Lee J. Ames

Lee J. Ames (b. 1921 in Manhattan, New York) is an American artist famous for his "Draw 50..." learn-to-draw books. His first job at age eighteen was at Walt Disney Studios. He has since led a career as an advertising artist, fine artist, cartoonist, designer, animation in-betweener, illustrator, and as an artist-in residence at Doubleday. His series of twenty-six "Draw 50..." books take a friendly and minimalist approach to teaching drawing while the books often contain no "words" of instruction at all.

He enlisted in the military and served as a second lieutenant during World War II.

He and his wife Jocelyn currently reside in Mission Viejo, California.

Written by Ames

*"City Street Games". By Jocelyn and Lee Ames. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963.
*"The Dot, Line, and Shape Connection, or, How to Be Driven to Abstraction". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1982.
*"Draw 50 Airplanes, Aircraft, & Spacecraft". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977.
*"Draw 50 Aliens, UFO's Galaxy Ghouls, Milky Way Marauders, and Other Extraterrestrial Creatures" By Lee J. Ames with Ric Estrada. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1998.
*"Draw 50 Animal Toons". By Lee J. Ames and Bob Singer. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 2000.
*"Draw 50 Animals". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974.
*"Draw 50 Athletes". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1985.
*"Draw 50 Beasties and Yugglies and Turnover Uglies and Things That Go Bump in the Night". 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1988.
*"Draw 50 Birds". By Lee J. Ames with Tony D'Adamo. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1996.
*"Draw 50 Boats, Ships, Trucks & Trains. Garden City", NY: Doubleday, 1987, c1976.
*"Draw 50 Buildings and Other Structures". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1980.
*"Draw 50 Cars, Trucks, and Motorcycles". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1986.
*"Draw 50 Cats". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1986.
*"Draw 50 Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977.
*"Draw 50 Dogs". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1981.
*"Draw 50 Endangered Animals". By Lee J. Ames with Warren Budd. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
*"Draw 50 Famous Caricatures". By Lee J. Ames and Mort Drucker. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1990.
*"Draw 50 Famous Cartoons". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1979.
*"Draw 50 Famous Faces". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1978.
*"Draw 50 Famous Stars, As Selected by Rona Barrett's Hollywood Magazine". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doublday, 1982.
*"Draw 50 Flowers, Trees, and Other Plants". By Lee J. Ames, with P. Lee Ames. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1994.
*"Draw 50 Holiday Decorations". By Lee J. Ames with Ray Burns. 1st ed, New York: Doubleday, 1987.
*"Draw 50 Horses". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1984.
*"Draw 50 Monsters, Creeps, Superheroes, Demons, Dragons, Nerds, Dirts, Ghouls, Giants, Vampires, Zombies, and Other Curiosa". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1983.
*"Draw 50 People". By Lee J. Ames with Creig Flessel. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1993.
*"Draw 50 People of the Bible". By Lee J. Ames and Andre Le Blanc. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1995.
*"Draw 50 Sharks, Whales, and Other Sea Creatures". By Lee J. Ames with Warren Budd. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1989.
*"Draw 50 Vehicles: Selections form Draw 50 Boats, Ships, Trucks, and Trains, and Draw 50 Airplanes, Aircraft, and Spacecraft". Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977.
*"Draw, Draw, Draw". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1962.
*"Drawing with Lee Ames: From the Bestselling, Award-Winning Creator of the Draw 50 Series, A Proven Step-by-Step Guide to the Fundamentals of Drawing for All Ages". 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1990.
*"How to Draw Star Wars Heroes, Creatures, Space-Ships, and Other Fantastic Things". New York: Random House, 1984.
*"Make 25 Crayon Drawings of the Circus". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1980.
*"Make 25 Felt-Tip Drawings Out West". 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1980.

