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The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing: A Contemporary Perspective On the Classical Tradition
Many of us want to learn "how to draw." But as artist Anthony Ryder explains, it's much more important to learn what to draw. In other words, to observe and draw what we actually see, rather than what we think we see. When it comes to drawing the human figure, this means letting go of learned ideas and expectation of what the figure should look like. It means carefully observing the interplay of form and light, shape and line, that combine to create the actual appearance of human form. In The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing, amateur and experienced artists alike are guided toward this new way of seeing and drawing the figure with a three-step drawing method.
The book's progressive course starts with the block-in, an exercise in seeing and establishing the figure's shape. It then build to the contour, a refined line drawing that represents the figure's silhouette. The last step is tonal work on the inside of the contour, when light and shadow are shaped to create the illusion of form. Separate chapters explore topics critical to the method: gesture, which expresses a sense of living energy to the figure; light, which largely determines how we see the model; and form, which conveys the figure's volume and mass. Examples, step-by-steps, and special "tips" offer helpful hints and practical guidance throughout.
Lavishly illustrated with the author's stunning artwork, The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing combines solid instruction with thoughtful meditations on the art of drawing, to both instruct and inspire artists of all levels.
The book's progressive course starts with the block-in, an exercise in seeing and establishing the figure's shape. It then build to the contour, a refined line drawing that represents the figure's silhouette. The last step is tonal work on the inside of the contour, when light and shadow are shaped to create the illusion of form. Separate chapters explore topics critical to the method: gesture, which expresses a sense of living energy to the figure; light, which largely determines how we see the model; and form, which conveys the figure's volume and mass. Examples, step-by-steps, and special "tips" offer helpful hints and practical guidance throughout.
Lavishly illustrated with the author's stunning artwork, The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing combines solid instruction with thoughtful meditations on the art of drawing, to both instruct and inspire artists of all levels.
160 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
June 4, 2021
DNF. This book is simply mistitled. It is not "The Artists Complete Guide to Figure Drawing," it is better titled "A sample of the authors fine drawing portfolio, with some philosophical musings about drawing"
Learning to draw? Ready to sit down with practical advice on how to improve your drawing? Here are some actual quotes for what passes as instructional guidance:
"The pencil cascades down the sides of the shape, springing down the form like a mountain goat leaping down the side of a mountain"
"Here you see the fluid dynamic movement of the gesture. It courses like a river through the form of the body. As a river carves its path through the earth, shaping the land, so the generative action of the gestural movement shapes and molds the pliant form of the body"
Got it? Is any of that practically implementable? If improving my drawing was a matter of moving my pencil like a mountain goat leaping I would be Leonardo already.
Learning to draw? Ready to sit down with practical advice on how to improve your drawing? Here are some actual quotes for what passes as instructional guidance:
"The pencil cascades down the sides of the shape, springing down the form like a mountain goat leaping down the side of a mountain"
"Here you see the fluid dynamic movement of the gesture. It courses like a river through the form of the body. As a river carves its path through the earth, shaping the land, so the generative action of the gestural movement shapes and molds the pliant form of the body"
Got it? Is any of that practically implementable? If improving my drawing was a matter of moving my pencil like a mountain goat leaping I would be Leonardo already.
April 7, 2011
I enjoyed the overall tone of the book -- friendly and helpful. The discussions on rendering and pencil-hatching techniques were highlights for me, and I intend to do some studies from his example drawings.
January 19, 2019
I don’t have anything bad to say about this book, but I must admit I grew impatient with it somewhere in the middle, and yet still I’ve finished reading it.
While I’m not sure the author’s method can be called “classic”, his approach is interesting and as a proof, the drawings are amazing. But like many many other figure drawing books, the endless, exhausting examples which try to put in words what you should really do with your eyes, could benefit much more if it was put in a video instead of a book.
While I’m not sure the author’s method can be called “classic”, his approach is interesting and as a proof, the drawings are amazing. But like many many other figure drawing books, the endless, exhausting examples which try to put in words what you should really do with your eyes, could benefit much more if it was put in a video instead of a book.
