“, not only the best how-to book on drawing, it is the best how-to book we’ve seen on any subject.” —Whole Earth Catalog \ me More than 250,000 hardcover copies soldART $16.00 Peter A. Juley & Son only to do with th ical cor with all s — Nicolaides ISBN 0-395-53007-5 90000 Jacket drawings by NORMA WASSERMAN | b-92317 9"780395"530078'KIMON NICOLAIDES was born in Washington, D.C., in 1891. His first contact with art was a subconscious familiarity with the oriental objects imported by his father. He decided early that he wished to paint, but he had to run away from home to study art because his parents were unsympathetic to the idea. He supported himself in New York by whatever came to hand — framing pictures, writing for a newspaper, even acting the part of an art student as a movie extra. His father was finally won over by his obvious seriousness and financed his instruction at the Art Students’ League — under Bridgman, Miller, and Sloan. When the United States entered the first World War, Nicolaides volunteered in the Camouflage Corps and served in France for over a year, receiving a citation. One of his assignments, involving the study of geographical contour maps, first opened up for him the conception of “contour” which constitutes Exercise One in this book. After a period of work in Paris (1922-23), he was given his first one-man show by the famous Bernheim Jeune gallery there. Back in New York, he held his first exhibit at the old Whitney Studio Club, now the museum, and settled down to painting and teaching. ‘As a painter, choosing to work painstakingly and exhibit seldom, he became known to the critics gradually but unmistakably for “the range of his work,” “originality of tech- nical approach,” “richness of mental concepts,” and his “eager, restless pursuit of new aesthetic experience.” As a teacher, during the next fifteen years, he became, as the Art Digest put it, “second father” to hundreds of students who passed through his classes at the Art Students’ League of New York. Scrupulously honest and high-principled, endowed with humor, richness and warmth of personality, sanity and balance, his extraordinary talent for human relationships grew with his wide contact with increasing numbers of students. Although he died in 1938, at a tragically early age, he left behind a tremendously devoted following of brilliant young artists, as well as the unique and concrete system of art teaching presented in this book.The Natural Way to DrawThe Natural Way to Draw A Working Plan for Art Study by Kimon Nicolaides & Houghton Mifflin Company BostonCopyright © 1941 by Anne Nicolaides Copyright © renewed 1969 by Anne Nicolaides All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2 Park Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02108. ISBN 0-395-08048-7 ISBN 0-395-53007-5 (pbk.) Printed in the United States of America QUM 60 59 58 57 56“The supreme misfortune is when theory outstrips performance.” Leonardo da VineiPublisher’s Note Wuen Kimon Nicolaides died in the summer of 1938, the first draft of this book had been complete for two years. It could, perhaps, never have been published other than posthumously, for the author was reluctant to put into final form his constantly developing methods of art teaching. After the author’s death, the manuscript was prepared for publication under the auspices of the G.R.D. Studio, an enterprise for the development of young American artists in which he had been associated with Mrs. Philip J. Roosevelt. The editorial work was undertaken by Mamie Harmon, who had studied with Nicolaides for a number of years and who had col- laborated with him in the writing. ‘The preparation of the text involved mainly arrangement of the material in accordance with the author’s plan, and the incorporation of his other writings or authentic student notes to remedy a few omissions. Most of the illustrations, on the other hand, had to be selected without his advice, although every effort was made to adhere to his known preferences. Even