The human figure; with its myriad curves and contours; can be challenging for anyone to draw. In this invaluable reference; well-known art instructor and author E. L. Koller simplifies the process; making it easy for artists to learn new methods of rendering the figuremdash;in action and reposemdash;with accuracy and style. Using figure-drawing exercises; numerous photos; and illustrations; Koller reduces the task at hand into manageable steps for intermediate and advanced artists. Beginning with drawing basics; this step-by-step guide explores the structure of the human figure and the comparative proportions of child and adult figures; showing how to depict individual parts of the head and body; facial expressions; and gestures. It also shows the merits of sketching from memory; drawing from casts; photographs; and living models; and sketching both undraped and costumed figures. Once the still figure is mastered; the artist can explore the more challenging action poses; including walking; running; and catching. Filled with guidance and insight on the human form; Life Drawing is an essential addition to every artists reference shelf.
#2656589 in eBooks 2012-03-08 2012-03-08File Name: B00A62YDF0
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The family that is without conflicthellip;By John P. Jones IIIhellip;may throw the first stone; to paraphrase a Biblical injunction. I still remember the ldquo;racyrdquo; movie posters; featuring Elizabeth Taylor; when this play was first issued as a movie in the 1950rsquo;s. I neither saw the movie; nor watched a production of the play. Thanks to a recent reading of The Glass Menagerie (New Directions Books) I decided that I needed to read more of this quintessential American (and Southern) playwright. ldquo;Cathellip;rdquo; was first produced in 1955; and would win the Pulitzer Prize.The play is set in the largest mansion in the very heart of the rich farmland of the Mississippi delta; near Clarksville. There are three acts; but the time period is continuous. lsquo;Big Daddyrsquo; is now 65; and owner of the plantation. He is still ldquo;rough-hewed;rdquo; having once been the overseer of the plantation that was owned by two ldquo;sistersrdquo; (gays); Jack Straw and Peter Ochello. Homosexuality; a ldquo;racyrdquo; topic in the 1950rsquo;s; is a theme throughout the play. lsquo;Big Daddyrsquo;srsquo; wife is; sure enough; lsquo;Big Mama.rsquo; They have two sons; Brick and Gooper; who are each married; respectively; to Maggie and Mae. Each of the women have societal pretenses; one raised in Memphis; and the other Nashville. Gooper is the oldest; and with Mae has five ldquo;no-neckrdquo; children; with a sixth on the way. Brick and Mae are childless. He is also a serious alcoholic; morose over his lost college athletic ldquo;glory days;rdquo; and his relationship with his buddy; Skipper; now dead. The reason for Brick and Maggiersquo;s childlessness ndash; that he will not sleep with her ndash; and his probable homosexual relationship with Skipper is developed as the play progresses. lsquo;Big Mamarsquo; frankly criticizes Maggie for failing to perform her ldquo;bed duties;rdquo; and keep her son happy. They all live in the mansion house; and are jockeying for the inheritance. It is a ldquo;headyrdquo; mix.Mendacity; greed; sexual longing are all themes woven throughout the play. About half this Kindle edition contains various essays of commentary; the most meaningful one from Tennessee Williams himself. The influence and relationship of Williams with the director Elia Kazan is described. I even learned that this play was the favorite of Fidel Castro; who greeted Williams on their first meeting with the exclamation: ldquo;Oh; that Cat!rdquo; The playrsquo;s evolution and various versions are discussed (perhaps more than most people need to know); and an entirely different third act is also included.Reading; or watching a performance of Williamsrsquo; plays is an important part of the ldquo;curriculumrdquo; of any student of American drama ndash; whatever the age of that student. 5-stars for ldquo;The Cat.rdquo;15 of 15 people found the following review helpful. The pinnacle of American DramaBy B. WilfongThis is a superbly written play about that most basic of human issues; the desire to communicate honestly and openly with someone that you care about. At its core; Tennessee Williams masterpiece is really about nothing more than that. Everyone wants and needs someone to listen to; and accept; you.All of Williams plays are about lonely people when you come right down to it. However; "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is unique in that these lonely characters are part of a large family; and at times are literally tripping over each other. What makes us lonely is our inability to communicate with those that we love. It is in that essential human drive that Williams creates the tragedy of this piece. A father knows his son is a closeted gay man; he loves him; but cant get the son to believe or accept that. A wife knows the truth about her husband; but cant make herself believe it. (Actually that last one applies to two wives in the play; for different reasons.) A man faces death; in essence alone; because he cant admit how terrified he is. And the list goes on. These are the stories of the Pollitt family of the Mississippi Delta. Those particulars are different for all of us; but the essential worries and fears of the members of this family are universal; and have been at the heart of a powerful drama for over 50 years.The witting of this play is luminous and gorgeous. In fact; at times it reads like poetry. However; the power in this piece is also due in large part to the structure of this three act play. The first act is almost a solo from the character of Maggie. The second act is a painful and terrifying duet from the characters of Brick and Big Daddy; and the final act is the ensemble number that builds; and then ends on a slow drawn out note.If you see "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" in performance it is a long play; and at times painful. You will not feel the same intensity unless you let yourself sit down and devour it in one gulp. Read the play in a day; and you will come closer to approximating seeing it in performance than you otherwise would. In the best of possible worlds; you will read it; and then a month or so later see it in a well done performance.This play is the pinnacle of American Drama. You should know it. Make that the case if it is not so!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Hidden Desires and Dark Truths Unfold on StageBy Margaret CarmelThis was the first Tennessee Williams play that Ive ever read; so I was really interested to check it out.And wow. This work shocked me so much more than I was expecting. Released in the 1950s; this play never leaves the confines of the Maggie and Bricks bedroom but tackles issues of homosexuality; hypocrisy; marriage; escapism; love; lies; and the confines of manliness.Over the course of the novel the characters are constantly battling with truths that lurk just beneath the surface. Bricks love for his friend Skipper; Big Daddys illness; and Maggies frustrations of being a married woman all work to create an image of 1950s southern America struggling to find its footing in a shifting moral world. I loved how Big Mama believed that if Brick and Maggie just had a child; then these problems would melt away. This representation of the Southern ideals of traditional families and inheritances flying in the face of reality is just as telling today as it was 60 years ago.Cant wait to read more Williams.