December 31, 2022
Extremely "theory"-heavy (i.e.: more techniques on seeing/perceiving than really hands-on step-by-step drawing methods), but really good. Pretty much revolutionized the way I think about drawing and "Seeing" for drawing.
May 28, 2023
Anthony J. Ryder studied at the Art Students League of New York, the New York Academy of Art, and the École Albert Defois in France with oil painter Ted Seth Jacobs.
He began his teaching career at the New York Academy in 1985, and has taught at the Art Students League and in various locations in the United States and France. His paintings and drawings are in many private collections. Mr. Ryder lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
----
Don't bother
4/10
I had high hopes for this book even before I bought it mainly because of the amazing pencil renderings of the figure shown in Amazon preview. Most of the reviews then commented that the technique taught in this book is tedious and laborious, I figured that the technique will be focused more on the rendering but I was disappointed.
The softcover boast a beautifully rendered figure drawing on toned paper with done with graphite and pastel. All the other works shown in this book are equally, if not more breathtaking.
In the first 2 chapters, we are introduced to the way the author work and a simple list of tools/materials are given. Most of the images in this book are usually compete drawings and there are very few progress shots of the way he work except for 3 or 4 sets of tutorials in the book.
There is also the usual basic techniques of how he creates his art, he gives a too brief description on how he cross-hatch his drawings. I was expecting a lot more elaboration later in the book but was disappointed in the end.
The process Anthony Ryder is teaching consists of 3 parts : Block In, Contour and Shading. In the Block-in stage, you are supposed to look at a live model and block an envelope that surrounds the model in your canvas. From there on, you are to tighten the envelope until your have blocked a choppy looking figure.
I actually see the reasoning of this approach, especially if this book is read by a beginner to figure drawing. Using the block-in technique, you almost won't run into any proportion problems in the later stage since you are working from big to small. However, to an intermediate artist who have already developed his eye to quickly translate proportions down to the canvas, this is a setback due to the loss of fluid and flowing curves that is essential in figure drawing.
The author however, fixes this problem by re-doing the whole block in with curves. Taking into account the gesture and the flow of the movement, he masks out the block in into a fluid line. For artists who dislike edges in drawings especially in areas of light, this is also a big no-no since all of the drawings have this contour line visible. The realistic rendering is contained inside this mask, whether this line art is an aesthetic decision or not.. I am still not convinced.
After stage 2, 50 pages and more is written on basic light theory. Light direction and shadow theories written heavily in text are accompanied by the author's drawings which are beautiful but not functional to the context of the passage. The form of the body in relation to the light and shadow theory are also explored.
The author gives a complete drawing of his own and put an analysis of his drawing of how the forms folds and connects in words. He could have done better if he had illustrated step by step. To be frank, I felt that this book is half assed.
artniti
---
First impressions
6/10
First, I must qualify myself by saying that I have been drawing seriously for about the last year and a half. I am not enrolled in any school or course of study (so I have had many deficiencies and made a lot of mistakes!).
Second, I have been using a handful of books on drawing.
Third, I have not read this book completely yet so these are my first impressions.
Fourth, my three star rating is consequently a tentative one that will probably be revisited.
Having read enough of the posts regarding art/drawing books on Amazon I am very skeptical about any book claiming to be "complete" , "comprehensive", "definitive". Don't know if the "hype" is driven by the artists' ego or the publisher. Not a big point but nothing wrong with a healthy skepticism.
On the positive side, I have learned more about the specific "block in" that this artist uses in comparison to a book like Aristides's "Classical Atelier Drawing" which is very sparse in detail on that particular subject. As a matter of fact , most of my other books have scant information on exactly how one goes about "blocking in" (or whatever other terminology they use). So it has helped enlighten me on some points.
Where I see some major differences however are in regards to the "classical tradition". I wish the author could elaborate more on the "classical tradition" and where he differs from it. The author has his own style and he states (I paraphrase here) that his method makes no use of cones, cylinders, etc. I guess that that is his "contemporary perspective". Perhaps I am naive on this point but I believe that many classical artists made use of egg and block shapes and these did not make their drawings/paintings deficient. I will try out Ryder's methods with a full understanding that they are another way of drawing that may or may not work for me. I am certainly, at this point in my own work, open to just about anything.
