This instructive book presents excellent annotated line drawings of anatomical structure for the beginning artist. Explaining the subject in simple terms and with an extensive series of dynamic illustrations, the author identifies parts of the body and demonstrates a wide array of physical activities through his sketches. Following notes on proportion and drawing, chapters cover the human skeleton, head and neck, torso, arm, hand, leg, foot, and musculature. Numerous illustrations depict various views of these structures, movements of the human figure, as well as changes in the relative proportions of features at different ages. One of the best books in its field, Anatomy and Drawing helps demystify a complex subject by enabling students to visualize the muscles and bones under the skin, and covers just about everything a beginner needs to know about drawing the human anatomy.

Art Appreciation thoroughly investigates how quality is determined and created by artists in order to evaluate and appreciate art on a deeper level. This course emphasizes why each topic contributes to valuing a piece of art and provides the necessary knowledge to do so. Students are first introduced to the elements and principles of art and the importance of artists’ context and perspective. The course then covers different periods in art history, different techniques in art, and how to research and evaluate art.

This course explores the world’s visual arts, focusing on the development of visual awareness, assessment, and appreciation by examining a variety of styles from various periods and cultures while emphasizing the development of a common visual language. The materials are meant to foster a broader understanding of the role of visual art in human culture and experience from the prehistoric through the contemporary. This is an Open Educational Resource (OER), an openly licensed educational material designed to replace a traditional textbook.

This course is an exploration of visual art forms and their cultural connections for the student with little experience in the visual arts. It includes a brief study of art history, and in-depth studies of the elements, media, and methods used in creative thought and processes. It is the only resource I have found that approximates techniques, media, and an overview of different processes that is usually the first half of a printed text on art appreciation or an introduction to art. This is geared toward an undergraduate, lower-level student population. The art history survey is inadequate, but combined with another source, like Boundless' art history, this can be a complete text for an Art 100 course.

The history of Art is long and varied, spanning tens of thousands of years from ancient paintings on the walls of caves
to the glow of computer-generated images on the screens of the 21st century.

Known for its durability, a fresco painting is created in "sections" on freshly laid wet plaster, allowing the painter to comprehensively portray the subject and execute designs with ease. As both the paint and plaster dry, they become completely fused. Highly popular during the late-thirteenth to the mid-sixteenth centuries, fresco painting was almost a lost art by the time this book was first published in 1846. This volume, by a recognized authority in the field, was highly influential in reintroducing fresco painting to public attention. In addition to translating descriptions of painting methods used by such masters as Alberti, Cennini, Vasari, Borghini, Pozzo, and Pacheco, the author also interprets passages from rare manuscripts on the causes of fresco destruction and how to retouch, repair, and clean these works of art. Curators and art historians will find this classic reference work of immense importance and interest.

Unique in its presentation, Basic Drawing teaches by example. Through a profusion of self-explanatory drawings, simple rules of procedure are expertly illustrated for artists, enabling them to build a solid foundation in all aspects of art composition.Presenting informative facts rather than ideology, the author begins with perspective and progresses to the figure in movement; light and shade; and detailed anatomy such as the head, neck, facial features, back, hips, legs, feet, arms, and hands. Using hundreds of masterful illustrations from his own portfolio, Priscilla continues with drapery, composition, and trees and landscape, including outdoor sketching. A truly all-in-one manual that belongs on every artist's bookshelf, Basic Drawing outlines the fundamental skills of drawing with an effective and powerful simplicity.

This book aims to act as your map through the world of African art. As such, it will help you define the competencies you need to develop–visual analysis, research, noting what information is critical, asking questions, and writing down your observations–and provide opportunities for you to practice these skills until you are proficient. It will also expose you to new art forms and the worlds that produced them, enriching your understanding and appreciation.

Color is fundamental to many forms of art. Its relevance, use and function in a given work depend on the medium of that work. While some concepts dealing with color are broadly applicable across media, others are not.

How can you draw something if you don’t know what that something looks like? If I were to say “draw a duck from the side, swimming in water, and make it as realistic as possible”, what would it end up looking like? When was the last time you saw a duck? Would thinking of that help? Would the head be the right size in relation to the body? What about the size of the bill, the eyes, and the tail feathers? If I flashed an image of a duck for you to see for a few seconds, would you be able to draw a better representation? Would it be even better if you could be looking at an image of a duck the whole time you were drawing? I am guessing the duck you drew while being able to observe it continuously would turn out the best.

Now, what would happen if you did the same task of drawing a duck, however, you never picked up a pencil and a pencil was never available to you? What if you never drew or wrote anything? How would you hold the pencil and how hard do you push on the paper with it? How long would it take to develop the finite dexterity in your hand in order to draw? Would you need practice drawing various lines even before attempting to draw the duck?

Let’s say I gave you the same task of drawing a duck, however, this time you have a better understanding of what a duck actually looks like. You know how to properly take into account all the visual clues associated with drawing a duck. You know how negative space can help you see not just the duck, but also the area around the duck. You are able to measure the duck image and your drawing with multiple methods for more accuracy. These are all some of the methods typically used by artists to help them “see” the subject when they are in the process of drawing. When you “see” an object as an artist, it makes the process of drawing much easier.

