Drawing the Art-science Connection Pens Pencils and Neurons

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 · 11 ratings  · 6 reviews

Start your review of Drawing: The Art-Science Connection: Pens, Pencils, and Neurons

Apr 15, 2016 Julie rated it really liked it

a book that would most likely serve some kind of introductory drawing course quite well. light reading for the seasoned artist.

I never really knew art-science was a field of study until I read this book. I already knew music-science was a flourishing field, see this spellbinding book about music-science . perhaps what demonstrated to me the legitimacy of art-science was the impressive amount of citations within this text. I was not expecting this book, offered to me through a relative of the a

a book that would most likely serve some kind of introductory drawing course quite well. light reading for the seasoned artist.

I never really knew art-science was a field of study until I read this book. I already knew music-science was a flourishing field, see this spellbinding book about music-science . perhaps what demonstrated to me the legitimacy of art-science was the impressive amount of citations within this text. I was not expecting this book, offered to me through a relative of the author, to be so academically oriented - a pleasant surprise as previously I had never read an academic art book. anyway, the author here clearly has a case for preserving the arts as his selected citations show.

I found the beginning and end of the book most interesting - especially the portions on how a child slowly evolves their drawing skills. the middle parts concerning different drawing techniques were old news to me. however, I will say I thought the way techniques such as stippling or hatching for example were very well explained. you can tell the author knows how to teach people as most of the book reads like a university lecture or conversation between the reader and author. my only disappointment with this book was that I was hoping for more writing about what actually happens in the brain when we draw - not necessarily when we look at art. there are also a vast amount of silly typos in this book that should have been caught by the editor.

I think the diamond lining of this book is that nearly all the illustrations were drawn by the author - certainly a special touch. I'd recommend this for those who actively draw or those who have an interest in learning to draw.

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Jun 24, 2015 Mary Beth rated it really liked it

I received this book as a gift from Goodreads. Architect and artist, Richard T. Banks, teaches the fascinating details of the human mind and its relationship to art. Practical tips for both artist and viewer on how the mind perceives shading, dimension and detail. The author is obviously fascinated by these human ways of seeing and shares that enthusiasm in a readable and understandable manner. Filled with drawings to demonstrate his points, this book was most helpful even to the non-artist to h I received this book as a gift from Goodreads. Architect and artist, Richard T. Banks, teaches the fascinating details of the human mind and its relationship to art. Practical tips for both artist and viewer on how the mind perceives shading, dimension and detail. The author is obviously fascinated by these human ways of seeing and shares that enthusiasm in a readable and understandable manner. Filled with drawings to demonstrate his points, this book was most helpful even to the non-artist to help explain why certain "tricks" of painters both delight and reassure the viewer. I have happily shared this book with an artist friend who has recovered from a stroke and expect her to appreciate the information even more deeply as she comes to see how our brains are wired for visual stimulation. ...more

Jun 23, 2015 Quetzi Fernald rated it really liked it

This book was a hard book for me to read therefore I needed time to read it slowly to contemplate & absorb all the pointers it can give me as an artist. What I liked about this book are all the illustrations that are in it that help you see what the Science part of it is talking about.
Sometimes I felt overwhelmed with so many facts but all in all it's a great book to read for artists & non artists so as to learn more about how our brains work when viewing objects & expressing it on paper. It's n This book was a hard book for me to read therefore I needed time to read it slowly to contemplate & absorb all the pointers it can give me as an artist. What I liked about this book are all the illustrations that are in it that help you see what the Science part of it is talking about.
Sometimes I felt overwhelmed with so many facts but all in all it's a great book to read for artists & non artists so as to learn more about how our brains work when viewing objects & expressing it on paper. It's not an easy read, but it was worth it. Most people feel that art is not important, but this book shows the time & thought that goes in to each object d'art that is made.
Yet there is still so much we need to learn. This is just the tip of the iceberg. ...more

I won this book in GoodReads giveways in exchange for an honest review.

