(This book can be found in the Public Domain. Much time has been spent scanning, converting and bringing the information back to life as a digital download. Enjoy!)
"Do it yourself!" Every day new thousands of Americans, men and women alike, are discovering the fun, the deep and lasting satisfaction they can derive from making things themselves, with their own hands.
This book is addressed to the aristocrat of all "do-it-yourselfers"—to you, the beginning artist. Whatever your goal in art—whether you hope to become another Rembrandt, a top-flight commercial artist, or just a happy amateur—How to Draw and Paint should help smooth the way for you.
As teacher and art school director, I have been in a position to observe the development of several thousand students. The great majority worked hard, and were fortunate in that they were obtaining instruction from an able faculty. Many amateurs labor diligently too, but most of them do not have the advantage of professional guidance. Consequently they unknowingly repeat their mistakes and, in general, do things the hard way.
Now, a book cannot, of course, take the place of an art school or a teacher, but certainly it can serve as an approach to painting. How to Draw and Paint contains information on drawing and sketching, characteristics of paints, preparations for painting, step-by-step demonstrations in all media, technical recipes, and general guidance in picture-making. All that and much more you will find— and, I trust, find helpful—in the pages that follow.
The step-by-step demonstrations, which I use to show how particular subjects can be developed, should not be regarded as hard-and-fast formula. Each demonstration is but one of many possible ways to approach and depict the subject. It is up to you to experiment and thus to discover the best way to express yourself.
There is no easy way to learn to paint well ("Art is long," remember), but if this book at least helps you to follow in the footsteps of successful artists, then its purpose will have been achieved.
