... honestly I did not read it yet, but I did take art classes that were derived from the book, and I was amazed at how some of the techniques (though unorthodox) come out to be pretty good exercises as well as drawings. I just never had the time to continue with them on my own. Not very helpful of a review, is it? well these are my few words, the rest is up to you.

Hi,
I purchased this book for my 17 years young son who is preparing for design institute's entrance test. After going through the book I can surely say, " anyone who wants to learn Drawing must first read this book from cover to cover".
As this book rightly says " seeing is more difficult then drawing" and the book also teaches you how to observe.
I suggest this book for anyone who wants to learn drawing.

I purchased this book for my daughter, who is at art school. It is her required textbook and she uses it in unison with a companion workbook-also by Betty Edwards. We found the books on Amazon and the money that we saved was remarkable. My daughter enjoys the Edwards approach to art instruction and the workbook has also been a tremendous help. The workbook was not required, but I purchased it for her based on the positive reviews that I found on Amazon-with Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. We are both very pleased and I highly reccomend both/all books by Betty Edwards/Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, etc.,.

This book does an excellent job at one thing only: it explains how to shift from drawing what you think you see to drawing what you see. And it does that well, providing some helpful practice exercises. As such, I recommend this book to beginners who want to draw well but who feel stuck at the third-grade level.

But for anyone who's gotten past that hurdle, I would avoid this book. The cover is telling. It features a drawing made by Edwards herself. It's realistic, but it has no life, no passion. It invites no curiosity or feeling. It's dead, and aesthetically unappealing as well.

The reason becomes clear as you read the book: Edwards advocates drawing only what you see. Edwards claims that you don't need to understand the rules of perspective, or know much about anatomy. You just switch off the part of your mind that interprets what the eye sees, and mindlessly copy the optical patterns, like tracing a photograph. But great artists do the opposite. They look for the essence of the subject and try to represent that essence artfully. Great artists achieve feeling in their work by controlling, shaping, emphasizing, composing, exaggerating, minimizing, focusing, balancing, etc. -- all skills that are beyond Edwards' aspirations.

The new edition provides a good, lengthy explanation of how to represent shape and lighting via shading. But her inclusion of this material serves to highlight her inconsistency in excluding the topic of perspective. If understanding the rules of shading helps you better interpret what you're seeing and better render what you want to show, then why wouldn't understanding the rules of perspective do the same?

If you don't understand perspective, you can't adjust the angle of a building to suit the composition better. You certainly can't invent imaginary worlds.

Edwards' use of the left-brain/right-brain paradigm strikes me as irrelevant, unproven, and inconsistent. As other reviewers have noted, it adds nothing to the usefulness of the book.

It's ironic, but the book leads me to suspect that the right brain is actually the problem, not the cure. It seems that our minds automatically and unconsciously process raw visual information, and present to our conscious mind an interpretation of what we're seeing. For example, when we see one similar object appear smaller than the other, in conjunction with other cues, we believe it's farther away. For the beginning artist, the problem is bypassing the interpretation (we know that both objects are the same size) and rendering on paper the raw visual image (the farther object appears smaller). It may actually be the right brain that performs this unwanted visual interpretation that the practiced artist learns to bypass, and the dishonored left brain that can see past the interpretation!

I agree with the author on most points, but she wastes too much time indoctrinating converts with her nifty science of brain processing.

I'm impatient with authors who inflate and bloat their books to reach a specific page count publishers prefer. The essential information gets buried in the unnecessary noise. Make it lean and mean and use the extra pages for a coloring book of the book's salient points.

I decided that I wanted to try to learn how to draw again. Years ago I picked up a couple of "learn to draw books" and was then convinced that you had to be "born with it" to draw. I recieved this book and the exercises convinced me that I could learn to draw. No one had talked about a "picture plane" before and I never experienced it before. I learn better with instruction, and this book gave me the confidence to enroll in an introductory class at SCAD. The instructor, Thomas Key, was absolutely great, and I have been drawing a picture a day ever since, even if it is just, "an apple a day". If it were not for this book I would have never enrolled in a drawing class. It opened my eyes to a new way of looking at things.

I've heard that my whole life and never understood that artist draw with their eyes - - until this book. Betty Edwards is like an evangelist for proclaiming this message, and I found out that she's right!