His drawings show much work and technical skill. In his book however, I would have preferred that he show drawings from the work of other artists who use the same or a similar methodology. For example, why not show some work from his teacher and friend, Ted Seth Jacobs upon whom he is quite effusive in praise?
That's my review up to this point in the book.
Bryan J. Ledoux
---
Useful addition to my library
10/10
The author teaches how to use gesture, light and contour to create art that's not only lifelike, but also full of life and character.
Farmersdottir
---
It is what it is.......
10/10
As a teacher at The Art Students’ League, like most of their teachers, you are in good hands.
Ryder goes through in very helpful detail the key processes of drawing, a real sense of sculpting the figure. His tips and detail advice allow you understand why and how to engage in the build up of the drawing, especially the human figure no doubt, but the overall process can be applied to all subjects.
All of his figure drawings in the book and worked examples, are drawn from life and are outstanding, some of the best I’ve ever seen in figure drawing books.
As the author states very helpfully, and what another reviewer pointed out, these drawings are not of 30, 60 or 120 minute poses; but total in the region of ‘12 three hour sessions’.
I am aware in other notable institutions, they also have very long poses too. This clearly shows that drawing to such masterful levels, despite having wonderful ability, still takes a lot of time to do.
Obviously, one will not be able to draw such realistic figures in a 30 minute pose, but one will walk away with a damn good foundation of a figure drawing.
As many say, there are no short cuts in drawing, practice is the key and also the time spent will determine to what level one wants to take a particular drawing to.
Ryder’s processes are the same processes I have used myself unknowingly, the book cements and expands in greater detail how one can improve ones block-in process, capture gesture, describe contour more ornately and for me, particularly helpful, the play of light, reflected light and tonal progression across the figure and within individual forms.
Ryder does convey very clearly in an understandable way some of these more abstract ideas, which are key to realistic drawings.
I am very glad I bought this book and will return to it again and again, as there are so many snippets of wisdom, that one cannot simply remember all after one reading.
This is certainly one of the best figure drawing books I own. Ryder once taught Juliette Aristides, who in turn wrote “Lessons in classical drawing’.
She often quotes from Ryder’s above book in her own classic book. Having read Ryder’s book, I do feel I have greater understanding of the real foundations of good figure drawing and that practice will finally show the benefits of this understanding.
Ryder’s book is relatively cheap and a must buy.
Like most of Watson-Guptill published books, many become classics and extremely expensive to buy used.
So do invest now, the rewards are priceless.
Xenebee
---
Classical Approach to Figure Drawing
8/10
This book is important in that it teaches and promotes a classical approach in drawing, something that is making a bit of a comeback lately.
Mr. Ryder's masterful drawings reveal great skill and talent, and his style is very appealing (I particularly like his subtle use of line).
That said, I have to agree with the previous review by A. White, in that the book seems to insist on a certain procedure that, unless you're drawing from photographs, won't appeal to anyone. I am referring to the first step in his instruction: the "block-in", where the artist spends a considerable amount of time roughly blocking in the shapes of the model, and refining these till he gets closer and closer to the actual contour. As he himself states, this is quite time consuming and not everyone has access to models so patient.
But even if one has models posing for the required amount of time, I still don't feel comfortable with the block-in stage. It just seems too time-consuming and unnecessary.
Of course, everyone has his or her personal preferences, and what works for me might not work for another.
Personally, however, I much prefer the method laid out by Solomon J. Solomon in his early 20th century classic "The Practice of Oil Painting and Drawing" (recently republished by Dover), a must-have. His technique of "drawing by the masses", i.e. drawing by measuring the negative spaces, instantly appealed to me and seemed much more natural.
Still, Tony Ryder is without doubt a living master and by looking at his art alone you can learn quite a bunch. His methods are still sound and his instruction valuable (the block-in is just the first step; the rest of the procedure is great to learn from).
The book also plays an important role in promoting and sustaining contemporary realist art.
If you're into realist classical art and you're looking for that figure drawing book to get you out of your rut, this may well be it.
