Drawing Made Easy: Lifelike Heads: Discover your "inner artist" as you learn to draw portraits in graphite

This is the book that can teach anyone to draw (yes, even you!)

If you're not getting the kind of true-to-life results you want in your drawings (or if you can't even draw a straight line), Carrie and Rick Parks can help. As award-winning teachers, they have a proven game plan for helping artists of all levels overcome common problems and see immediate improvement in their work. As professional composite artists, they know the tricks and tools for achieving incredibly lifelike results. In this friendly, foolproof guide to drawing, they share it all:

• Easy-to-master techniques for achieving a convincing sense of depth
• How to draw challenging textures like metal and fur
• Putting personality into your portraits
• 40+ step-by-step demonstrations featuring a variety of people, animals and nature

Learn how to turn what you see into masterful, expressive art. With the practical instruction and advice in these pages, you can develop the skills necessary to draw fine portraits in the realist tradition.

In The Art of Portrait Drawing, skilled artist Joy Thomas passes on to you the lessons she has gathered from generations of the world's greatest artists. Learn about the golden mean, the traditional three-color portrait, the secrets of proportion and more methods used by the Old Masters and today's best artists alike!

Inside you'll find:

• An introduction to every commonly used drawing medium, including charcoal, Conté and graphite
• An illustrated overview of the history of portrait drawing
• Time-honored methods for drawing accurately
• Insights on how to capture not only the likeness, but also the mood and essence of your subject
• Advice on posing a subject, setting up lighting, choosing the right tools and composing effectively
• 9 in-depth, step-by-step drawing demonstrations to develop your skills and your confidence

• Quick and easy step-by-step instructions for drawing everything from simple spheres to apples, trees, buildings, and the human hand and face

• More than 500 line drawings, illustrating each step

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

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

• 75 student examples to help gauge your own progress

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