that was not always possible in view of the difficulty of obtaining material from abroad. Nicolaides had planned to draw especially for the book certain sketches and diagrams that would explain the directions for the exercises. Since that was not done, there were substituted sketches made by him in his classes for individual students. These sketches are naturally rough and informal, but they should serve the purpose and will perhaps add somewhat to the personal tone of instruction which he wished to maintain. The student drawings used are likewise examples of work done in actual classes — by students at approximately the same stage in the plan of study as those who are using the book. The master drawings were selected primarily with the idea of showing how the artist sets to work. It was only with the enthusiasm and co-operation of the former students of Nicolaides that the book was brought to the form in which it now appears.[ viii ] Hundreds of Nicolaides items were sent to the G.R.D. Studio when it be- came known that a book was in preparation. Again and again these gener- ous contributors indicated that they were not so much conferring a favor as paying a debt to a beloved instructor. Acknowledgment is gratefully made in behalf of the editor to the collectors who have lent drawings for reproduction, to Stuart Eldredge, who has been willing to share the responsibility for the additions which have been made, and to a group of former students whose help and advice have been invalu- able — namely, Lester B. Bridaham, Lesley Crawford, Daniel J. Kern, Lester Rondell, Willson Y. Stamper, and William L. Taylor.Contents How to Use This Book Section 1. Contour and Gesture EXERCISE 1: CONTOUR DRAWING EXERCISE 2: GESTURE DRAWING EXERCISE 3: CROSS CONTOURS Section 2. The Comprehension of Gesture EXERCISE 4: POTENTIAL GESTURE EXERCISE 5: THE FLASH POSE Section 8. Weight and the Modelled Drawng EXERCISE 6; WEIGHT EXERCISE 7: THE MODELLED DRAWING Section 4. Memory Drawing and Other Quick Studies EXERCISE 8: MEMORY DRAWING EXERCISE 9: MOVING ACTION EXERCISE 10: DESCRIPTIVE POSES EXBRCISE 11; REVERSE POSES EXERCISE 12: GROUP POSES Section 5. The Modelled Drawing in Ink — The Daily Composition EXERCISE 13; THE MODELLED DRAWING IN INK EXERCISE 14: THE DAILY COMPOSITION Section 6. The Modelled Drawing in Water Color — Right-Angle Study EXERCISE 15: THE MODELLED DRAWING IN WATER COLOR EXERCISE 16: RIGHT-ANGLE STUDY Section 7. Emphasis on Contour — The Head EXERCISE 17: THE FIVE-HOUR CONTOUR EXERCISE 18: QUICK CONTOUR EXERCISE 19: THE HEAD EXERCISE 20: THE GESTURD OF THE FEATURES EXERCISE 21; RIGHT-ANGLE CONTOURSSection 8. Special Form Studies EXERCISE 22: PART OF THE FORM EXERCISE 23; TEN-MINUTE FORM STUDIES Section 9. An Approach to the Subject of Technique EXERCISE 24: THE MODELLED DRAWING IN INK — Continued EXERCISE 25: BACK TO THE MODEL Seetion 10. The Simple Proportions — Effort EXERCISE 26: TIL MODELLED DRAWING IN Warr coLoR — Continued Section 11. The Study of Drapery EXERCISE 27: QUICK STUDIES OF DRAPERY EXERCISE 28: LONG STUDY OF DRAPERY Section 12. The Figure with Drapery — The Subjective Impulse EXERCISE 29; TH FIGURE WITH DRAPERY EXERCISE 30; THE DAILY ComPosrTIon — Continued Section 18. The Sustained Study EXDRCISE $1: THE EXTENDED GESTURE STUDY EXERCISE $2: THE SUSTAINED STUDY Section 14. Light and Shade Section 15. An Approach to the Study of Anatomy EXERCISH 33: STUDY OF THE BONES: Section 16. The Long Composition EXERCISE 34: THE LONG COMPOSITION Section 17. Exercises in Black and White Crayon EXERCISE 95: THE SUSTAINED STUDY IN CRAYON EXERCISE 36: GESTURE IN BLACK AND WHITE. EXERCISE 87: DRAPERY IN BLACK AND WHITE Section 18. Studies of Structure EXERCISE 38: GESTURE STUDIES OF ANATOMY. EXERCISE 39: HAND AND ARM PXERCISE 40: THE SHOULDER GIRDLE EXERCISE 41: LEG AND KNEE EXERCISE 42: THE FOOT EXERCISE 48: THE EYE EXERCISE 44: THE EAR o1 92 97 101 102 102 109 110 12 ng 19 121 125 126 127 139 144 145 149 151 157 1ST 163 165 166 166 166 168 168 170 17 am