• A timeless classic that has taught generations of artists—and will teach generations more

When it was originally published in 1970, How to Draw What You See zoomed to the top of the publisher's best-seller list—and it has remained there ever since. "I believe that you must be able to draw things as you see them—realistically," wrote Rudy de Reyna in this introduction. Today, generations of artists have learned to draw what they see, to truly capture the world around them, using de Reyna's methods. How to Draw What You See shows artists how to recognize the basic shape to draw the object, no matter how much detail it contains.

The text is straightforward. The exercises are simple. And the book builds your skills from the ground up. You start by learning to draw a straight line freehand and finish drawing compositions and portraits.

This book won't make you an artist. But, I don't know how I could ever become one without these skills.


Starts out well enough but loses momentum   October 7, 2002
 108 out of 111 found this review helpful

The beginning of this book and the idea behind it are simple and straightforward: behind every object you see there is some "skeletal" figure made of simple geometric shapes - the cube, the cone, the cylinder and the sphere. If you know how to draw these and string them together you can in theory make any drawing you want. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is. Only the book doesn't fully realize its potential.
The first part of the book which deals with these basic shapes, how to draw them, shade them, etc ... starts out well enough. But by the time the author reaches the more advanced subjects, such as drawing nature, portraits and the human figure the book degenerates into yet another book filled with the author implicitly saying, "look at how well I can draw!", filling pages upon pages with finished, beautiful drawing a beginner can never hope to achieve. For example: when discussing feet and hands, the author provides two drawings of the foot and briefly tells the student he should observe the foot and note its proportions. Really? And I thought I should stand on my head and sing the star spangled banner. Sorry for the sarcasm, but that is not an acceptable way of teaching how to draw the foot.
Another example: when discussing figure drawing the author does not explain the figure's anatomy. Rather he says how he has followed his 14 years old daughter around the house and drew her in various natural positions. The reader is then presented with the final sketches, which by the way are very beautiful sketches. How did he achieve them? What are the principles he followed? How should one go about practicing sketching people? That the book does not reveal.
It seems to me the main problem of this book is that it tries to do too much - portraits, still life, landscapes, charcoal, wash, all in one short book? The more topics you choose to cover, the less space you can devote to each. I think it would have been much better had the author devoted more space to basic issues such as perspective, shading and textures, rather than rush headlong into complex topics. As it stands I cannot be sure whether it is intended for absolute beginners or advanced students.
In short, this may be a good source for inspiration or for tips for people on many levels, but definitely not your main source of information.


A good reference, and overall view of drawing, thorough and credible: 35th Anniversary Edition   April 27, 2004
 76 out of 77 found this review helpful

"How to draw what you see" by Rudy De Reyna

I think many students of drawing look for a single book that covers just about the entire scope of drawing. This book is that kind of book. Most books that claim to be a "COMPLETE DRAWING COURSE" do not deliver on the boast. This book makes no boast, but it is the most COMPLETE book giving an overview of all aspects of drawing. This book is very good. It's as close to COMPLETE as you can get.

This book is now into its 35th Anniversary Edition printing, and is one of the longest selling books on the market. It is one of the best general references on TECHNIQUES & MATERIALS.

The figure drawing section is well developed and good for the beginner. The book covers Still Life, Landscape, Perspective and Composition, Lighting, and Materials and various strokes/charcoal, pencil, etc.

The foundation of the methodology in this book is its use of geometrical shapes (cones, cubes, triangles), reminiscent of Luca Cambiosa in the 16th Century. So the author is invested in what is called "the CLASSICAL TRADITION".

The book moves on to more advanced drawing/painting with Wash, Opaque, Acrylics and Ink. It's a good buy at this price, and a welcome addition to the artists shelf. [But if you're into Figure Drawing, also see books by Jack Hamm, and also ***"ART OF DRAWING THE HUMAN BODY"*** by Edgar Loy Fankbonner, "Art of Drawing" -Willy Pogany, "How to Draw The Human Figure" -Famous Artists School, and "The Figure" -Walt Reed] Any of these figure drawing books, combined with "HOW TO DRAW WHAT YOU SEE" makes for an excellent combination in the home library.


This is a GREAT Book   November 23, 1999
 40 out of 42 found this review helpful

This book was written with me in mind. I am a begininng amature artist who wanted to learn more about drawing. The instructions in this book took me from drawing basic shapes, though shading to sketching full compositions. It even goes beyond drawining to introducing acrlics and washes. Even the simplist procedure is gone over in detail so I never felt lost on how I was to get from one set to the next. Don't be fooled by the price. This is a complete refrence book that I use more then other books that have cost three times more.


Wonderful book for both beginner & expert   October 2, 2005
 33 out of 33 found this review helpful

I'm an instructor for digital art online and find this book to be a MUST for ANY artist. It has lots of illustrations and simple, well-written explanations! I would recommend it to any of my students who want to know theory and application, from perspective to tones and shading. Everything is in black and white, so you can really see the tonal changes in the renderings.