In straightforward text complemented by step-by-step illustrations, dozens of exercises lead the hand and mind through creating accurate reproductions of plants and animals as well as landscapes, skies, and more. Laws provides clear, practical advice for every step of the process for artists at every level, from the basics of choosing supplies to advanced techniques.
Collection of inspiration, on-location drawings, and tips for a traveling sketcher. Chapters include the The Art and Habit of Travel Sketching ; Tools; Obstacles; the Description and perks for drawing in such places as Estonia, Mexico, Greece, and Portugal. Includes reproductions of 40 drawings in ink and watercolor. A must have book for any fan of urban sketching.
An instructive guide to creating an illustrated journal based on artist and Instagram sensation Samantha Dion Baker's unique creative process, featuring information on materials, creative inspiration and instruction, prompts, and helpful tips and tricks. Samantha Dion Baker is a widely admired and followed artist on Instagram, where she shares her "sketch journal," an illustrated daily record of her life, drawn in a fresh, modern style. In Draw Your Day, Baker guides you through her inspirational practice and provides guidance for starting your own. Part instructional guide and part encouraging manifesto about how making art--even art that's not museum-worthy--can make your life more mindful and meaningful, Draw Your Day is ideal for both seasoned artists looking for fresh inspiration, as well as aspiring artists who need a friendly nudge to get started.
-- Brings painting to life by making it fun and enjoyable. -- Designed for people who have never painted before. -- Based on the methods used in the "Simply Painting" PBS TV series. The Simply Painting series is a completely new, no-nonsense approach to watercolor and acrylic painting. Its unique techniques simplify the process of painting, unlock many secrets, and prove that anyone can paint. The series is presented in full color, with large type and an easy to follow, step-by-step method of painting. The first book in each series presents an introduction to painting for beginners, with basic information on watercolor or acrylic painting, and the materials needed. Volume Two in each series builds on the lessons previously learned, but can also be used on its own.
Learn how to use traditional watercolour techniques to produce beautiful, contemporary paintings that are full of light, colour and life. Packed with inspirational finished paintings and step-by-step projects, this engaging book teaches you how to use watercolours in their purest form, without the addition of any other media, to create art that has a radiancy and luminosity that cannot be achieved in any other way.
A bold new edition of the groundbreaking book by two of America's most prominent visual artists, James Gurney (Dinotopia, Color and Light), and Thomas Kinkade, freshly updated with a new introduction, archival photographs, and illuminating text to guide a new generation of illustrators. Since its release in 1982, The Artist's Guide to Sketching has become a classic art guide for students and laypeople around the world. The book includes instruction and artwork by James Gurney and Thomas Kinkade--two students who would go on to fame with Dinotopia (Gurney) and as the "Painter of Light" (Kinkade). This new edition restores the classic text with updated visuals and a special section chronicling the book's origins and the friendship, drawing on archives from Gurney and the Kinkade family estate. Chapters and topics include: Chapter 1: THE EXPERIENCE OF SKETCHING (Coping with the Weather, Sketching at Night, Sitting or Standing?, Dealing with Curious Spectators, Being Inconspicuous, At Home Amid the Elements Chapter 2: MATERIALS (Sketchbooks, Pencils, Pens, Markers, Wash and Drybrush, Sketchboxes and Carrying Cases, Experiencing Your Materials) Chapter 3: ACHIEVING ACCURACY: (When to Use an Underdrawing, How Much Underdrawing is Necessary, Establishing the Large Shapes, Measuring Lengths, Measuring Slopes, Using Perspective Guidelines, Constructing with Geometric Forms, Completed Underdrawing, The Final Execution) Chapter 4: CAPTURING MOTION (Freezing Motion: A New Way of Drawing, Learning to Observe Motion, Training Your Memory, Getting It Down Fast, The Scribble Approach, The Gestural Approach, The Mannikin Approach, The Tonal Mass Approach, When Your Subject Moves Unexpectedly, Places to Go for Motion Sketching) Chapter 5: CREATING MOOD (Choosing a Subject, Noting Impressions, Composing with Thumbnails, Selectivity, Center of Interest, Dramatic Opposition, Delicacy, Mystery, Structure and Expression) Chapter 6: USING IMAGINATION (Dare to be Creative, Being Imaginative On-the-Spot, Exaggeration, Changing Context and Scale, Using Anthropomorphism, Additions and Combinations, Feeding the Imagination, Becoming More Imaginative) Chapter 7: STUDYING NATURE (Nature: Your Personal Drawing Workshop, The Experience of Nature Sketching, Plants, Animals, Sketching at the Zoo, Natural History Museum, Clouds, Rocks and Landforms, The Benefits of Studying Nature) Chapter 8: SKETCHING PEOPLE (Finding Raw Material, Exaggerating Character Traits, The Cartoon Approach, Portraying People in Their Environment, Two Characters, Group Composition, The On-The-Spot Portrait, Making People Sketches Come Alive, Family and Friends: Your Free Models) Chapter 9: EXPLORING THE MAN-MADE WORLD (Begin with the Commonplace, Sketching the Home, Indicating Building Exteriors, Signs and Letterforms, A New Look at Machines, Using Clutter, On-The-Spot Spot Research, Using Written Notes, Thinking As a Documentary Artist, The Joy of Exploration) Chapter 10: SKETCHING IN YOUR LIFE (Keeping Specialized Sketchbooks, Developing Sketches into Paintings, Sharing Sketches With Others, Sketching Alone or With Others)
Sketchtravel is an artistic journey unlike any other. No editorial project has ever before brought together as many visual artists around a common object. Passed between 72 artists over 5 years and across over 35,000 miles, the Sketchtravel sketchbook showcases the creativity of artists in numerous disciplines from around the world. Illustrators, animators, painters, and more each illustrated a page with their unique style before passing the book to the next artist. Reflecting a who's who of popular contemporary artists, this imaginative diverse collection of artwork will inspire art lovers with its scope, diversity, and beauty, much as it did each artist who contributed a link in its chain.
