An exceptional, all-in-one resource on basic drawing (non-subject specific), figure drawing, and perspective, with more than 500 color and black-and-white illustrations by both students and professionals, Drawing Essentials: A Guide to Drawing from Observation thoroughly covers the drawing elements that are most important at the foundation level. Award-winning artist, teacher, and author Deborah Rockman explains clearly and in depth what is essential to depicting form and space on a two-dimensional surface. Addressing and illustrating studio experiences that are not effectively dealt with in other drawing books, the text elucidates such fundamental (yet challenging) concepts and methods as sighting, scaling techniques, meaningful and descriptive line variation, observation and development of tonal structure, creation of interesting and instructive still lifes, the conceptual impact of still-life objects, the unique challenges of the human figure and portraiture, basic and advanced perspective systems, brainstorming and the generation of ideas, and the use of photographs as reference. Throughout, the author focuses on the cultivation of observational skills, increased sensitivity, critical thinking, technical refinement, and knowledge of materials. This second edition includes an entirely new chapter on color theory and color drawing (with nearly 50 full color illustrations), a division of the perspective chapter into two (the second covering more advanced techniques), new and updated illustrations throughout, 27 color additions to the gallery of contemporary drawings in the Appendix, and a new Glossary of Art Terms.