Draw Sports Figures (Learn to Draw)
Gr 4-8--An athlete in action can be an exciting, dynamic subject for budding artists. This paperback features six chapters of drawing lessons arranged by sport or sports category ("Olympic Sports," "Individual Effort," etc.). Instructions are given both visually, using step-by-step illustrations, and verbally, with sidebars to the pictures. Unfortunately, neither the repetitive, imprecise prose nor the amateurish sketches will help guide budding artists. The directions are vague, and the writing is dull and redundant. For example, "shape his face" has no instructive value, and "add more shoe lines" does not describe where and how to place those lines. Inaccuracy in the directions ("oval" in the text sometimes translates to a circle in the sketch) is matched by disproportionate drawings with skewed perspectives. A soccer goalie's foreshortened arm is out of proportion to the oversized hand attached to it. Shading and other major details are added between the penultimate step and the finished drawing, with little instruction given. Students interested in drawing sports figures would do better applying principles from clearer, more attractive titles.Peg Solonika, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PACopyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.