The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing, 24. August 2002

Ich verstehe nicht, warum man Ryder immer mit Betty Edwards in Verbindung bringt. Sicher - beide berufen sich auf die "visuelle Methode"; beide wehren sich gegen die Symbolisierung natürlicher Form, den Strichmann also; und beide fordern objektiv-genaues Sehen. Aber letztlich geht es Ryder doch um eines: die strukturelle Form. Und im Gegensatz zu Hogarth und Konsorten hat er sie tatsächlich begriffen.

Man soll sich dieses Buch kaufen, dazu noch Bammes' "Die Gestalt des Menschen"; und beide soll man miteinander streiten lassen: dann aber kann man WIRKLICH zeichnen.

       Anthony Ryder's complete guide to Figure Drawing., 27. Juli 2000

For some time now I have been looking for books that will help me develop my drawing skills. I've got to say that this book impressed me a lot. Not only are the drawings beautiful (and worth the money by itself), but the way the author teaches is both inspiring and pratical. Sick of those art books that say a lot of nice things about art but dont teach you anything? Or those books that don't teach you enough? This is the one you want then!

      Breathes new life into drawing from life, 23. Juni 2000

If you're looking for anatomy lessons and short cuts (the eyes are one eye apart, the head five eyes wide sort of thing) then this is not the book for you. If you want to learn how to draw from life, to develop the basic techniques in tandem with a loving patience and relaxed attention, then this book will be hard to beat. Ryder demonstrates his method - starting with the "envelope" moving on to the "block in" then finished contour, and ending with the delicate shading that give life and mass to the drawings - with painstaking (but painless) care and wonderfully helpful illustrations from his own work.

I would strongly recommend this book with the warning that there are no shortcuts to drawing as brilliantly as Ryder - one thing that makes this book great is that Ryder doesn't pretend that there are any shortcuts. He admits up front that it takes hours of careful attention and work to get to the finished contour - which is the outline of the figure without the shading. But what he does give you is a very helpful technique. He helps with tips on judging distances, widths, proportions, angles; he helps with shading, seeing light and dark, building up tones.

Ryder is scrapping the scales of our eyes with this book, helping us to see - ultimately the most important aspect of drawing from life - and then showing you the best ways to get what you see on the page. It seems assumed that you will be working from a model or at the very least a superbly lit photograph. I think this book, coupled with Drawing on The Right Side of The Brain, would make an at-home-art-course that would be hard to beat.

       Comprehensively Inspiring, 10. Februar 2000

I am totally inspired by this book. The book is filled with wonderful drawings, well written content, great structure to follow and bunch of excellent instructions. I can basically open a page and enjoy the classical art work while reading a section or a caption and learning something at the same time. It reflects Tony's teaching style: comprehensive and inspiring.

       I can't even put this book on my wish list, 5. Januar 2000

The wish list button doesn't show up or how to order this book when it does come in. I know this book is excellent without looking at it because the instructor, Anthony Ryder is an excellent instructor and has a devoted following of students. I will buy it as soon as someone can sell it.