The Practice And Science Of Drawing (Annotated‪)‬

One of the most informative, complete books on Drawing and Art that I have read to date.” – James Gurney.

Annotated edition, formatted for a better reading experience. Additional resources include:

Facsimiles.
Background articles include:
Sir Joshua Reynolds, ‘The Second Discourse’.
Leonardo Da Vinci, from the ‘Treatise on Painting’.
William Hogarth, from ‘The Analysis of Beauty’.
Harold Speed, ‘On Dither’.
Essay by Harold Speed on ‘Modern Art’.

One of the most popular art books of all time, Harold Speed’s The Practice and Science of Drawing, is noted for its intelligent blend of practical advice and astute reflection on the nature of artistic practice.

Beginning with a study of the techniques of line drawing and mass drawing, the book proceeds with sections that take the artistic vision through unity and variety of line and mass, balance, proportion, portrait drawing, visual memory, materials, and procedures. Harold Speed combines historical knowledge with dynamic features which each technique brings to a work of art, and exercises through which the artist may develop their training.

Harold Speed (1872–1957) was a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, and son of the architect Edward Speed. He studied architecture at the Royal College of Art, then became a painter after studying at the Royal Academy Schools. He exhibited at the RA for 40 years from 1893. Speed was a consummate draughtsman, portrait painter and renowned teacher, and has long been cited for this significant work.