Living Colors

Colour (and arguably the lack thereof) is one of the most important elements in creating a strong picture. There are so many colour combinations that sometimes it's difficult to decide which combination is best for a particular project. The book "Living Colors: The Definitive Guide to Color Palettes Through the Ages" by Margaret Walch + Augustine Hope removes a lot of the guess work of colour selection for artwork and can save artists a lot of time.

This spiral bound book has two sections to it. The left side has Artwork, and the corresponding right side shows the colour palettes of each work of art. This is very useful if one isn't sure how certain colours will look and blend together in a picture. If a picture book requires a certain mood throughout, just a quick look through this book will allow an artist to choose a palette to complement their ideas.

Beyond the colour these pages contain a rich history of fine artwork, fashion/textile, and architecture. Sometimes a bit of technique can be found, but this mostly relates to colour. The book starts out with a glossary which contains colours and art technique terms.

The only thing really missing from this is an actual list of colours used in the palette. The text has some indication of the colours being used, and it's true that artists can colour match, but it would be very useful to have a list of all the base colours used (The colours before mixing). This would be particularly useful because many of the colours given aren't pure colours. These mixed colours are also disgusted even further at times with white or black. Even though it may be a bit of a challenge to identify the base colours, I still think this book is well worth having in any book collection.

If you are interested in purchasing this book it can be found here: Living Colors: The Definitive Guide to Color Palettes Through the Ages

Drawing the Head and Figure

Whenever someone says they can't draw I don't believe them. Everyone has the ability to learn to draw. True, there are people who are born with the natural ability to draw, but that doesn't mean that everyone can't learn to draw. It takes effort (oh, yes effort) to learn to draw well, but almost anyone can do it well with practice. Whenever asked about the subject I always come back with the same response, "Get yourself a copy of 'Drawing the Head and Figure' by Jack Hamm."

This book won't teach you to draw everything, but it is an excellent resource for those who want to learn figure drawing. In fact - this is a book that every single artist must have in their library. It has everything in it that a person would need to know to draw the figure well.

This book is fully illustrated and there are several examples for every description. The skeletal and muscular system are completely explained. I love how Jack Hamm give the explanation of how the muscles work and how the proportions of the body change as it moves.

The details that he gives for every example are simply amazing. The planes of the male face are explained as is aging and youth. He devotes whole pages to lips, noses, hair ears, hands, and feet. He also goes beyond the human body to explain clothing and drapery. The one thing I would like to be added to this book is more about drawing children. Even then I would give this book my highest recommendation.

If you are interested in buying this book you can go to your local bookstore or buy it here: Drawing the Head and Figure (Perigee)