Classical Drawing Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice

First off I'd like to say that this book will prove to be very helpful for any artist, ranging from a beginner to a professional and will show you new ways to approach drawing. However if you have studied classical drawing this will prove to be a bit of a let down. I have studied under one of Juliette's instructors and most of her lessons in the back of the book were actually derived from his his. There is one thing however I don't agree with in this book but that wouldn't discourage me from recommending it to others. The problem is that I don't like the way she shows how to draw the casts, its more of an outline that you then go through and work with value rather than working with a line drawing then introducing value. I'm not very found of this technique, but the drawings are very good and there are tons of useful information and great introductory lessons in the back of the book (though there could be more). I would also recommend studying George Bridgman, Gottfried Bammes, Joseph Sheppard, and Robert B. Hale for anatomy and designing the human figure.

At 144 pages, over one-third of which are drawing examples and with wide margins around the text, this is a slim book that covers the past 600 years of atelier philosophy. Or to say it another way, Aristides narrows it down to a nutshell.

Covering briefly a variety of ideas (i.e., art history, art theory, art reference, as well as how-to), each chapter could be expanded to become a book of its own.

The real questions are:
Do you want to buy this book?
Will you refer to it 100 times over the year?
Will you be inspired?
Will you take "anything" away with you after you have read the book?

The answer will depend on your current perceptions and where you are and where you are going as an artist. If you are interested in an overview of atelier philosophy, this would be a good book to begin with.

As a serious amateur artist who takes as many painting and drawing classes as I can, I found this book extremely useful. Aristede provides a brief history that explains how so many of the clasroom practices I have encountered evolved in the first place, and then provides instructions for getting there on one's own. It's a lovely little book. I would recommend it for adult amateurs like myself or young people considering art school and pondering what kind of school to apply to. "Atelier" is a very specific kind of training, like learning classical music the old-fashioned way (scales, practice, etc.) and probably not for everyone.

This book is the most comprehensive on the subject in one place. An excellent reference for concepts of realistic drawing. I did think that some of the philosophy was a bit "off subject", but sometimes it is good to know what the author is thinking when writing. The author is a great living master artist and lets you in on her secret... not just practice, but careful practice and copy the masters.

This is the best book on drawing that I have ever read. EVERY serious art student and aspiring artist should own this book and read it over and over until it's memorized.