Over the last six month I have been buying a number of instructional book on drawing/sketching for reference. I have found this one to be one that I continue to go back to to review approaches to getting started. I would recommend it as a good guide for a beginner -- either to drawing or to starting with charcoal and graphite.

Leon

"Keys to Drawing" by Bert Dodson is one of the first drawing books that I bought after I got back to doing art after a break of over 15 years. It opened my eyes, stimulated my enthusiasm for drawing again and provided me with some really excellent guidelines about what to think about when drawing.

My edition is a North Light Books paperback published in 1990. Amazon indicates the current edition was updated in 2001 and, although I've not seen that I think it unlikely that it departs much from the sound advice provided in earlier editions.

I see the synopsis on Amazon says that it "Describes the drawing process, discusses proportions, light, depth, texture, pattern, design, and imagination, and tells how to evaluate one's work." And it does do all of those things - but it also does a lot more. He has 55 keys to drawing which are introduced as he goes through each of the topics in turn - and he provides lots of practical exercises to see how they can be applied.

It needs to be pointed out that this book is NOT a manual for how to draw in a hyper/photo realism manner - there are other books that do that.

What I like most about this book is it starts by encouraging people who want to develop their drawing to develop their own 'handwriting' for their drawing. Dodson explains:
* how we draw is as individual to us all as how we write.
* all artists combine freedom (intuitive, looser, sketchy drawing) and control (analytical, precise, careful drawing) in their work - they just do it differently
I just loved the idea that this author wanted me to be me - and not like him or somebody else. What's more in illustrating the different ways in which people draw he introduced me to a better understanding of how different master artists, such as Delacroix, Rembrandt, Matisse, Van Gogh, Degas, Morandi and Kollwitz approached their drawing. Consequently I began to understand an awful lot more about how drawing is done and why it looks as it does. What's more the images of their drawings in his book impressed me so much that they have stayed firmly lodged at the front of the drawing bit of my brain over the years.

One of the especially helpful bits about the book is that it encourages the development of self-evaluation right from the start. This means that the things one needs to think about when drawing become internalised that much quicker. It really helps the budding artist to become much more self-reliant and less dependent on others for insight into how they are doing.

This is a book that I can pick up and reread and dip into over and over again and never ever get bored. It's one of the best 'how to' books on drawing that I've ever read and I can highly recommend it to all of you who are:
* interested in the art of drawing,
* wanting to develop your own skill in self-evaluation and/or
* wanting to develop your own individual style of drawing.

Interestingly since first writing this review on my weblog I discovered that lots of my fellow artists also rated this book very highly as well!

I bought the book "Keys To Drawing" for my sis for Christmas, and I wish to be as fair as I can in reviewing this book. First, I'm into photography and took the NYIP correspondence course and have read many articles on photography over the years. I say that because both arts share a lot in capturing light. First I was surprised at the size of the book. It looks like it is the size of a Readers Digest or National Geo. magazine but it is rather large. I agree with those that say the art work is cartoonish or terrible in it. I was suprised that someone that claims to be an artist would fill this book with such poor examples of it. Maybe I just don't get the point, but even a non-artist like myself can see for example a picture of a little boy on the beach has one leg that looks like he has ricketts. A drawing of Laurel and Hardy from models in a wax museum have so much restating that it is hard to even see any facial expressions. A picture of a Florence, Italy building is not even straight. It looks like it was drawn by a somewhat talented 4th grader. I never saw a clear example of a picture taken from rough draft to something you would hang on your wall. There are a few good drawings in it but those were mainly drawn by the students of the author. Hopefully, my sis will get something out of it. I bought it due to the high number of positive reviews. After I got it, I reread them and I guess it is considered a great book, however had I seen this in a store, I would probably have passed over it. I assume the author reads these reports from time to time and my suggestion to him is that in any future books he take a few pictures and complete them so as to show where he was going. Also, I hear that that other highly recommended book is now in spiral format. You might consider that for any future book like this. I don't wish to turn anyone away from buying this book because it might be a great book. I would just suggest you get one from the library and check it out, or be prepaired to return it to Amazon. Because I'm neutral I'm giving this only 3 points. Thanks.

First, let me address a comment written by one reviewer who said this book borrows heavily from Betty Edwards' DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN. Mr. Dodson's book was published in 1985 while Ms. Edwards' book was published in 1989, so that comment is simply not true.

