Lessons in Masterful Portrait Drawing: A Classical Approach to Drawing the Head Hardcover – Download: Adobe Reader, March 27, 2017

Easy to read and understand the basics of drawing and how to see everything with an artistic eye, if you follow and practice drawing heads with this technique you will be able to draw and paint anything.

I purchased this book several months ago and have been consulting it for advice and inspiration. I thoroughly enjoyed Mau-Kun Yim's philosophy and approach to drawing the portrait, particularly on how he broke down the concepts and related everything to building a house, i.e. from blueprint, foundation, all the way to finishing. I also appreciate how he emphasized the importance of re-discovering the traditional principles of proportion, anatomy, perspective, light, and value - and that drawing is also painting without color. I also like that he showed step-by-step demonstrations of portraits of certain individuals wherein he shares nuggets of information regarding the type of pencil to use at different stages, planar and linear advice, transitions, and the like.Over all I think that it is a very inspirational and good book, one that does not focus heavily on the "technicalities" of constructing a head, but rather the "essentials" and the motivations behind drawing the portrait. I wish Mr. Mau-Kun Yim would also write a similar book on oil painting and mixing colors. I would definitely purchase one if he did!

The Title is a little misleading, it says "Lessons in Masterful..." but it is not a set of lessons (like many of the Atelier books out there), but more of Yim's philosophy of drawing. In chapter two, he does go through his entire process, but it is a very broad overview. He never goes into details on how to actually draw, so if you are getting this to learn to draw, it is not for you. In fact, if you have watched the Fine Art Academy videos on YouTube, its pretty much a book version of that. The rest of the book is just more or less a repetition of the same thing; examples of Yim's work and a quick overview of his approach to each. While there are some tidbits in there (such as only using straight lines to block in) that are helpful, overall, this book appears to just be a quick product to sell Yim's work.Yet, that is the saving grace, and why I'm giving it four stars (instead of two for false advertising). The artwork is amazing. Even the block-ins that he demonstrates are beautiful, and the pictures are very large and very good reproductions. As an art book, it is easily worth the price.Bottom line, if you are looking for a real lesson book with detailed instruction, there are much better options available. However, if you enjoy drawing portraits and you are just looking for something to give you inspiration, or you are a fan of pencil portraiture, this book is well worth the money.

I've been pouring over this book for the last couple days and I can honesty say that I really enjoyed this book. Plenty of high quality photos of the drawings, medium to big page size, and a nice hardcover binding. This feels like a high quality book printing.The first section of the book goes over Mau-Kun Yim's drawing process, which might be useful depending on your skill level, but the rest of the book is chock-full of drawings, which is what I was mostly looking forward to. This is a welcome addition to my library of art books. I would love to see more books from Mau-Kun Yim of similar print quality, especially figure and sketchbook/smaller drawings. Keep them coming!

I can hardly look at anyone's face after reading this book without thinking about the planes that construct their likeness. This is a very good read with high quality illustrations for anyone embarking on the path of portrait creation.

"Portrait Drawing" by Yim mau-Kun & Iris YimThis book presents solid instruction by a recognized master in portraiture. It is clear, concise, easy to follow and, unusually for a book on this subject, entertaining to read. Yim mau-Kun's many years as an instructor as well as a master artist are well presented, and Iris Yim's excellent interpretation is lively and clear. The demonstrations are easy to understand, and memorable. The examples of his work, in themselves, are worth the reasonable price of the book. "Portrait Drawing" would be of value to any artist at any stage of development. We are fortunate to have such a commanding talent, still working today, willing to share his knowledge.

This is a gorgeous book filled with beautifully photographed sensitive and exquisite drawings by the author. I am in awe of the stunning renderings in graphite and charcoal in this high quality, well made book. Mau-Kun Yim offers clear and valuable insights and examples of his approach to creating a portrait, but, as other reviewers have mentioned, it is not a step-by-step instructional or how-to book. For that reason, I think it is more suitable for the intermediate to advanced student, rather than beginner. No doubt about it, though, it is an inspiring treasure of a book.

It’s a nice book to have on the self