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  Y

  Learn to draw in 30 days with public television’s favorite drawing teacher.

  ou Can Dra

  Drawing is an acquired skill, not a talent— anyone can learn to draw! All you need is a pencil, a piece of paper, and the willingness to tap into your You Can

  hidden artistic abilities. You Can Draw in 30 Days will teach you the rest. With Emmy award–winning, longtime public television host Mark Kistler as your guide, you’ll learn the secrets of sophisticated three-dimensional renderings, and have fun along the way. Inside you’ll fi nd: w in

  Draw in

  • Quick and easy step-by-step instructions for drawing

  30

  everything from simple spheres to apples, trees,

  buildings, and the human hand and face

  • More than 500 line drawings, illustrating each step Da

  • Time-tested tips, techniques, and tutorials for drawing in 3-D

  ys

  • The 9 Fundamental Laws of Drawing to create the illusion of depth in any drawing

  • 75 student examples to help gauge your own progress The Fun,

  MD DALIM #1119468 11/15/10

  Easy Way

  30 The Fun, Easy Way

  to Learn to Draw

  in One Month or Less

  In just 20 minutes a day for a month, you can learn to draw anything, whether to Learn

  from the world around you or from your own imagination. It’s time to embark on your creative journey. Pick up your pencil and begin today!

  in One

  Month

  or Less

  Days Over 500,000 copies of

  Mark Kistler’s books sold!

  Mark Kistler is one of the most popular and most recognized drawing teachers in the world.

  The longtime public television host of Mark Kistler

  Kistler’s Imagination Station, he is the author of nine books, including the bestselling children’s CYAN

  drawing book, Drawing in 3-D with Mark Kistler.

  He lives near Houston, Texas.

  MAG

  YELO

  www.draw3d.com

  BLK

  $19.00 US / £11.99 / $24.00 CAN

  ART

  DA CAPO PRESS

  Lifelong Books

  A Lifelong Original

  A Member of the Perseus Books Group

  Cover design by Georgia A. Feldman

  www.dacapopress.com

  Cover illustrations © Mark Kistler; Author photograph by Allison Hamacher Mark Kistler Author of Drawing in 3-D

  with Mark Kistler

  Kistler 00 FM_Kistler You Can Draw 10/21/10 11:56 AM Page i YOU CAN

  DRAW

  IN 30 DAYS

  Kistler 00 FM_Kistler You Can Draw 10/21/10 11:56 AM Page ii

  Kistler 00 FM_Kistler You Can Draw 10/21/10 11:56 AM Page iii Mark Kistlers’

  √

  in

  Draw

  You Can

  ¬

  ±30

  Days

  The Fun, Easy Way

  to Learn to Draw

  in One Month or Less

  A Member of

  the Perseus Books Group

  Kistler 00 FM_Kistler You Can Draw 10/25/10 11:27 AM Page iv Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Da Capo Press was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial capital letters.

  Copyright © 2011 by Mark Kistler

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy-ing, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. For information, address Da Capo Press, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142.

  Set in 11 point Relay Light by the Perseus Books Group Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kistler, Mark.

  You can draw in 30 days : the fun, easy way to learn to draw in one month or less /

  Mark Kistler.—1st ed.

  p. cm.

  ISBN 978-0-7382-1241-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)

  1. Drawing—Technique. I. Title. II. Title: You can draw in thirty days.

  NC730.K57 2011

  741.2—dc22

  2010036712

  Published by Da Capo Press

  A Member of the Perseus Books Group

  www.dacapopress.com

  Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the U.S.

  by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected].

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Kistler 00 FM_Kistler You Can Draw 10/21/10 11:56 AM Page v This book is dedicated to my dear sister Mari (http://mari-kistler.memory-of.com/About.aspx)

  Mari, LOOK! You’re in my book just like I promised you!

