Whenever art instructor Eric Mantle talks art with his students, he likes to send them home with a drawing that also provides a visual explanation of  the idea. One student collected so many of these that he told Mantle he had enough to make a book.  Taking the student’s cue, Mantle  assembled his drawings into a unique way to present the fundamental principles of studio art in a clear and concise manner.  His book, A Visual Guide to Classical Art Theory,  released by Parkhurst Brothers, Publishers, is the result.  

            With more than three decades in the studio and in the classroom , Mantle has designed his book to serve  as a text for college and high school instructors and students, as well as a reference for professional and amateur artists.  

             “As an art student and then later as a college professor,” Mantle said, “I was always frustrated by instructional books that introduced visual concepts primarily as verbal descriptions accompanied by unclear diagrams.  “I have written (drawn) a book that explains visual art principles in a primarily visual manner with a minimal amount of copy.”