halacha - What can a Jew draw?

The Torah prohibits making certain images, (Deuteronomy 4:15-19). It includes males and females, animals, planets, and stars. It seems from these verses that a person's options when drawing the world around them are quite limited.

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, (S' 168), goes in to some detail, prohibiting, from what I can tell, drawing certain types of angels, the sun, moon, and stars, the full face, (two eyes, full nose) of a person.

Where can I find more information about this topic, specifically what sort of things one can and cannot draw? I'm not looking for rules about other art forms, such as sculptures. Are their particular prohibitions for drawing people from Tanach? if I want to draw scenes or characters from Tanach, are there any that I would have to skip, due to their involving angels, or the moon?

Thank you!

Answer

Maimonides Hil' Avodas Kochavim Ch. 3:10-11: prohibits drawing angels and heavenly bodies, and allows humans two-dimensionally, and other living things even when they are sculptures. the Kesef Mishnah there says that Maimonides is of the opinion that the only exception that can be made is for pedagogical purposes. He also says that Rabbi Isaac Alfasi espouses this view. The Tur codifies the Rif's opinion as such.

Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deyah 141 allows the drawing of angels, man and other living things, but prohibits any image of the sun moon or stars that is not for pedagogical purposes, (parenthetically the Tur's opinion about public pieces being allowed as there is no doubt of worship, is added in).

Tur Yoreh Deya 141 takes a similar stance to the Shulhan Aruh He even allows the sun and moon and the like to be sculpted if made for the public, but then he mentions the stance of Nahmanides, who prohibits not only drawing angels, but even drawing people.

Rabbi Yosef Berger told me that both humans and angels can be drawn, provided that the work remains flat. Thick oil paints would be an issue.

Within the above parameters, it seems as though depicting scenes from Tanach is allowed, as no mention is made of drawing specific scenes from Tanach being forbidden.