  Kistler 00 FM_Kistler You Can Draw 10/21/10 11:56 AM Page vi Contents

  Introduction

  1

  Lesson 1

  The Sphere

  11

  Lesson 2

  Overlapping Spheres

  17

  Lesson 3

  Advanced-Level Spheres

  23

  Lesson 4

  The Cube

  41

  Lesson 5

  Hollow Cubes

  53

  Lesson 6

  Stacking Tables

  63

  Lesson 7

  Advanced-Level Cubes

  73

  Lesson 8

  Cool Koalas

  83

  Lesson 9

  The Rose

  89

  vi

  Kistler 00 FM_Kistler You Can Draw 10/21/10 11:56 AM Page vii Lesson 10

  The Cylinder

  99

  Lesson 11

  Advanced-Level Cylinders

  105

  Lesson 12

  Constructing with Cubes

  111

  Lesson 13

  Advanced-Level Houses

  117

  Lesson 14

  The Lily

  123

  Lesson 15

  Contour Tubes

  129

  Lesson 16

  The Wave

  137

  Lesson 17

  Rippling Flags

  143

  Lesson 18

  The Scroll

  149

  Lesson 19

  Pyramids

  153

  Lesson 20

  Volcanoes, Craters, and a Cup of Coffee 157

  CONTENTS

  vii

  Kistler 00 FM_Kistler You Can Draw 10/21/10 4:26 PM Page viii Lesson 21

  Trees

  163

  Lesson 22

  A Room in One-Point Perspective

  171

  Lesson 23

  A City in One-Point Perspective

  179

  Lesson 24

  A Tower in Two-Point Perspective

  185

  Lesson 25

  A Castle in Two-Point Perspective

  193

  Lesson 26

  A City in Two-Point Perspective

  203

  Lesson 27

  Lettering in Two-Point Perspective

  211

  Lesson 28

  The Hu
man Face

  217

  Lesson 29

  The Human Eye of Inspiration

  227

  Lesson 30

  Your Hand of Creativity!

  233

  viii

  CONTENTS

  Kistler 00 FM_Kistler You Can Draw 10/21/10 11:56 AM Page 1

  Introduction

  C ongratulations! If you’ve picked up

  this book, you are exploring the possi-

  bility that perhaps, just maybe, you

  really could learn to draw.

  Guess what? You’re right! Even if you

  have little or no previous drawing experience,

  and even if you don’t believe you have natural

  talent, if you can find a few pencils and

  twenty minutes a day for thirty days, you can

  learn to draw amazing pictures. Yes, you have

  found the right teacher. And yes, you have

  found the right book.

  Welcome to my world of creative possibil-

  ities. You will learn to create realistic renderings of everything from photos to landscapes from the world you see around you and to draw three-dimensional pictures entirely from your imagination. I know this is a big claim filled with enormous promise. I’m aware that you may be skeptical and wondering how I can make such a statement. The simplest way for me to qualify my teaching confidence is to share with you my past student success stories.

  Drawing as a Learned Skill

  During the last thirty years, I’ve taught millions of people how to draw during my extensive travels

  around the country and through my television shows, websites, and videos. Many children have grown up watching my drawing lessons on public television and have gone on to pursue careers in illustration, animation, fashion design, 1

  Kistler 00 FM_Kistler You Can Draw 10/21/10 4:26 PM Page 2

  design engineering, and architecture. I have alumni students who have helped design the International Space Station, NASA’s Space Shuttle, and Mars Exploration Rovers and others who have worked on

  animation megafilm projects such as Shrek, Madagascar, Flushed Away, The Incredibles, Happy Feet, and A Bug’s Life.

  But here’s a secret—learning is learning

  and drawing is drawing, no matter how old

  you are. My techniques work for adults just

  as well as they work for kids—I know this,

  because I’ve taught thousands of adults as

  well. In this book, I will introduce sophisticated concepts and complex drawing theories in a simple, By Kimberly McMichael

  easy-to-follow way, but because I’m a kid at heart, I will not cut back on any of the fun that I believe drawing must be.

  I am a cartoon illustrator by trade, but these lessons will give you the basic skill set that will enable you to draw three-dimensionally in any style (realistic drawings, photograph studies, portraits) or medium (oil paints, watercolors, pastels).

  I will teach you how to draw using the same step-by-step, follow-along method that has proven successful for all my students. I will focus almost exclusively on what I call the “Nine Fundamental Laws of Drawing,” beginning with basic shapes, shading, and positioning, all the way through more advanced perspective, copying from photos, and drawing from life. These basic concepts, discovered and refined during the Italian Renaissance, have enabled artists to create three-dimensional renderings for more than five hundred years. I will teach you these basics, one key term at a time, one step at a time, one line at a time. I believe that anyone can learn how to draw; it is a learnable skill like reading or writing.

  The Nine Fundamental Laws of Drawing create the illusion of depth. They are as follows:

  1.

  Foreshortening: Distort an object to create the illusion that one part of it is closer to your eye.

  2. Placement: Place an object lower on the surface of a picture to make it appear closer to your eye.

  3. Size: Draw an object larger to make it appear closer to your eye.

  4. Overlapping: Draw an object in front of another object to create the visual illusion that it is closer to your eye.

  5. Shading: Draw darkness on an object opposite the positioned light source to create the illusion of depth.

  2

  YOU CAN DRAW IN 30 DAYS

  Kistler 00 FM_Kistler You Can Draw 10/21/10 11:57 AM Page 3

  6. Shadow: Draw darkness on the ground next to the object, opposite the positioned light source, to create the illusion of depth.

  7.

  Contour lines: Draw curving lines wrapping around the shape of a round object to give it volume and depth.

  8. Horizon line: Draw a horizontal reference line to create the illusion that objects in the picture are varying distances from your eye.