I had given my name to GoodReads giveaways for this book because my husband is an artist, and it seemed to me that it would be appropriate for him. But he does not read in English. So I read the book thinking that if there was a more likely part to help him draw better, I would translate it to him.

However, this book is more about the neurophysiology of vision, the way our brain interprets what it sees and how one can render w

I won this book in GoodReads giveways in exchange for an honest review.

I had given my name to GoodReads giveaways for this book because my husband is an artist, and it seemed to me that it would be appropriate for him. But he does not read in English. So I read the book thinking that if there was a more likely part to help him draw better, I would translate it to him.

However, this book is more about the neurophysiology of vision, the way our brain interprets what it sees and how one can render well on paper what our brain interpreted. I'm not saying it can't help an artist to do a better job because the author explains how a few strokes of pencil or brush may give the illusion of reality.

This book can therefore appeal to a wide variety of readers. So I give it 4 stars.

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Apr 18, 2016 Erik rated it it was amazing

This book is rich, detailed and learned and extremely well written and argued. It also made me want to draw again. The author selects a nice historical and conceptual mix of his own original illustrations and good clear examples, not overkill as many books do. Although the author is learned and well informed on brain science, he explains it simply and clearly and in a non-intimidating fashion. Above all what I took away was: 1. drawing is thinking and uses the same principles as brain science to This book is rich, detailed and learned and extremely well written and argued. It also made me want to draw again. The author selects a nice historical and conceptual mix of his own original illustrations and good clear examples, not overkill as many books do. Although the author is learned and well informed on brain science, he explains it simply and clearly and in a non-intimidating fashion. Above all what I took away was: 1. drawing is thinking and uses the same principles as brain science to render images, and 2. we are "context machines," constantly comparing this with that to arrive at a fully realized scene, composition, image, whether as perceivers or as artists creating those scenes. We are not limited to being left-brain or right brain people. The book is also great fun to read. ...more

Aug 03, 2015 Stephanie rated it really liked it

I got this book from goodreads first reads. Despite the unruly size and odd last few paragraphs I really enjoyed it. The more you know about something the more you can understand how it works and this book takes a great step back and evaluates the hows and whys of art. It actually explains concepts and defines its terms well. It was technical but easy to read and understand and brought in a wide variety of international thinking to the mix. There were a few typos but it had just the right amount I got this book from goodreads first reads. Despite the unruly size and odd last few paragraphs I really enjoyed it. The more you know about something the more you can understand how it works and this book takes a great step back and evaluates the hows and whys of art. It actually explains concepts and defines its terms well. It was technical but easy to read and understand and brought in a wide variety of international thinking to the mix. There were a few typos but it had just the right amount of drawings that actually conveyed concepts well. There were lots of empowering words of encouragement scattered throughout which was a nice inspirational touch too. ...more

Richard T. Banks, a native of Chicago, Illinois attended the University of Illinois, Champaign, Urbana earning a Bachelor and Master's Degree in architecture. He taught architectural design at the university for four years, prior to relocating to New York City, where he joined a prestigious international architecture and planning firm as a lead design architect on numerous large-scale projects in Richard T. Banks, a native of Chicago, Illinois attended the University of Illinois, Champaign, Urbana earning a Bachelor and Master's Degree in architecture. He taught architectural design at the university for four years, prior to relocating to New York City, where he joined a prestigious international architecture and planning firm as a lead design architect on numerous large-scale projects in the U.S and abroad. His work has been widely published and honored with numerous awards, fellowships, and professional citations comprising forty years of professional practice. Richard is an avid artist, proficient in several graphic mediums including drawing, printmaking, watercolor, and acrylic painting and has exhibited in many national juried competitions. He sustains a passionate curiosity, is an ardent reader of science, art, and history; enjoys golf, woodworking, and is an excellent artisan. Richard and his wife Marilyn currently reside in Pinehurst, North Carolina. ...more

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Drawing the Art-science Connection Pens Pencils and Neurons

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