Originally published under title: The complete drawing course. Philadelphia, Pa. : Running Press, c1993.

"A Quantum book"--T.p. verso.

Includes index.

Foundation Course -- Information Feature: Basic drawing materials -- Materials and marks -- Different ways of looking -- Drawing two dimensions -- Drawing three dimensions -- Information Feature: Color drawing media -- Drawing with color -- Creative uses of color -- Further ways of looking -- Themes and Treatments -- Information Feature: Perspective -- Using perspective -- Altering the scale -- Drawing on location -- Natural forms -- Information Feature: Human proportions -- Drawing a head -- The clothed figure -- Drawing the nude -- Information Feature: Drawing for painting -- Expressive drawing -- Extending the view -- Different Approaches -- Information Feature: Composition -- Drawing as discovery -- Drawing detail -- Drawing from memory -- Drawing movement -- Drawing a likeness -- Drawing from imagination -- Abstraction through drawing -- Drawing through painting -- Medla and Methods -- Pencil and colored pencil -- Pastel and oil pastel -- Charcoal and conte crayon -- Ink drawing techniques -- Mixed media techniques.

This is the school you'll want to attend if you are interested in learning how to draw. You'll be taught one skill after another as you create projects that will help you master the techniques and media, just as you would do in an art school course. Try different methods for seeing and comparing objects -- they will enable you to draw your subjects accurately. Focus on simple still lifes chosen from your everyday environment, moving from two to three dimensions, and learn at your own pace. Begin with monochrome materials, such as conte crayons, graphite sticks, and inks, that produce shades of black and white. Experiment with them -- see the varied marks, smudges, and intensities you can make. Add color to the mix with pastels, markers, and pencils -- soon your pictures take on a new complexity and interest.

Extend your range of subjects to include land-scapes, townscapes, and the human figure. Drawing on the spot outdoors gives you practice in working quickly, and it's exciting because all kinds of things can happen that you may not be aware of until you get home. Then find out some of the most common challenges, as well as how to overcome them. Learn how to create three-dimensional space using perspective, for instance, or how to sketch something larger or smaller than you see it. Even more important, see how to make your own pictures more expressive and personal.

What are the many varied approaches you can take to drawing? An open-ended picture starts with no preconceived notion about either what's to be included or what the ultimate purpose will be, while a detail is concerned only with a single aspect of the subject, such as tone or texture. And a likeness doesn't have to be a portrait -- it can be an instantly recognizable representation of anything you want. When you complete this course, you'll graduate with honors!