The problem is that we usually think of art as something magical, given at birth to a select few; but the reality is that anyone can draw. I found this out a couple of years ago at a course based on the book at the local senior center. I took the course because I have always loved art, and even if I could only do stick men, I would at least learn to appreciate the great artists more. Well, I found out I could actually draw! I could even do faces that looked recognizable as to who they represented. I was amazed and happy!

Betty Edwards says the key is using your right brain instead of your left brain to draw. Your right brain sees things as they actually are and the left brain sees symbols that represent things instead. The trick is getting into `R-mode' and she has several strategies for doing so: such as painting something upside down, and something called contour drawing. I'll let you read the book for details, but it actually works! She says her book is probably the first practical application of Nobel-prize winning Dr. Roger Speer's studies on the functions of the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

I can't recommend this book too strongly!

This is an excellent book to use when learning to draw, or as a means of "seeing" what you want to draw.

i used this book and it help me improve my drawing skill. i also recommend another book called "How to Think like Leonardo Da Vinci."

I am not experienced in the art of drawing and this book has been a tremendous help to me. I find that I can draw much better than i thought. I highly recommend this book.

One of the reviews I read on Amazon prior to the purchase of this book, suggested to also read Drawing for Older Children & Teens by Mona Brookes. Which is also for adults. I took this suggestion, and am doing just that. If you discard all of the verbose brain-talk in this book, the information, instruction, and exercises are great. I am about 2/3rds of the way through both books. So far, I prefer the book by Brookes over this one. This is not the type of drawing instruction which is filled with a lot of drawings, sketches and step-by-step visuals for completing the drawing. But, it is a good supplement to those types of instruction.

I don't know why the neg reviewers on here are bowing down to The "Natural Way to Draw," like it was written by some genius guru. There's a reason "Natural Way to Draw" is listed waaay down on the Amazon rank (almost 5,000 down) compared to this book, "New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" .... meh.

If you tell yourself any of these things, this book is for you:

* I can't draw
* I can barely draw stick people
* I wish I could draw
* I wish I were artistic

(etc etc)

If you think you've ALREADY developed some natural talent and are trying to hone your skills, consider skipping this book and picking up "Natural Way to Draw" by Nicolaides.

Let's put it this way:

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain = Complete Noob to drawing

Natural Way to Draw = Noob v 2.0

My college art instructor tried to tell his class about drawing on the right side of the brain but he could not explain it nearly as well as this book does. The exercises contained in the book are very helpful to art students.

What I need is is a solid week to let myself enjoy this book's method.

I originally read the 1st edition, and bought this highly revised edition.

One telling line from the first edition that is missing: "I would look at what I wanted to draw until 'that' happened, and then I would draw ..." Dr. Edwards describes this as the left brain-right brain shift.

Whatever.

I only know that, until it happens, my drawing style resembles stickmen. Afterwards, I think I might have a chance.

My only (personal) problem is that my own mind is time-centric, and regulated by its own internal clock.

What I really need it to take this book and sketching supplies, and find a week to learn to relax again. The following week I'll pick up the pencil and let my overactive, speaking mind have a holiday and I'll draw.

Left brain/right brain. The parlance was set three decades past. Use this book to truly see, and technique will follow.

Recommended.

wow...First I just wanted some book to improve my drawing skills and after buying this i just cant imagine the way i improved my skills thanks to Dr.Edwards and her team for such a wonderful creation.This is just like a crah course which has changed my skills so rapidly and the examples given are so good that a beginner can also understand what drawing is all about and how to use the rght hand part of the brain in a proper way.

On the positive side...

The book is written for the adult with limited drawing skills. It has many useful exercises to help these beginners overcome their misconceptions and learning difficulties. I can assure readers of this review that this book greatly improved my drawing skills. Before this book my art skills would be rated as pathetic and now I can draw well enough that my sketches of people are recognizable (similar to the cover picture!).

On the negative side...

The left/right brain discussions reads more of psycho-babble then any well researched analysis of learning difficulties. Learning difficulties and misconceptions cannot be diagnosed as simply as left and right brain, and her lack of recent pyschological references does not help her case. The few quotes from old pyschology references are not long enough to ensure context. The most recent pyschological references are from the early 80's (this book's copyright date is 1999) and most of these are not from peer-reviewed journals. Furthermore, the author's background does not suggest any great understanding of psychology or workings of the human brain.