If you already have a lot of figure drawing books (for example those by Bridgman or Loomis) this may contain nothing new. But then again, is there such a thing as having too many art books?
Recommended.
ALP
---
---
Aristides seems way more popular than Ryder....
---
Myself, I liked
George Bridgeman (1924)
Kimon Nicomaides (1941)
Andrew Loomis (1943)
Arthur Zaidenberg (1947)
Jeffrey Camp (1984)
He began his teaching career at the New York Academy in 1985, and has taught at the Art Students League and in various locations in the United States and France. His paintings and drawings are in many private collections. Mr. Ryder lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
----
Don't bother
4/10
I had high hopes for this book even before I bought it mainly because of the amazing pencil renderings of the figure shown in Amazon preview. Most of the reviews then commented that the technique taught in this book is tedious and laborious, I figured that the technique will be focused more on the rendering but I was disappointed.
The softcover boast a beautifully rendered figure drawing on toned paper with done with graphite and pastel. All the other works shown in this book are equally, if not more breathtaking.
In the first 2 chapters, we are introduced to the way the author work and a simple list of tools/materials are given. Most of the images in this book are usually compete drawings and there are very few progress shots of the way he work except for 3 or 4 sets of tutorials in the book.
There is also the usual basic techniques of how he creates his art, he gives a too brief description on how he cross-hatch his drawings. I was expecting a lot more elaboration later in the book but was disappointed in the end.
The process Anthony Ryder is teaching consists of 3 parts : Block In, Contour and Shading. In the Block-in stage, you are supposed to look at a live model and block an envelope that surrounds the model in your canvas. From there on, you are to tighten the envelope until your have blocked a choppy looking figure.
I actually see the reasoning of this approach, especially if this book is read by a beginner to figure drawing. Using the block-in technique, you almost won't run into any proportion problems in the later stage since you are working from big to small. However, to an intermediate artist who have already developed his eye to quickly translate proportions down to the canvas, this is a setback due to the loss of fluid and flowing curves that is essential in figure drawing.
The author however, fixes this problem by re-doing the whole block in with curves. Taking into account the gesture and the flow of the movement, he masks out the block in into a fluid line. For artists who dislike edges in drawings especially in areas of light, this is also a big no-no since all of the drawings have this contour line visible. The realistic rendering is contained inside this mask, whether this line art is an aesthetic decision or not.. I am still not convinced.
After stage 2, 50 pages and more is written on basic light theory. Light direction and shadow theories written heavily in text are accompanied by the author's drawings which are beautiful but not functional to the context of the passage. The form of the body in relation to the light and shadow theory are also explored.
The author gives a complete drawing of his own and put an analysis of his drawing of how the forms folds and connects in words. He could have done better if he had illustrated step by step. To be frank, I felt that this book is half assed.
artniti
---
First impressions
6/10
First, I must qualify myself by saying that I have been drawing seriously for about the last year and a half. I am not enrolled in any school or course of study (so I have had many deficiencies and made a lot of mistakes!).
Second, I have been using a handful of books on drawing.
Third, I have not read this book completely yet so these are my first impressions.
Fourth, my three star rating is consequently a tentative one that will probably be revisited.
Having read enough of the posts regarding art/drawing books on Amazon I am very skeptical about any book claiming to be "complete" , "comprehensive", "definitive". Don't know if the "hype" is driven by the artists' ego or the publisher. Not a big point but nothing wrong with a healthy skepticism.
On the positive side, I have learned more about the specific "block in" that this artist uses in comparison to a book like Aristides's "Classical Atelier Drawing" which is very sparse in detail on that particular subject. As a matter of fact , most of my other books have scant information on exactly how one goes about "blocking in" (or whatever other terminology they use). So it has helped enlighten me on some points.
Where I see some major differences however are in regards to the "classical tradition". I wish the author could elaborate more on the "classical tradition" and where he differs from it. The author has his own style and he states (I paraphrase here) that his method makes no use of cones, cylinders, etc. I guess that that is his "contemporary perspective". Perhaps I am naive on this point but I believe that many classical artists made use of egg and block shapes and these did not make their drawings/paintings deficient. I will try out Ryder's methods with a full understanding that they are another way of drawing that may or may not work for me. I am certainly, at this point in my own work, open to just about anything.