Illustrated by Ames

*Asimov, Isaac. "Great Ideas of Science". Illustrated by Lee Ames. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1969.
*Blocksma, Mary. "Amazing Mouths and Menus". Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1986.
*Fenner, Phyllis R., comp. "Circus Parade; Stories of the Big Top". Illustrated by Lee Ames. 1st ed. New York: Knopf, 1954.
*Freeman, Mae Blacker. "You Will Go to the Moon". By Mae and Ira Freeman. Illustrated by Lee Ames. Rev. ed. New York: Beginner Books, 1971.
*Garst, Shannon. "Big Foot Wallace of the Texas Rangers". Illustrated by Lee Ames. New Yor: Messner, 1951.
*Garst, Shannon. "Three Conquistadors: Cortes, Coronado, Pizarro". Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. New York: J. Messner, 1947.
*Holl, Adelaide. "Hide-and-Seek ABC". Pictures by Lee Ames. New York: Platt & Munk, 1971.
*Klimowicz, Barbara. "The Great Green Apple War". Drawings by Lee J. Ames. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1973.
*Klimowicz, Barbara. "My Sister the Horse". Drawings by Lee Ames. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1971.
*Knight, David C. "The Battle of the Dinosaurs". Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982.
*"Dinosaurs That Swam and Flew". Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1989; Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1985.
*Lauber, Patricia. "All About the Planet Earth". Illustrated with Drawings by Lee J. Ames and with photos. New York: Random House, 1962.
*Leavitt, Jerome Edward. "By Land, By Sea, By Air; The Story of Transportation". Illustrated by Lee Ames. New York: Putnam, 1969.
*MacClain, George. "Graff-a-Doodle Doo". Conceived by Lee J. Ames; Written and illustrated by George MacClain. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1981.
*Manus, Willard. "Sea Treasure". Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1961.
*McNeel, John P. "The Brain of Man". Illustrated by Lee Ames. New York: Putnam, 1968.
*Ross, Frank Xavier. "Stories of the States; A Reference Guide to the Fifty States and the U.S. Territories". New York: Crowell, 1969.
*Rowley, Anthony. "Tool Chest". Syracuse, NY: L. W. Singer, 1967.
*Selsam, Millicent Ellis. "Exploring the Animal Kingdom". Garden City, NY: Garden City Books, 1957.
*Silverstein, Alvin. "Carl Linnaeus; The Man Who Put the World of Life in Order". By Alvin and Virginia Silverstein. New York: John Day, 1969.
*Silverstein, Alvin. "Excretory System; How Living Creatures Get Rid of Wastes". By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1972.
*Silverstein, Alvin. "Harold Urey; The Man Who Explored from Earth to Moon". By Alvin and Virginia Silverstein. New York: John Day, 1970.
*Silverstein, Alvin. "Life in the Universe". By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand, 1967.
*Silverstein, Alvin. "Muscular System; How Living Creatures Move". By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1972.
*Silverstein, Alvin. "The Origin of Life". By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand, 1968.
*Silverstein, Alvin. "The Reproductive System; How Living Creatures Multiply". By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1971.
*Silverstein, Alvin. "The Skin: Coverings and Linings of Living Things". By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1972.
*Thurber, Walter. "Exploring Earth Science". By Walter A. Thurber, Robert E. Kilburn, Peter S. Howell; illustrated by Lee Ames ... [et al.] Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1976.
*Zim, Herbert Spencer. "Commercial Fishing". By Herbert S. Zim and Lucretia Krantz. New York: Morrow, 1973.
*Zim, Herbert Spencer. "Pipes and Plumbing Systems". By Herbert S. Zim and James R. Skelly. Illustrated with drawings by Lee J. Ames and Mel Erikson. New York: Morrow, 1974.
*Zim, Herbert Spencer. "Telephone Systems". By Herbert S. Zim and James R. Skelly. New York: W. Morrow, 1971.
*Zim, Herbert Spencer. "Tractors". By Herbert S. Zim and James R. Skelly. New York: Morrow, 1972.

References

External links

* [http://www.epcomm.com/draw50/draw50.htm The "Draw 50" Series]
* [http://www.leeames.com/ leeames.com]
* [http://nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/findaid/ark:/80444/xv08566 Guide to the Lee J. Ames papers at the University of Oregon]
* [http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/amesbib.htm Lee J. Ames bibliography]