Kimon Nicolaides - The Natural Way to Draw

Many readers will find Kimon Nicolaides' book too wordy, and the requirement to do hours of gestural drawing may put them off following through the work. However, 'The Natural Way to Draw' offers many useful insights into the drawing process, so may be of interest for those looking to take further steps in figure drawing. Tertiary art teachers will find it a useful resource for class projects, as it covers a broad range of technical and expressive ideas.

The most off-putting thing about 'The Natural Way to Draw' is the premise that it will be a year-long course of study; when you get to the page that instructs you to 'draw for three hours as per shedule 1D' you feel there is no way you'll ever finish the book. Its important to remember then that this isn't a highschool text, nor is Kimon Nicolaides your teacher - you are your own teacher, and you are free to use this book as you choose. If you don't have three hours to spare, one will have to do. If you want to move on to the next chapter, do so. Make realistic judgements about whether you have grasped the idea, and move on at your own pace. 'The Natural Way to Draw' covers most of the key concepts in drawing - contour, gesture, cross contour, weight and modeling, structure and design. It has a great many exercises and is illustrated with student works as well as Old Master drawings. Kimon Nicolaides' lessons tend to focus on gesture and action, feeling and expression, which may be of interest to readers who are trying to develop these aspects of their art. However, if you are a beginner looking to develop basic skills, you'll find that the technique can be too difficult to separate from the rest of the dense text.