His drawings show much work and technical skill. In his book however, I would have preferred that he show drawings from the work of other artists who use the same or a similar methodology. For example, why not show some work from his teacher and friend, Ted Seth Jacobs upon whom he is quite effusive in praise?
That's my review up to this point in the book.
Bryan J. Ledoux
---
Useful addition to my library
10/10
The author teaches how to use gesture, light and contour to create art that's not only lifelike, but also full of life and character.
Farmersdottir
---
It is what it is.......
10/10
As a teacher at The Art Students’ League, like most of their teachers, you are in good hands.
Ryder goes through in very helpful detail the key processes of drawing, a real sense of sculpting the figure. His tips and detail advice allow you understand why and how to engage in the build up of the drawing, especially the human figure no doubt, but the overall process can be applied to all subjects.
All of his figure drawings in the book and worked examples, are drawn from life and are outstanding, some of the best I’ve ever seen in figure drawing books.
As the author states very helpfully, and what another reviewer pointed out, these drawings are not of 30, 60 or 120 minute poses; but total in the region of ‘12 three hour sessions’.
I am aware in other notable institutions, they also have very long poses too. This clearly shows that drawing to such masterful levels, despite having wonderful ability, still takes a lot of time to do.
Obviously, one will not be able to draw such realistic figures in a 30 minute pose, but one will walk away with a damn good foundation of a figure drawing.
As many say, there are no short cuts in drawing, practice is the key and also the time spent will determine to what level one wants to take a particular drawing to.
Ryder’s processes are the same processes I have used myself unknowingly, the book cements and expands in greater detail how one can improve ones block-in process, capture gesture, describe contour more ornately and for me, particularly helpful, the play of light, reflected light and tonal progression across the figure and within individual forms.
Ryder does convey very clearly in an understandable way some of these more abstract ideas, which are key to realistic drawings.
I am very glad I bought this book and will return to it again and again, as there are so many snippets of wisdom, that one cannot simply remember all after one reading.
This is certainly one of the best figure drawing books I own. Ryder once taught Juliette Aristides, who in turn wrote “Lessons in classical drawing’.
She often quotes from Ryder’s above book in her own classic book. Having read Ryder’s book, I do feel I have greater understanding of the real foundations of good figure drawing and that practice will finally show the benefits of this understanding.
Ryder’s book is relatively cheap and a must buy.
Like most of Watson-Guptill published books, many become classics and extremely expensive to buy used.
So do invest now, the rewards are priceless.
Xenebee
---
Classical Approach to Figure Drawing
8/10
This book is important in that it teaches and promotes a classical approach in drawing, something that is making a bit of a comeback lately.
Mr. Ryder's masterful drawings reveal great skill and talent, and his style is very appealing (I particularly like his subtle use of line).
That said, I have to agree with the previous review by A. White, in that the book seems to insist on a certain procedure that, unless you're drawing from photographs, won't appeal to anyone. I am referring to the first step in his instruction: the "block-in", where the artist spends a considerable amount of time roughly blocking in the shapes of the model, and refining these till he gets closer and closer to the actual contour. As he himself states, this is quite time consuming and not everyone has access to models so patient.
But even if one has models posing for the required amount of time, I still don't feel comfortable with the block-in stage. It just seems too time-consuming and unnecessary.
Of course, everyone has his or her personal preferences, and what works for me might not work for another.
Personally, however, I much prefer the method laid out by Solomon J. Solomon in his early 20th century classic "The Practice of Oil Painting and Drawing" (recently republished by Dover), a must-have. His technique of "drawing by the masses", i.e. drawing by measuring the negative spaces, instantly appealed to me and seemed much more natural.
Still, Tony Ryder is without doubt a living master and by looking at his art alone you can learn quite a bunch. His methods are still sound and his instruction valuable (the block-in is just the first step; the rest of the procedure is great to learn from).
The book also plays an important role in promoting and sustaining contemporary realist art.
If you're into realist classical art and you're looking for that figure drawing book to get you out of your rut, this may well be it.
