Drawing People Using Grids

Learn how to use the grid technique to draw accurate sketches of people from photographs and more, with the help of master artist Giovanni Civardi.

From world-renowned artist Giovanni Civardi, this highly practical guide to drawing people of all ages and in a variety of poses uses the traditional grid technique to make the drawing process both simple and accessible.

Starting from a photograph, Civardi shows how to create an accurate pencil sketch of the subject by overlaying a grid and transferring the image one square at a time. The drawing is then rendered in easy stages to create a finished portrait. Even the most complex of subjects can be broken down into easy steps using this method, and by following the numerous step-by-step exercises the reader will very soon be producing highly detailed drawings based on photographs of their own.

GIOVANNI CIVARDI was born in Milan in 1947. While training to become a sculptor, portrait artist and illustrator at the Free Life-Study School of the Accademia di Brera, he also studied medicine and surgery. For over a decade, he worked as an illustrator, producing commissions for newspapers, magazines and book covers. During frequent trips to France and Denmark, Civardi put on one-man exhibitions of this work and pursued his interest in studying the relationship between medical anatomy and the human form as depicted by the artist. His experience gained from teaching anatomy, life drawing and portraiture in schools and institutions over many years has led to the publication of numerous books in which Civardi's experiences are brought into focus.