is loomis actually a decent book to read for studying the basics?
all i've done is gesture sketch using quickposes, but my work is always messy/fast and lacks detail. i want to finally get into real drawing but i don't know where to begin and i'm worried that loomis may not be ideal. the notion of perspective and proportions isn't new to me but implementing them is in fact something i haven't done properly before due to laziness and ignorance; will loomis give me proper practice or at least get me to draw constructively?
i read the sticky but i don't know what level i am; i do reference work for the most part due to my experience with quickposes, but i haven't felt any real progress.
loomis focuses primarily on construction. if you are confident in your ability to draw simple forms and want to get better at combining your forms then he's worth reading, but if you are focusing on things like gesture then there are better teachers.
Yeah It's a good place to start. Really basic, and easy to replicate exercises. After you're done reading, close the book, practice everything you can remember: draw heads, draw figures, and do some basic perspective drawings. If you actually do that daily for a few weeks, then you will have a basic understanding of construction, and be better off for it.
As an introduction to basic realism (eg thinking in 3 dimensions and not symbols) nothing gets simpler than Loomis.
>>2766296
If you actually have experience with gesture drawing, then read Michael Hampton.
Honestly, Loomis is a horrible teacher. I don't think half of /ic/ has read anything written by him.