Loomis-An Excellent Resource for Developing Artists
July 21, 2009
Not surprisingly there are labels given to artists that describe their state of development, their place on the totem pole. There are student artists, emerging artists, artists to watch, and master artists to name a few. I suppose, or least I hope, that out of all the different labels given to artists, the one I will never outgrow is developing artist. I never want to stop learning, growing and accumulating knowledge. Discovery and new understanding are central to the adventure of being an artist. With understanding and practice we reach new plateaus, without one or the other progress is slower. Finding a new book, or in most cases an old one, is like unearthing a precious gem. One such precious gem that I am quickly wearing out the pages of is Andrew Loomis’ Creative Illustration.
Loomis (1892-1959) was born in New York but spent most of his adult life in Chicago working as an illustrator. He authored six (6) books which continue to influence realist artists today. Loomis’ family owns the rights to his books but has not expressed any intention to republish them. Used copies of the books seem readily available online and most of them are expensive. For instance, Drawing the Head and Hands by Andrew Loomis, starts around $125. Creative Illustration, however, is another story. This highly sought after title routinely goes for prices starting at $180 on up. I have seen it priced as high as $950. Another, well written, highly prized Loomis title, Eye of the Painter, is also difficult to find and pricey when you do.
So in tough economic times what’s a starving artist to do? Take heart there are viable alternatives. There are a couple of places online where the books can be downloaded for free. Click here for one and here for another. Download the pdf to your computer or a disk. I downloaded to a disk which I took to a local printer. He printed Creative Illustration and bound it for me for less than $50. This way I don’t have to sit at a computer or laptop to read it. I can enjoy it the old fashion way. (With a flashlight in bed!)
Creative Illustration really is a great book. Although directed toward illustrators there is nothing in the book which would be dispensable for fine artists. Loomis sets forth the truths of visual representation couched in a basis for approach called “The Form Principle”. Then the function of such concepts as Line, Tone, Color are explained as they pertain to the form principle. But he doesn’t stop there. Loomis also goes in depth offering techniques for developing ideas, practice and study.
It’s my intention to use the next few articles to highlight this formidable and definitive text as I read through it.
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[...] his book, Creative Illustration, the famous illustrator Andrew Loomis put it this [...]
[...] approach have been passed down from artist to artist and generation to generation. In his book, Creative Illustration, Andrew Loomis gave the organization of these truths the name Form Principle. He defines The Form Principle [...]
[...] authors who were speaking. Penny knew their work. I didn’t. Unless John F. Carlson and Andrew Loomis were making posthumous appearances there would be no authors I knew. It was a Saturday well [...]