I read Ms. Edwards book first, but quickly became mired in left brain/right brain theory. The first drawing exercise doesn't appear until page 46. In KEYS TO DRAWING, the first exercise is on the 3rd page, with 5 more following in the next 23 pages. I believe you learn to draw by drawing and Mr. Dodson's book certainly delivers in this respect. It is a book to be read with a pad and pencil by your side. The exercises come one after the other, with explanatory text and drawing keys supporting each exercise. I was surprised with the drawings I was able to produce right from the start following the instructions. By the time I had completed this book, I had learned to drawing and it has become a very rewarding hobby. Thank you Bert Dodson.

One night, after struggling with painting for about three years in art college, I suddenly learned to paint. It was amazing, like one of those "Eureka!" moments, where one second you're totally clueless and the next moment, you finally "get it." The following day, I was just as confused about my sudden improvement as my painting teacher was, and could only mumble "I don't know," when he asked me why I was painting well all of a sudden. It was only later when I realized I had learned to paint because of Dodson's book.

Why does Dodson's book work? For one, he demystifies the drawing process. Unlike other books that teach people that drawing is some mysterious, magical process that they can never hope to learn unless they are extremely talented, he encourages readers to believe that anyone can draw. In other words, he shows that drawing is not the possession of the Anointed Few, but a skill that we all can develop, regardless of how little talent we have. (In fact, in the book he presents an early picture of Van Gogh's before he became an art master to show that some of the many famous painters who have been viewed by history as having been born talented were really regular people who got that way by developing their drawing skills from "the very bottom.")

The second reason why this book is terrific is that it's downright practical. There are no other drawing books I know of, with the exception of those written by people like Burne Hogarth, that actually explain so clearly the process of drawing. This book will open your eyes. Even if you never become a brillliant draughstman like da Vinci, just reading this book through once will make you a better drawer.

Thirdly-- and here is the key-- what is so beautiful about his book is that it is a combination of art theory and art instruction WITHOUT the right brain/ left brain jargon of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. As revolutionary as Edward's book was, the biggest problem with it was that it introduced a lot of scientific and psychological verbiage that may have gotten in the way of learning drawing for the absolute beginner. (The best analogy about DOTRSB I can give is that it was like teaching people how to turn on a light bulb by introducing them to the basics of electrical wiring). If you enjoyed that book, yet felt that you needed something that went straight to the point, then Keys to Drawing is the book for you. Dodson's book cuts right to the chase, and in a very relaxed, informal way. The exercises are fun, the advice understandable and practical, and the writing encouraging. I highly advise that anyone hoping to learn to draw read this book; the lessons you'll gain from it will last a life time.

In high school, my best friends were the Artist and the Musician (I was the Writer), and while I learned to produce something approaching music, I was never able to draw anything recognizable. I never wanted to paint in oils or acrylics, or anything that advanced; I just wanted to be able to create good representational drawings and sketches. This apparent artistic inability has been a deep annoyance to me for more than thirty years -- aggravated by all the people who insisted that "anyone can learn to draw." Unable to find a class for adult beginners anywhere, and being the autodidact type, I've tried to teach myself from how-to books. I've read through dozens of them and have spent serious time trying to learn from at least five or six, but none of them turned out to be very useful, at least not to me.

Then I happened across Dodson's book and everything changed. He doesn't spend the whole first chapter describing the tools you need. He doesn't launch into a zen discussion of the "is-ness" of art or play amateur psychologist. He just tells you to sit down, cross your legs, and draw your feet -- and he explains, in very simple terms, just how to go through the process. Look, hold, draw. Look, hold, draw. And it works, it really does. I'm sure all this is old hat to you artists out there, but Dodson is exactly the sort of teacher I've been looking for all these years! There are about fifty exercises on methods and techniques throughout the book and I'm taking my time with them. After three months, I'm about a quarter of way through the book, and my sketch book is looking pretty good. I've learned to restate rather than erase, and I'm getting along just fine with two pencils (HB and 4B) and a Micron pen. I cannot recommend Dodson's methods too highly to anyone who, like me, just wants to learn to draw!

This books has examples that look drawings from a sixties cartoon.. or maybe out of Scooby Doo. I cannot understand the book because of these scraggly drawing examples. Sometimes I wonder if the author knows how to teach drawing if he can't even draw neatly enough in this book!!

I looked over and purchased KEYS TO DRAWING on the recommendation of one of the reviews here. I don't have the resources or time for an art class, but I like to sketch for a few spare minutes a day. The book is perfect for someone like me.

Dodson teaches the basics with an emphasis on relaxation and creativity. You really learn how to think about drawing. His exercises are designed to help you master skills (composition, proportion, shading) rather than the perfection of the end result. Oddly enough, the end result of all of these lessons are more perfect drawings!

Now that I'm finished with the book, I still go back mentally to each of Dobson's lessons to help me through the challenges of creating drawings, and I still work on the exercises. To me, this more than earns a 5 star review.