  9. Density: Create the illusion of distance by drawing objects lighter and with less detail.

  It is impossible to draw a three-dimensional image without applying one or more of these fundamental laws. These nine tools are foundational elements, never changing, always applicable, and totally transferable.

  In addition to the Nine Fundamental Laws of Drawing, there are three principles to keep in mind: attitude, bonus details, and constant practice. I like to call them the

  “ABCs of Successful Drawing.”

  1.

  Attitude: Nourishing your “I can do this” positive attitude is a crucial part of learning any new skill.

  2. Bonus details: Add your own unique ideas and observations to your drawing to make it truly your own expression.

  3. Constant practice: Repeated daily application of any new learned skill is absolutely necessary for successful mastery of the skill.

  Without exercising these three principles, you will not be able to grow as an artist.

  Each one is essential to your creative development.

  In this book, we’ll also focus on how the Nine Laws are applied to the four basic

  “molecules,” or building blocks, of three-dimensional drawing: the sphere, the cube, the cylinder, and the cone.

  INTRODUCTION

  3

  Kistler 00 FM_Kistler You Can Draw 10/25/10 10:36 AM Page 4

  You Can Learn to Draw

  With each lesson, I will be introducing new information, terms, and techniques, but I also will be repeating definitions and applications you’ve previously learned. In fact, I’ll be repeating myself so often that you will undoubtedly start to think, “This guy sure repeats himself a lot!” But I have found that repetition, review, and practice produce success—and they also keep you from having to jump out of your lesson to hunt for the original explanation.

  The biggest criticism I have received in thirty years of teaching is, “You are teaching students to copy exactly what you are drawing! Where’s the originality?

  Where’s the creativity in that?” I’ve heard this comment countless times and always from a critic who has never drawn a lesson from my books, classes, website, or public television series. My response to this is always the same: “Have you ever tried to draw a lesson with me?” “No.” “Here, sit down with this pencil and this ‘rose’ lesson, right here at this table, for twenty minutes. In twenty minutes, after you complete this lesson, I’ll answer that question for you.”

  Most critics walk away, but a few adventurous souls actually do sit down and draw this “rose” lesson. For these idea explorers, the possibility lightbulb could almost be seen shining over their heads as they leaned over the table, drawing the rose.

  The point I’m trying to make here is that to learn how to draw, a person first has to draw. A student has to be inspired to actually pick up a pencil and make lines on a blank sheet of paper. Many people I meet are truly terrified of this idea. That blank sheet of paper is an unsolvable problem that only talented artists can master, they think. But the truth is that learning how to draw with the Nine Fundamental Laws of Drawing will give By Steven Pitsch, Jr.

  you a solid
foundation of confidence, which will enable you to enjoy drawing as a personal form of creative expression.

  We all, every single one of us, loved to draw when we were toddlers. We drew on everything! We drew on paper, on tables, on windows, in pudding, in peanut butter . . . everything. All of us were born with this amazing gift of confidence and creativity. Every picture that we drew was a masterpiece in our minds. The castle with the flying dragon was a perfect illustration of medieval action. Our parents strengthened this confidence with encouraging comments like, “So, little Marky, tell me about this wonderful drawing!” Somewhere along the way, sometime between the third and sixth grade, a few people began to say to us, “That doesn’t look like a castle with a dragon flying over it! It looks like a pile of poop (or some other unflat-4

  YOU CAN DRAW IN 30 DAYS

  Kistler 00 FM_Kistler You Can Draw 10/25/10 10:36 AM Page 5

  tering comment).” Slowly over time, enough negative comments eroded our amazing artistic confidence to the point that we began to believe that we just didn’t have the “talent” to draw or paint or create. We moved on to other interests, believing for decades that we couldn’t draw.

  So here we are together now with this book. I will prove that you can learn how to draw by:

  1.

  Inspiring you to pick up a pencil again.

  2. Sharing with you immediate success in drawing simple three-dimensional objects that actually look like the three-dimensional objects that you set out to draw.

  3. Rekindling that amazing artistic self-confidence that has been dormant in you for decades by slowly, incrementally, introducing you to easily digestible bits of the “science”

  behind drawing as you experience one wonderful successful lesson after another.

  Now, back to the critic’s question, “Where is the creativity in copying exactly what I draw?” I sometimes answer, “Did you copy and trace letters of the alphabet in first grade?”

  Of course, we all did. That is how we learned how to confidently write our letters. We then learned how to write words and put them together to make sentences: “See Mark run!” Then we put the sentences together to make paragraphs, and finally we put the paragraphs together to create stories. It’s simply the logical progression of learning a communication skill. I take this same progression in teaching the visual communication skill of drawing. You never hear anyone say that they can’t write a letter, a recipe, or a “Meet me at Starbucks” note because they just do not have the “talent” to write. This would be silly.

 

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