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Throughout Perard’s book I see the influence he had on my father, who was a sometimes serious but always amateur artist. The rest of these images are all Perard’s.
I think one of the reasons I like art technique books so much is that they make drawing look easy, as if anyone could learn it. Not being able to draw a thing, I just don’t understand how you can go from a few circles and lines to a complex expression.
But Perard broke down drawing into simple steps and based everything on anatomy. He felt that if you understood the muscles, bones, and other structures of the human head, then you could make the leap to drawing faces.
I love Perard’s interpretations of emotional expression, especially these simple line drawings that show the basics.
And of course we all know that a great deal of expression comes through the eyes, which Perard spends a great deal of time on.
Victor Perard was born in Paris, France, and immigrated to the United States some time in the early 1930s. He lived near Dorset, Vermont, and painted many landscapes around the surrounding areas. He also illustrated dozens of drawing books.
My father didn’t own a lot of art books; in fact, this is the only one I’ve found. I’m not sure how he learned to draw but I believe he was mostly self-taught. Now at least I know who to give the credit to.
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This article was last modified on May 17, 2023
This article was first published on November 12, 2010
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