The Pencil

A showcase of pencil works by a master of the medium, this volume explains Paul Calle's process and provides a fantastic gallery of demonstrations and inspiration for artists at intermediate to advanced levels. Calle — whose clients have included NASA, the National Park Service, Ladies' Home Journal, and the U.S. Postal Service — explores pencil drawing as a serious medium rather than just a preliminary to painting.
Starting with a brief history of the development of the pencil and its use by celebrated artists of the past, Calle discusses tools and materials before introducing a series of demonstrations. Lavishly illustrated chapters examine form, figure drawing, sketching, drawing from nature, perspective, and more, including tips on doing trial renderings of key sections of a picture, making corrections, handling perspective and composition, and using photography and other drawing aids.
This new edition brings The Pencil, Calle's most defining book on working in graphite, back in to circulation after 25 years. It features revisions and updates by the author's son Chris Calle, who is also an accomplished artist and illustrator. Students and teachers as well as serious beginners who want to draw in a realistic style will appreciate this opportunity to sharpen their pencil techniques.

Noted for his distinct and realistic drawing style, Paul Calle (1928–2010) was selected in 1962 to participate in the NASA Art Program and later became the sole artist chosen to depict the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission. Much of his work consists of postage stamp design for the U.S. Postal Service and other organizations. During the latter part of his career he focused on Western subjects, and many of his drawings belong to major Western art collections.

CONTENTS
Introduction
                  The Art of Drawing
                  History of the Pencil
Chapter 1--Materials
                  Pencils
                  Papers
                  Values and Textures
                  Erasers and Accessories
                  Fixatives
                  How to Sharpen a Pencil
Chapter 2--Form
Chapter 3--Drawing the Figure
                  Heads
                  The Figure
                  Hands
Chapter 4--Gathering Information
                  Sketching
                  Drawing from Nature
                  Photography
                  Drawing Aids
Chapter 5--Composition
                  Perspective, Overlapping
Chapter 6--Problem Solving
                 NASA
                 Industrial
                 Postage Stamps
                 Sports
                 Editorial Illustrations
Chapter 7--Creating a Style
Chapter 8--Portfolio of Current Work
                  In Summary