books on drawing, but this book is the one I would recommend if you are just starting out learning how to draw. Each chapter walks you through the steps needed to create great drawings all doable by beginners. Some books start out with easy examples then quickly get to more advance drawings. This book uses just the right pace. I am confident I will complete all drawing assignments/examples in the book.

This book is great for some beginning or intermediate learning, especially the section on perspective where it uses furniture for examples, not just landscapes and buildings. Plus, his drawings are just so fun and cool to look at, they make me want to keep learning to draw!

I helped my sister choose this for her son, and she said it was even better than expected, so I got one for my daughter, and then I didn't see her for a few days while she sat with this book and a drawing pad and some pencils.

I'm happy with this book. It's good for my 3-6 grade Art students to learn at their own pace and shows objects broken down into basic shapes, it even gives a visual of perspective.

Very informative and good guide.

Awesome book with excellence in illustration. Good for beginners & artist. Thanks to Publishers.

Fab book. Explains very easily how to do the basic principles of drawing and builds up the technical level gradually. Highly recommend.

Christopher Hart ,tout le monde connait son travail.Mais dans cet ouvrage ,il nous donne les bases pour dessiner et ainsi mieuxprogresser .Un peu différent de ce qui a été publié jusqu'à maintenant ,mais qui complète.On retrouve ce même état d'esprit dans crime noir...

Not worth the money I have paid