Reasoning behind my overall rating...

I gave it 4 out of 5 stars despite the negative aspect for the following reasons...
1) the main purpose of the book is to help people draw not examine the reasons behind learning misconceptions associated with drawing;
2) a book titled "Useful self-graded drawing exercises for the adult beginner" probably would not sell too many copies (unfortunately, in this day and age, it seems authors have to say something way out on a ledge just to sell their books).

In short, I would highly recommend the drawing exercises for any intersted adult novice, but I would also recommend skipping all of the left/right brain analysis and discussions. You do not have to buy into the left/right brain analysis to do these drawing exercises, and one can learn more about learning difficulties from texts not concerned with drawing.

Of course no book on the subject of drawing is going to be a panacea but this one surely provides some unique suggestions for improving drawing skills, at least it did for me and I have been doing illustrations for a long time. I always wondered why I had to be in exactly the right frame of mind to draw, this book explains it. It also gave me some useful techniques to turn on the correct parts of my brain for much easier renderings, and for me much less frustration and increased confidence.

On the positive side...

The book is written for the adult with limited drawing skills. It has many useful exercises to help these beginners overcome their misconceptions and learning difficulties. I can assure readers of this review that this book greatly improved my drawing skills. Before this book my art skills would be rated as pathetic and now I can draw well enough that my sketches of people are recognizable (similar to the cover picture!).

On the negative side...

The left/right brain discussions reads more of psycho-babble then any well researched analysis of learning difficulties. Learning difficulties and misconceptions cannot be diagnosed as simply as left and right brain, and her lack of recent pyschological references does not help her case. The few quotes from old pyschology references are not long enough to ensure context. The most recent pyschological references are from the early 80's (this book's copyright date is 1999) and most of these are not from peer-reviewed journals. Furthermore, the author's background does not suggest any great understanding of psychology or workings of the human brain.

Reasoning behind my overall rating...

I gave it 4 out of 5 stars despite the negative aspect for the following reasons...
1) the main purpose of the book is to help people draw not examine the reasons behind learning misconceptions associated with drawing;
2) a book titled "Useful self-graded drawing exercises for the adult beginner" probably would not sell too many copies (unfortunately, in this day and age, it seems authors have to say something way out on a ledge just to sell their books).

In short, I would highly recommend the drawing exercises for any intersted adult novice, but I would also recommend skipping all of the left/right brain analysis and discussions. You do not have to buy into the left/right brain analysis to do these drawing exercises, and one can learn more about the brain from texts not concerned with drawing.

Intro is somewhat interesting, but the rest of the book was hard to get into. I felt like it was a struggle to enjoy it and understand it. However, what I did get out of the book was useful.

I am basing this review based on an older hardcover edition from 1987. I have not read the newer ones :According to Betty Edwards, drawing involves learning to access the right side of the brain on demand so you will be able to see in the way that is required for drawing realistically.The theory is just that and she says herself is based on empirical evidence - meaning: based on personal experience.If you practice what she teaches you and you apply yourself,you should improve.This has been my experience and that of those I have recommended this book to.Although I must say I could already draw what I saw before I read this book so I cannot tell you what it's like from the point of view of a raw beginner .But it did help me be more consistent.There are some students that get hung up on the theory instead of the practical instructions .The theory is good to know but really is unnecessary, please focus on the practical exercises more.Draw ,draw,draw!Practice definitely makes perfect! My only other complaint is not with the book but the way some teachers teach this book: There are some teachers that have been teaching their students to draw everything from upside down photos EVERYTIME they make a drawing. This is wrong and quite absurd .There is an exercise in this book that asks you to draw a photograph upside down so don't look at it right side up first!But you only do this exercise once.It's to prove a point and is not one of the several practical methods that she teaches so you can activate the right brain mode of seeing so you can draw better.It will work for the purpose intended but is not practical for real world situations.Your teacher does not care about your development as an artist if they teach this way , they are just trying to get fast results without building any real skills.Find a new teacher!Quick!

