Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

This edition is great. Very high quality and a beautiful book altogether. Recommended.

Il libro sembra molto interessante, ben fatto e giustamente prende per la manina e rassicura chi parte da zero assoluto (o sottozero, come nel mio caso). Serve un minimo di attrezzatura da acquistare e/o fabbricarsi (ho usato un pezzo di plexiglass per il 'frame'), sarebbe utile poterla acquistare insieme al libro. Non sono ancora andato molto avanti perché gli esercizi richiedono un certo tempo consecutivo di concentrazione senza interruzioni, che per me non è facile da trovare, ma mi riprometto di farlo perché penso proprio che ne valga la pena.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain might be the best drawing book ever. As a kid, I was really into art, but like most adults, I've long since lost those abilities. I picked up maybe a dozen books, bought online courses, and watched a ton of YouTube videos, and I felt like I understood so much of the theory of drawing, but nothing was translating to paper when I tried to actually re-create what was in front of me. But then I got this book. And a few days into it, I could suddenly draw. I could draw well. I could beautifully draw my left hand with my right hand. I could draw my cat tower. I could draw leaves and trees. WHAT. HOW. The crazy thing about this book is how well Betty gets in your head. After an exercise, she immediately calls out what probably went through your head, what actions you took, and *what feelings you felt.* She pointed out in one exercise how I probably grabbed a ruler at one point, but then put it down. She said I probably erased something and felt guilty about it. HOW DID SHE KNOW. The actual science behind left brain/right brain stuff is probably outdated. I mean, she wrote this book in the 1970s. Even with revisions, she's not going to re-write the whole book when the fundamental goal of the book is still super effective. The main purpose is to convey this message: your knowledge of what you *should* see is messing up your ability to *actually* see. Example: You expect a chair to have a big wide flat surface for sitting and four feet resting level on the floor, and that's making it impossible for you to draw the chair where your view shows a thin, awkward trapezoid for sitting and feet appearing at different heights because of how perspective works. The books is truly eye-opening and helpful. It's easy to read and fun and entertaining. I purchased the companion workbook, but honestly, that's not super necessary. Also prepare to make yourself a picture plane, so save the amazon box the book arrives in.

I read this book during my summer vacations (I am a school teacher). I used to read 4-5 pages everyday and do every exercise as mentioned. I was amazed at the speed of my progress. This book starts with teaching us the importance of drawing. It tells us how drawing- till the 19th century- was considered an utmost important part of education. Then it tells us about left brain and right brain. And then begins the basic components of drawins- perspective, values, proportion etc. Overall, I am truly happy with this book. I still do the exercises mentioned here.