New Book: How to Draw the Presidents

Jul 23, 2019 Washington, D.C. —

The White House Historical Association will release How to Draw the Presidents by artist John Hutton on September 5. This first of its kind book provides readers with step-by-step instructions to make portraits of each U.S. President using four steps.

Readers can practice drawing each president on the many practice pages provided in the book.

"Anyone can learn to draw,” says Hutton. “Drawing is simply another form of looking. . .The trick is in learning to look very carefully, and to know what to look carefully for. Drawing is translating the world into a pattern of lines and tone. With each new line drawn a shape takes form, and before you know it, you have a complete drawing!"

With Hutton's instructions, aspiring artists of any age can try drawing portraits on the page, looking to the facing page, which includes the completed illustration, for guidance. Hutton provides readers with an oval framework and drawing tips that include considering the time period in which a president lived so that the portrait accurately reflects clothing and hairstyle.

How to Draw the Presidents will be available for purchase at shop.whitehousehistory.org, and in the Association’s retail stores: The White House History Shop at 1610 H Street NW, Washington D.C. 20006 and the White House Visitor Center at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20006.

About the Author

John Hutton attended Princeton, Harvard, and the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London. He has taught art history at Salem College for nearly 30 years. Hutton also illustrated The White House Historical Association’s The White House Easter Egg Roll: A History for All Ages and recently gave children drawing lessons on the South Lawn of the White House during the Easter Egg Roll.

To request a review copy of this book, or to interview author John Hutton, please contact Jessica Fredericks, Director of Communications, at jfredericks@whha.org.