To those who teach this book like that , I have but one request: Please stand on your head so your incompetent students can draw you.

I found this book to be extremely helpful! I have drawn cartoon characters for my children and others for years but nothing more beyond that... It never occurred to me that I could. I bought this book to learn how to draw in a less "toonish" way and to my surprise the book unlocked my understanding of drawing as well as an ability I would NEVER have expected. I have read the reviews complaining about her "brain" theories but I found them helpful in understanding what I was experiencing while drawing. This book has inspired me to pursue my interest in drawing and most importantly... I am having fun!!! On a side note... I bought the kit, video, book, and workbook. I found everything very helpful although I rarely use the workbook.

I would recommend this book for art students and anyone that would like to draw but lacks the confidence to do so.

This book is for people who never drew well. It has lessons to take you from very bad drawing, to very good drawing. I was in an art class that used this as the text, and I went from very bad drawing, to very good drawing indeed. Art quality drawing, that I was proud of. If you already draw well, this could be boring. If you don't draw well, and want to, this is the best book in its class, of over 100 I have read.

This book is for people who never drew well. It has lessons to take you from very bad drawing, to very good drawing. I was in an art class that used this as the text, and I went from very bad drawing, to very good drawing indeed. Art quality drawing, that I was proud of. If you already draw well, this could be boring. If you don't draw well, and want to, this is the best book in its class, of over 100 I have read.

I was astounded at the 1 star reveiws of this book. Some of these persons I suspect never read the book or are just angry or suspicious.
Many years ago I acquired a copy of the original book. I did nothing with it for a while.
Then inspired by the beautiful drawings in Dinotopia I decided to give it a try.
All my life the art "teachers" I had in grammar school told me I could not draw. My own other attempts as an adult were failures: sterotypic ugly drawings.
This book changed my life. It can change youre too.
then I used the method in the book. My first drawing was 100 times better than anything before. And I got steadily better.
Unlike the claims in the one star review I did not take an "course" to learn to draw: I learned directly from the book. (I did take a couple of life drawing classes years later to improve my skills by studying with other artists)
This method really does work. All one needs to do is read what is suggested and try it. Many of the methods (negative space for example) were not original. But learning to allow the ascendance of the right side does work, and as a benefit is immensley realaxing. The effect is the same as meditation.
I never feel better than when I am drawing.
I cannot recommend this highly enough. You can learn to draw in only a few days. I did it. No classes, instructor needed. Just paper, some pencils, a quiet spot and the will to do it.
This book changed my life. It can change yours too.

I was astounded at the 1 star reveiws of this book. Some of these persons I suspect never read the book or are just angry or suspicious.
Many years ago I acquired a copy of the original book. I did nothing with it for a while.
Then inspired by the beautiful drawings in Dinotopia I decided to give it a try.
All my life the art "teachers" I had in grammar school told me I could not draw. My own other attempts as an adult were failures: sterotypic ugly drawings.
This book changed my life. It can change youre too.
then I used the method in the book. My first drawing was 100 times better than anything before. And I got steadily better.
Unlike the claims in the one star review I did not take an "course" to learn to draw: I learned directly from the book. (I did take a couple of life drawing classes years later to improve my skills by studying with other artists)
This method really does work. All one needs to do is read what is suggested and try it. Many of the methods (negative space for example) were not original. But learning to allow the ascendance of the right side does work, and as a benefit is immensley realaxing. The effect is the same as meditation.
I never feel better than when I am drawing.
I cannot recommend this highly enough. You can learn to draw in only a few days. I did it. No classes, instructor needed. Just paper, some pencils, a quiet spot and the will to do it.
This book changed my life. It can change yours too.

Whatever eventual outcome of research into right-left brain functions may be, the fact will remain that drawing is a facility that stems from the spacial relationships that the human brain perceives in the same way that reading is a facility that stems from the abstractions that the human brain makes.

Meanwhile, Edwards uses the right-versus-left theory as a touchstone to good effect in her attempt to instruct the artistic way of seeing to those living in a culture that defines cognition almost wholly in linguistic and mathematical terms.

It is a sad commentary on the state of our education system in the United States -- and indeed, on our whole idea of that which education consists -- that students are not introduced to these techniques in primary school, and well-versed in them by the end of secondary school.