The process of seeing is only one aspect in creating a representation of what you are viewing. Laying down drawing media onto your paper correctly will take some practice. A good analogy of this would be someone who knows all the notes and chords of how to play the guitar, but has never picked one up to play. Once we learn how to “see” our object, we then need to put it into practice by drawing, knowing how to apply the material.

After you have a good grasp of “seeing” the duck and applying material to paper, the second part of “seeing” comes into play, which is comparing. You now have the real duck and you have your drawing of the duck. These may differ. At this point, seeing the subject will aid in comparing the two and how they may differ. If you can see the difference between the two, you are on your way to capturing a truer representation of that duck.

In this essential guide to the basic principles of drawing the human figure, Pogany--one of the leaders of the Golden Age of Illustration--shows readers the path to artistic mastery. With a warm and supportive tone, he seamlessly blends instruction and insight with 375 masterful illustrations. The aim: to build a foundation for those who wish to draw skillfully and easily.Beginning with the humble dot and moving forward to perspective, anatomy, shading, portraiture, balance, motion, and more, this step-by-step resource is a genuine inspiration. Details of the human head, eyes, ears, and feet add depth to the instruction, followed by simple demonstrations that clearly illustrate how fundamental techniques are put into practice. Easy to follow and concise, this guide has long been considered an important resource for artists of all abilities.

Many art students and professionals have mastered the art of depicting unclothed figures, but still have trouble accurately rendering clothing or other forms of draped cloth. Part of the problem — before this book came along — was that there was a lack of concise and simple instruction on the subject, and much that was written was too vague to be helpful. This comprehensive, well-illustrated book was created to solve the problem.In these pages George Bridgman — a longtime instructor at New York's Art Student League and one of the nation's foremost teachers of figure drawing — offers expert advice on depicting draped figures. "Clothing is none other than a drapery arranged around a body that is beneath it. To express the multitudinous forms it takes, one should learn to express in a direct way the different characters of folds, for each one plays its individual part as distinctly apart as actors play their different characters upon the stage."Students learn the characteristics of seven different kinds of folds and how to render them, including pipe, zigzag, spiral, half-lock, diaper pattern, drop, and inert folds. Mastery of these principles is the key to realistic portrayal of garments, as well as the proper rendering of cloth in still lifes. The straightforward, easy-to-follow text is illustrated by 200 of Bridgman's own sketches and diagrams, reproduced from pencil renderings in crisp halftones. Art students, teachers, and professionals alike are sure to welcome this inexpensive republication of a practical, hands-on manual by a master of figure drawing.

The goal of this unit is to introduce students to the basic elements of art (color, line, shape, form, and texture) and to show students how artists use these elements in different ways in their work. In the unit, students will answer questions as they look carefully at paintings and sculpture to identify the elements and analyze how they are used by different artists.

Stephen Farthing R.A. presents eight practical drawing classes using John Ruskin's teaching collections to explain the basic principles of drawing. This series accompanies 'The Elements of Drawing', a searchable and browsable online version of the teaching collection and catalogues assembled by John Ruskin for his Oxford drawing schools.

This text explores the visual and performing arts (art, music, dance, theatre).
Chapter 1: Elements, Vocabulary, and Iconography of Visual Art
Chapter 2: Mediums in Visual Art
Chapter 3: Ancient Arts (Prehistoric, Ancient Near East, Egyptian)
Chapter 4: Classical Period to Middle Ages
Chapter 5: Renaissance to Realism
Chapter 6: Impressionism to Modern
Chapter 7: An Introduction to the Theater and its Elements
Chapter 8: The Greek Origins of Western Theater
Chapter 9: Technical Theater
Chapter 10: The Actor's Craft
Chapter 11: Other Theater Traditions
Chapter 12: Introduction to Music
Chapter 13: Music in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
Chapter 14: Baroque and Classical Music
Chapter 15: Music of the Romantic Era
Chapter 16: Music of the 20th Century
Chapter 17: Introduction to Dance
Chapter 18: Elements of Dance
Chapter 19: Dance History and Styles

Foundation Drawing for Art 1100 serves as the primary text for the course of the same name at the UNO School of the Arts.

Introduction
ART 1100: Foundations Drawing Syllabus
Foundations Vocabulary
Learning outcomes and materials
Understanding the Elements of Art
Two Dimensional Drawing
Life Drawing

Elements
Section introduction
Chapter 1: Overview of Line
Chapter 2: Line Reading and Exercises
Chapter 3: Overview of Shape
Chapter 4: Shape Readings and Exercises
Chapter 5: Overview of Value
Chapter 6: Value Readings and Exercises
Chapter 7: Overview of Texture
Chapter 8: Texture readings and exercises
Chapter 9: Overview of Color
Chapter 10: Color Readings and Exercises

The Gothic style brought both divine light and soaring height to medieval churches.

This book contains all of Smarthistory’s content for the Ancient Aegean, including Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean art.