If you already have a lot of figure drawing books (for example those by Bridgman or Loomis) this may contain nothing new. But then again, is there such a thing as having too many art books?
Recommended.
ALP
---
---
Aristides seems way more popular than Ryder....
---
Myself, I liked
George Bridgeman (1924)
Kimon Nicomaides (1941)
Andrew Loomis (1943)
Arthur Zaidenberg (1947)
Jeffrey Camp (1984)
July 24, 2015
I'm reading and reviewing this book this week for a blog post next weekend.
Preface and Introduction: Getting to know the artist and what to expect from the book. Pretty basic stuff.
Chapter 1&2: The Materials, Technique, and Blocking In. Chapter one starts with a discussion of paper types, weight, texture, and tone. Also gives an excellent recommendation to use acid-free papers with rag content. The chapter ends with some basic information on pencils, pastels, and erasers and how to use a pencil for cross hatching. Chapter two is about layout and conceptualizing a finished piece. It is important to get a feel for seeing models as they appear and not with preconceived ideas on how the body should look. From here, various tips and techniques are given to reach that end.
Chapter 3&4: The Gestures and Contour. "This isn't called life drawing for nothing." It is common in drawing books for the author to lay out the eight heads model and basic muscle anatomy, in chapter three the author chooses to focus on active and passive sides of the human form. When a person is in a pose, some muscles are engaged and active while others are relaxed and stretched, this will give the gesture of the body and give the drawing life. The chapter ends with showing the dominant curves of the body, forget stick figures, the body curves. Chapter four starts fine tuning the drawing by bringing in the envelope and body curves with the contour.
Chapter 5&6: The Shadow and Form. To get a realistic drawing, gradations of tone are highly important. Chapter five is about tonal progression and shading. Mr. Ryder stresses that light has shape and form and to bring shine and life to a drawing, it is important to understand how to "draw" light. For me, this is the most useful chapter in the book and something I continue to practice. Chapter six can be nicely summarized by saying "No part of the body is flat." This chapter is about skin texture, curves, and the continuous form that is the human body.
Chapter 7&Epilogue:
Preface and Introduction: Getting to know the artist and what to expect from the book. Pretty basic stuff.
Chapter 1&2: The Materials, Technique, and Blocking In. Chapter one starts with a discussion of paper types, weight, texture, and tone. Also gives an excellent recommendation to use acid-free papers with rag content. The chapter ends with some basic information on pencils, pastels, and erasers and how to use a pencil for cross hatching. Chapter two is about layout and conceptualizing a finished piece. It is important to get a feel for seeing models as they appear and not with preconceived ideas on how the body should look. From here, various tips and techniques are given to reach that end.
Chapter 3&4: The Gestures and Contour. "This isn't called life drawing for nothing." It is common in drawing books for the author to lay out the eight heads model and basic muscle anatomy, in chapter three the author chooses to focus on active and passive sides of the human form. When a person is in a pose, some muscles are engaged and active while others are relaxed and stretched, this will give the gesture of the body and give the drawing life. The chapter ends with showing the dominant curves of the body, forget stick figures, the body curves. Chapter four starts fine tuning the drawing by bringing in the envelope and body curves with the contour.
Chapter 5&6: The Shadow and Form. To get a realistic drawing, gradations of tone are highly important. Chapter five is about tonal progression and shading. Mr. Ryder stresses that light has shape and form and to bring shine and life to a drawing, it is important to understand how to "draw" light. For me, this is the most useful chapter in the book and something I continue to practice. Chapter six can be nicely summarized by saying "No part of the body is flat." This chapter is about skin texture, curves, and the continuous form that is the human body.
Chapter 7&Epilogue:
January 11, 2009
The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing
is a step-by-step instructional manual describing one particular approach to drawing the figure. The author's drawings are lovely and I could probably never do anything as polished and masterful. But I also think his approach may need to be modified for each person's style. The book might have been a little more helpful if he'd included other drawings (by his students perhaps) as examples, rather than illustrating only with his own work. As a result of the narrow focus, I did not feel this book was quite as approachable as Classical Painting Atelier.
July 8, 2025
"Words are of all things perhaps our greatest obstruction in learning to draw."
