Which Andrew Loomis book to read first, the order to read the rest, how the Loomis head method works, and a 20-minute drill to practise it from photos.
Andrew Loomis (1892 to 1959) was an American illustrator and art instructor whose books on figure and head drawing are still standard reading for artists. His best-known idea, the Loomis method, builds the head from simple geometric shapes so you can draw it from any angle. Start with Figure Drawing for All It's Worth or Drawing the Head and Hands , then practise from real photo reference.
Andrew Loomis was an American illustrator, writer and art teacher, born in Syracuse, New York, in 1892, who died in 1959. He did commercial advertising work for brands such as Coca-Cola, Studebaker and Kellogg's, and then wrote a series of instructional books on realistic drawing ( Wikipedia: Andrew Loomis ).
Loomis studied at the Art Students League of New York at 19, where George Bridgman was one of his teachers. He opened his own studio in Chicago in 1922 and taught at the American Academy of Art in the 1930s. The Norman Rockwell Museum lists comic artists Alex Ross and Dick Giordano among the illustrators he influenced ( Illustration History ).
His books went out of print in the 1970s and became scarce. Titan Books brought them back as facsimile editions starting in 2011. When the reissues were announced, CG Channel noted that the books are "routinely cited by CG artists" among the best guides to figure drawing ( CG Channel, January 2012 ).
Read Figure Drawing for All It's Worth (1943) first if you draw full figures, and Drawing the Head and Hands (1956) first if you draw portraits and characters. Both are practical, heavily illustrated and organised as lessons you can follow in order.
His instructional books, with first publication years ( Wikipedia ):
Fun With a Pencil (1939): a friendly beginner book.
Figure Drawing for All It's Worth (1943): proportion, construction and the figure.
Creative Illustration (1947): composition and storytelling for illustrators.
Successful Drawing (1951): perspective and seeing form.
Drawing the Head and Hands (1956): head construction, features and hands.
The Eye of the Painter and the Elements of Beauty (1961, published after his death).
I'd Love to Draw! (2014, published after his death).
Choose your Loomis reading order by what you draw. Seven Loomis instructional books have been published, the first in 1939, and the Norman Rockwell Museum notes that the later books build on the earlier ones while the fundamental lessons stay the same, so two or three titles are enough to start.
Published 2026-10-04 on the Refimages blog.