Home schoolers, take note.

The results obtained by students of any age will be a revelation -- not to mention a satisfaction -- to those who take the time to work through Edwards' exercises. The road to becoming an artist -- or perhaps more specifically a draughtsman in the classical tradition -- starts here, with the ability to realistically draw shapes as seen, with a basic grasp of shading and perspective, and with the capacity to draw recognizable portraits from life.

But as others have pointed out, the road does not end here. Far from it.

For an introduction to the would-be artist's road ahead, after instruction along the lines of Edwards' -- with an invaluable discussion of line-drawing versus mass drawing, in light of which, an excellent exercise for the transition from pencils to paint is presented -- check out Harold Speed's classic The Practice and Science of Drawing. For surveys of artistic anatomy and its importance to the primary artistic skill of figure drawing (along with much else), check out Robert Beverly Hale's Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters: 100 Great Drawings Analyzed, Figure Drawing Fundamentals Defined and Master Class in Figure Drawing.

As Hale points out, gaining the skills that the masters had -- of drawing realistic human and animal likenesses, from memory, in accurate perspectives and within compelling compositons -- will take practice, practice and more practice. Around 2000 drawings would represent a good start -- without taking a whole other aspect of art into account at all, namely color.

No small task indeed, but rather, the training required of a profession. (And one for which, according to commentary on a DVD I heard recently, Hollywood, of all places, is crying out.)

The original "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" was my text book for high school art class. I've gone through the whole book twice and since used it in teaching others to draw. It is an excellent book for all levels of skill, if you feel that you can't draw or if you have natural talent. The step-by-step instruction and exercises are clear and well researched. This book has been tested and used, and it theories and methods are sound.

A good reference book whitch will take a long time to study and achieve my goals

This book is really great. I always thought drawing was pure innate talent,
and that I could never draw faces, but I started reading, practising, and I already feel some improvement.

This is a very helpful book. The concept of focusing on negative spaces is especially useful. I learned facts about positioning of facial features that I never would have discovered on my own. With the book's help, I produced drawings far better than I imagined I could.

Great job sending came sooner than I expected would like to order again in the future. Keep up the great job.

A long time ago I bought a copy of this book. The new-agey parts didn't appeal to me, although I liked the exercises themselves. Some of them were very similar to things I'd done in art school. But I wasn't really interested in rehashing that stuff, and I was more interested in drawing things from my imagination than from life, and with good reason: I was an editorial cartoonist. So I put the book away for a while.

Then a friend of mine who couldn't draw showed me some drawings she had made after taking a class based on the exercises from the book. They were good! I then met a cousin who had learned to draw with a similar course. After that, I started lending my copy of the book out. It's helped several of my friends learn the basics, and they've lent it to their friends, who have also learned the basics from it. I don't know where my copy is now, but I hope someone is making good use of it.

What I'm trying to say is that if you are already artistically inclined or trained, this book probably won't help you. However, if you feel you "can't draw," the exercises in this book will be a huge eye-opener. It will teach you that you can do more than you ever imagined, which can be quite an empowering thing. I highly recommend it. And if you feel you can't get anything out of it yourself, give it to someone else. I can't imagine a better gift.

As for those who commented that there are no intermediate drawing samples between the poor first attempts and the wonderful drawings made after a lesson, I have to say I've seen the program in action, and it really does take just one lesson to go from one to the other. The transformations are that astounding.

This is one of my favorite books!!!! I recommend it to everybody I can!!! This is a must!!!!!!

I bought it for my niece because she loved it so much and found it amazingly good.

After having read an article about the original book in a Readers digest, I ordered it and yes, it taught me how to draw. My sincere thanks goes to Betty Edwards.
Like most people, I am not naturally gifted in drawing, but this taught me that I can now do it. It is a skill you master because you learn how to 'see' without letting your preconceived ideas get in the way.
Being able to draw portraits is like performing magic, as far as I am concerned.
What else could we be able to do if only we were taught the correct way?

Excellent book. Recommended to me by very accomplished artist. I have not finished the book or the exercises in the book, but already feel that my drawing has improved from being able to SEE images more realistically.The book did have a printing error in which several pages were repeated and some were left out, but apparently this is not common and Bellwether books immediately sent me an additional copy. Excellent service by Bellwether books and I would use them again for my book purchases.