And yet, here I am trying to learn how to draw from books.
Very comprehensive guide on a particular technique of classical figure drawing. The ebook is also very well produced, and all the images are available to view in high resolution (instead of the compressed, embedded images you find in most epubs).
This technique is not my usual approach to figure drawing (which has largely focused on gesture and seeing the body as shapes) so I'm hoping to try it out and improve. The writing style is academic and a bit pompous, but I enjoyed that aspect (very quotable - where else would you read about "the orderly disorder of gestural exuberance" or "monumental nobility" vs "anatomical mechanics").
"Throughout this period I've been guided by one principle: stick to what you were taught. I've never had any desire to teach anything new, to invent anything, change anything, or innovate in any way. I've just always wanted to learn how to draw and paint in the way I was taught."
This quote tickled my fancy, as a very unconventional thing for an artist to say. Usually I read about experimentation, finding your unique style, setting yourself apart, etc. It's honestly pretty comforting to have someone who has learned a classical technique that he considers beautiful and doesn't want to change - it's another way of having a deep confidence and understanding of yourself to know exactly how you want to draw. Maybe this is common, I just haven't interacted with many art professors.
I did find that the early sections (envelope and block-in) were conceptually confusing - there wasn't enough step by step process working through a specific piece. The example images provided were overlays over finished pieces, which only provides theoretical insight into how a drawing could be worked, rather than the actual process used for a specific drawing. The example images from the last chapters (mostly demos for his students), were much more insightful in that regard, and more should've been included early on.
Summary of my notes from this book, for those interested in the content covered:
The Figure Drawing Method
1. The Envelope
- ~6 points to box in the figure(s) at the points that jut out
- 'envelop' the entire figure in a space to get a sense of proportion and placement
2. Block-in
- break down envelope into large shapes describing the figure, gradually making the shapes smaller, always measuring distances and tilts of each line
- continue until you reach a clean block in, where the figure is accurate and cleanly readable
3. Contour
"The contour is the visual edge where the form turns away, out of sight"
- contour lines are all convex, and should be created one at a time in single fluid curves
- internal contour lines should be united with local tonal conditions, acting as transitions instead of separations
- all traces of the block in should be erased while the contour is being worked on
4. Drawing on the Inside
>theory on how light encounters form
- if the form is transparent, light is transmitted (passes through, bent, refracted)
- if the form is opaque - light is reflected, bounces off
- id the form is pigmented - light is absorbed
- aspects of model surface affect how light interacts with it: distance from light source, local value, angle relative to light source, matte/glossiness
- shadow edge types
- form shadow edge (the terminator) - the point where light ends and shadow begins on a form turning away from the primary light. the terminator is the darkest part, as shadow recedes into reflected light
-cast shadow edge - where a form blocks light from the space behind it. cast shadows fall upon parts of the form that face up toward the light source
- form light - matte surface, light scatters evenly across the form
- highlight - glossy surface. stronger, more focused and brighter than formlight. dependant on the viewing angle
- on semi matte surfaces, highlights are embedded in the formlight
- dark accents - small shapes of concentrated shadow on the shadow side
- shading tip - clean up the edges of hatching patches by erasing, since the outside tends to be where the lines are comparatively darker and less uniform (due to getting extra pencil pressure when changing direction)
> practical process for developing the drawing
- locate landmarks - terminators, cast shadow edges, dark accents, inner contours
- develop inner form in harmony with the contour by always referring back to points from the block in
- key the drawing - fully develop one area to establish the tonal range (darkest darks and lightest lights)
- values must be darkened down proportionally to the darkest value (with only the lightest lights remaining unchanged)
- work dark to light, since the the lights wont read unless surrounding values have been established
"Using control and a sharp pencil, keep your mind in the drawing, relax, and realise that time is of no significance, only beauty."
Sounds like a nice way to live tbh
April 29, 2021
Dense with information but a little too dense in my opinion. There's a lot of theory and you won't get to the actual practical lessons until about 3/4ths of the way into the book. If you're an absolute beginner, I would search elsewhere. Preferably Loomis.
There's no doubt the author is an accomplished artist, but their writing is a bit off. There are so many strange smilies throughout the book. Check my highlights for my absolute favorites.
