Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
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Book Reviews of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Book Review: It Works! (and it's fun)
Summary: 5 Stars
It works!
I've picked up a few drawing books and always found myself losing interest after an exercise or two. With this book, I not only made satisfying drawings from the beginning, but found that I couldn't wait to get to the next exercise. Some of my portraits (but not all) were faithful to the subject in spirit as well as mere appearance.
There are some objections to be made. The statements about consciousness may be mere assertion-or they may be exactly what's needed to sedate an overly analytical brain.
But the objections, while they may be true are completely unimportant. What matters is that by following this method without sabotaging it, a complete novice can learn to draw quickly and have fun doing it.
Lynn Hoffman, author of New Short Course in Wine,The and the workable bang BANG: A Novel
Book Review: Delivers What it Promises
Summary: 5 Stars
Some may quibble over the left-brain, right-brain theory, but this is still that rarest of things-a book that actually delivers everything it promises. Experienced artists probably don't need it, but anyone who yearns to draw and thinks they can't will be amazed.
I was 40 years old when my husband bought me this book and some drawing materials as a birthday gift. All those years, I'd been convinced I couldn't draw a thing. Using the instructions in this book and a beginner's class, I was thrilled to find myself producing some excellent drawings, including very realistic 3-dimensional portraits. Thank you, Betty Edwards, for one of the few books that really did change my life.
Book Review: drawing on the right side of brain
Summary: 5 Stars
This book gives a very good understanding on how to use and control your creative side of your mind. Good how to's and good reading. i would also recommend her other books she has written. all are well written and gives a good insight on how to improve your talents and creativity. Book Review: Course in Enhancing Creativity & Artistic Confidence
Summary: 5 Stars
An amazing book. Note that it has been updated so there is an updated version too. This includes 12 chapters that are outlined here: 1) Drawing the the art of bicycle riding, 2) Expressing yourself in drawing: the nonverbal language of art 3) your brain the right and left of it 4) Crossing Over: Experiencing the Shift from left to right 5) Drawing on Memories: Your History as an Artist. 6) Getting Around your Symbol System: Meeting Edges & contours 7) Perceiving the Shape of Space: The Positive Aspects of Negative Space 8) Relationships in a new mode: putting sighting in perspective, 9) Facing forward: portrait drawing with ease 10) The Value of Logical Lights and Shadows 11) Drawing on the Beauty of Colro 12) The Zen of Drawing: Drawing Out the Artist Within and an afterword-- is beautiful handwriting a Lost Art and a Postscript.
This is the most widely used and highly praised drawing insruction book in the world. It has sold millions of copies and has been translated into at least 10 languages. As it says on the back cover-- it can teach you to draw even though you feel you have little talent and doubt that you could ever learn. It will allow you to gain skill even if your drawing is still childlike. If you're already a professional artist or artist in training it gives you greater confidence. First published in 1979 it is a classic. Most importantly it talks about the dual nature of human thinking -- verbal, analytic thinking mainly located in the left hemisphere and visceral, perceptual thinking mainly located in the right hemisphere. It follows the work of Rober Sperry psychobiologist who received the Novel prize in 1981 for his studies. According to the author, the key principle is that "drawing is a global (or whole) skill requiring only a limited set of basic components. It has some similarities to other global skills that are key to live-- driving, walking and even skiing. The author even talks about the perception of the whole (the gestalt). R mode -- right mode may seem difficult and unfamiliar -- and even off the wall. BUT learning to draw also helps one to control how one's own brain handles information.
Book Review: Mostly good with a bit of nonsense
Summary: 3 Stars
All the stuff about "R-mode" and "L-mode" is really just pop-science. Like Freud before it, and as is the current trend with "memetics", it's a popular idea which people use to pigeonhole and explain social and psychological phenomenon which rely more on theory than anything else. Edwards makes the all-too-often assumption that any difficulty facing a potential artist is the "right-brain's fault". And after the first few chapters it gets really tedious. I wouldn't be surprised if she read this review and said to me that my "right-brain" is tricking me into thinking it's not really doing anything ;o)
However, Edwards does indeed make a few valid points. She argues that drawing is a skill, much the same as reading as writing, and therefore it can be taught and learnt by almost anyone. Makes sense to me. She further argues that the reason why most adults can not draw is because drawing is not considered a survival skill and isn't stressed in the education system. Makes sense, too.
The underlying theme behind the brain-hemisphere nonsense is simply perception. To draw realistically requires that you actually process the visual information of what you want to draw, rather than relying on any preconceived information. It's a bad habit, really, but hardly a "right-brain" conspiracy theory as Edwards makes it out to be.
The book is broken down into various exercises, all of which force the reader to get into the habit of perceiving things "as-is", such as "vase-faces" and upside-down drawing, and well-established concepts like negative space are also discussed. This is where the book shines.
Good for both beginner to intermediate artists, the overall theories, instructions and exercises make it worthwhile... if you don't mind sifting through the junk, that is.