Excellent for people who think they can't draw. YOU CAN!!! It's a skill that you can learn and this book can help to give you the confidence to know how to start.

I remember my first acquaintance with the two classics of drawing, "The Natural Way to Draw," (NWD) declared by the Whole Earth Catalog to be "not only the best how-to book on drawing, but the best how-to book on any subject," and "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" (DRSB).

I couldn't speak for the Nicolaïdes book, as it involved far too much effort for what would be a secondary hobby for me, and I set it aside forever. The Edwards book, however, was much more accessible and impressed me with its promise of unlocking some hidden inner talent, and I did get something out of it.

Web searches show that both books have their accolades among competent artists.

Enter Bruce R. Bain, a reviewer who has panned both books mercilessly. So I checked his reviews for what he does like and tried it: Jack Hamm's books. It turns out that I now agree with Mr. Bain: the Jack Hamm books have been far more useful to me.

Where NWD would have us do an ungodly amount of scribbling and DRSB is loaded with New Age incantations, Hamm's books have an amazing amount of examples, illustrations, techniques and concrete advice. You will not have to learn to shift into "right brain mode," which I simply call being absorbed by what you're doing, it will happen automatically. I am convinced that with the same amount of time and effort, the Hamm books will reward far better and faster than either of the other two.

DRSB now strikes me as more placebo than actual instruction. If you need a shot of confidence, if you need some magic formula to unlock your inner artist, then DRSB may well be for you. However, if you know that drawing involves skills that you, like anyone else, can learn, then there are better books out there that actually teach those skills.

A couple of the Jack Hamm books:
Drawing Scenery: Landscapes and Seascapes
Drawing the Head and Figure

A clearly laid out process to allow you to learn to draw by yourself and one that actually works. It's logically organized and developed to allow those of us who are artistically challenged to do some decent looking drawings in a relatively short time.

Completeing the exercises in this book will make you very amazed at what you can do!

This book really helps you to think outside of the box and to open new doors to creative thinking! The video classes are a little on the dry side but the information is definitely worth the experience...

The techniques, tips and basic explanations are great. Amazingly, you can teach yourself to significantly improve your drawing just by reading this book. On that account, I recommend it. However, I could do without the lengthy explanations (an entire chapter in one instance) justifying the switching from left-to-right brain teaching method. They are written as if Edwards had to justify her method to the academic, peer-reviewing audience, whereas most people buying this book do not fall into that category. The method is basic and easily understood, and the repeated explanations become annoying. I ended up skipping several sections and just going from exercise to exercise.

The techniques, tips and basic explanations are great. Amazingly, you can teach yourself to significantly improve your drawing just by reading this book. On that account, I recommend it. However, I could do without the lengthy explanations (an entire chapter in one instance) justifying the switching from left-to-right brain teaching method. They are written as if Edwards had to justify her method to the academic, peer-reviewing audience, whereas most people buying this book do not fall into that category. The method is basic and easily understood, and the repeated explanations become annoying. I ended up skipping several sections and just going from exercise to exercise.

My drawing ability was 5 year old standard. I am halfway through the book and can now draw quite well. I do not expect to become a da Vinci but at least I can now pick up a pencil with some confidence.

it's honestly the best book i've ever read so far.it's exactly what i was looking for in an artbook!a definite MUST-have!!!

Betty Edwards has given me a book I can use not only for my art work, but for everyday decision making.

This book has much insight on how the brain works. It is a very helpful tool. The exercises contained inside will take your creativity to the next level. Highly recommended !!! I bought 3 , 1 for me and 2 to give out to friends.

Ok, I love this book. I would be the first to say that I can't draw. Well, this books makes me a liar:) This book makes you realize that it's easy to say you can't do something, if you don't try doing it the right way. Who would have thought that there was a methodology to drawing? I didn't, but after reading and using the techniques in this book, my drawing has improved by 100%. I strongly encourage this book for anyone who thinks that they can't draw, or need to spruce up their skills. It's excellent!

Recommended by "real" art teachers. This book explains how we draw and focuses us on making more time to draw.