There's no doubt the author is an accomplished artist, but their writing is a bit off. There are so many strange smilies throughout the book. Check my highlights for my absolute favorites.
March 7, 2025
The Artist’s Complete Guide to Figure Drawing by Anthony Ryder is an essential resource for artists seeking to master the human form. Rather than focusing on rigid techniques, Ryder teaches artists how to truly see and interpret what they observe. His three-step method—block-in, contour, and tonal work—guides readers through the process of capturing the figure’s structure, silhouette, and the interplay of light and shadow.
December 26, 2022
Beautiful drawings, great conceptual thoughts. I think there could have been more demonstrations (i.e. when talking about exercises, show it). Great explanations on thought process behind drawings.
My opinion on this book might change with future revisits. I think this may serve as a good reference tool.
My opinion on this book might change with future revisits. I think this may serve as a good reference tool.
May 24, 2019
Highly technical approach and very helpful, particularly with breaking down light and shadow.
October 7, 2019
For the first time I believe you can watch Ryder's videos here:
renaissancelifenow.com
renaissancelifenow.com
February 9, 2020
Excellent and inspiring
January 27, 2021
I am in love with this book.
January 7, 2022
Great book!
Very thorough and informative. This book is for anyone who wants in-depth instruction on figure drawing from a master. I highly recommend!
Very thorough and informative. This book is for anyone who wants in-depth instruction on figure drawing from a master. I highly recommend!
June 1, 2022
Line compass was useful
December 8, 2022
Simple figure drawing book that covers the art of figure drawing very well. Good refresher for the seasoned artist and a great beginners book.
September 14, 2023
Gorgeously written, inspirational, but quirky. I learned a lot that I use now. And a lot I don't use.
September 16, 2023
I enjoyed this book immensely! The storyline was not only gripping but also thought-provoking. It's a testament to the author's ability to create a narrative that stays with you.
September 26, 2023
This book was a journey of self-discovery and growth. The characters' transformations were beautifully portrayed
April 10, 2025
I can't wait to feel the way your presence ignites every nerve ending. Let's create a night filled with unforgettable sensations, one slow, deliberate touch at a time.
August 22, 2019
The writing is perfectly serviceable, though without any distinguishing characteristics. It's like those MFA bores all are.
May 14, 2015
This book presents a specific method of figure drawing that one can incorporate in part or in whole.
For my part, I was made aware of some powerful concepts that will definitely immediately improve my work. In particular, the concept of the "terminus" between light and shadow being used as a central point to define form. It's clearly present in many great drawings and paintings, but it's something I had never fully understood or internalized. Feels like I've found a missing puzzle piece.
This has made me want to take up figure drawing and work on improving my craft for its own sake, which I haven't really done since college.
For my part, I was made aware of some powerful concepts that will definitely immediately improve my work. In particular, the concept of the "terminus" between light and shadow being used as a central point to define form. It's clearly present in many great drawings and paintings, but it's something I had never fully understood or internalized. Feels like I've found a missing puzzle piece.
This has made me want to take up figure drawing and work on improving my craft for its own sake, which I haven't really done since college.
November 28, 2011
This loses a star only because of its misleading title. This is not a compete guide to figure drawing. It is a complete guide to one particular method of figure drawing. It's a method I find very appealing and the end result is quite beautiful, but it is by no means the only way to draw a figure. That being said, for what it is this book is an exceptional instructional tool: a well-written, lucid, gorgeously and lavishly illustrated description of a traditional, painstaking, unhurried approach to figure drawing.
November 20, 2012
Anthony Ryder presents a book on figure drawing that will leave you breathless. His artwork is amazing, and he is able to clearly present his thoughts to the serious student. Although there are sections with step by step instruction, due to the nature of his "pencil washes", this material would be better off being presented in a video format, so that the techniques could be demonstrated in action. And as I mentioned earlier... the included examples of the artwork are amazing!
December 23, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2011
A very philosophical approach to an analysis of drawing the figure. Not a step by step book, although the approach is in there if you dig; envelope, refine, render. The author is both a great teacher and artist.
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