Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life [Tapa blanda]

You MUST have an in-depth knowledge of the human anatomy (particularly the bones and muscles) before you buy this book. I bought this book on the account of the previous reviewers who I assume (just now, unfortunately) are professionals or fine-arts students. Most of the analysis refers to scientific names of bones and muscles. I understand this is a good thing BUT most of the time, there are either (1) no visual references to these bones and muscles on the page where the analysis is made (i.e. sometimes you have to move forward a few pages to determine what is being discussed) or worst, (2) there are no visual references at all. I don't blame the author considering this book is a compilation of his individual works which may have been complete unto themselves. I blame the publisher for not taking the time and effort to add value to the book by labeling the visuals themselves (perhaps by asking Mr. Bridgman's former students to do it for them) and for making sure the pages are in the correct order. I get the feeling this book was hurried out of the press.

I have downloaded Mr. Loomis book "Figure Drawing for All It's Worth" and if you're a beginner like me, it's a better deal (heck, it's free) because the text are clearer and the visuals cleaner. Please consider my rating a beginner's gauge rather than a professional's or a fine-arts student's.

I'll just probably use this book as a visual reference rather than a self-study guide...

Mainly for intermediate-level artists- it's a highly *comprehensive* way to appreciate Bridgman's work.

It has a little bit of everything depicting figure construction from memory. It's also great for general improvement; a few tips & tricks- an in-depth reference for all working artists.

This somewhat large-sized Complete Guide seems to represent the best of 6 out of his 7 individual books. Drawing the Female Form is the book that gets left out. Compiled & designed by editor Howard Simon in 1952; Bridgman passed away in 1943, so it's not Bridgman's fault if anyone has issues with the layout(!).

Here's a quick breakdown of his 6 individual books, from my very favorite to least...

1. Book of a Hundred Hands- His *best* representation of hands; if hands are your main interest, skip all else & buy 100 hands.

2. Constructive Anatomy- His clearest & most detailed line work in his figure anatomy- especially with his cube-based construction of the head.

3. Bridgman's Life Drawing- Like a mini Complete Guide, it's often considered Bridgman's best individual book. It gives us full-figure movement, as well as briefly treating the figure in its essential parts.

4. Heads, Features and Faces- Great for beginners; it isn't in-depth, and it isn't nearly overwhelming like this Complete Guide.

5. Human Machine- Genius in concept- drawings exceedingly sketchy. These are the sketchiest drawings in this Complete Guide.

6. Drawing the Draped Figure- *Very* basic. Everything you need from this exceedingly thin book is included in this Complete Guide.

In short- The basic point of Bridgman's Complete Guide is to help people to draw figures more convincingly, and even from memory. To a great degree, at least in my opinion, this book still succeeds in a very effective way...

P.S. This book is definitely *not* for beginners! Only *intermediate-level* artists need apply. For beginners, I highly recommend getting Drawing the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm.

P.P.S. Even though I give this Complete Guide 5 stars based on its content, presentation-wise I actually & usually prefer using Bridgman's original, smaller-sized works. People looking for a great financial deal might want to check out The Best of Bridgman: Boxed Set. It's basically three of his best, original books at a currently reduced price.

I was very put off by this book initially for reasons that I see in some of the other reviews: very rough drawings, and somewhat inconsistent labeling. However, with my professor's repeated encouragement, I stuck with this book, and I'm glad I did. It outlines a method of machine-like construction that I have found invaluable for illustration, life drawing, and animation.

The idea of breaking down the human figure into simple forms for construction is not new - most good figure books I've come across outline methods of doing this. (One of the other reviews suggests Andrew Loomis, for example, which everyone should definitely check out.) What makes this book unique, though, is that it takes the principle a deeper extreme - you learn how to construct not only the basic masses (rib cage, legs, head, etc) but the individual bone and muscle groups that they are made out of. Solid drawing taken to a new level.

The loose, simplified style of the illustrations is necessary, I think - they capture the bare essense without any distracting detail. They also demonstrate how dynamic a drawing becomes when it is not overworked. On the other hand, they can be hard to "read" if you have no idea what you're looking at, so I think a companion book is necessary as a counterpoint for beginners like myself. My recommendation would be Dr. Paul Richer's "Artistic Anatomy," whose diagrams are the exact opposite of Bridgman's - exhaustive in detail and clarity. Usually, I have the two books open side by side - Bridgman for construction, Richer for clarification. Andrew Loomis is another must - very clear, very accessible. His system of construction is simpler, but as a result it is great for gesture drawing.

Bottom line, this book can be challenging in places, but it is well worth it to puzzle through them.