The Best-Selling Sketching eBooks of All Time

Rediscover the pleasure you got from childhood drawing, before you became too self-conscious and self-critical to enjoy it. Most children draw. Before we can write, even, we scribble and sketch and create. But somehow that gets lost as we get older. We learn that Being An Artist is hard and complicated, and that there are technical rules to choosing colour and perfecting your perspective. This book is here to remind you of the joy you once found in creating, scribbling, getting something down on paper – and that it’s really about the process and nothing to do with how technically brilliant the finished ‘artwork’ is.

In this accessible guide, largely self-taught artist Jen Russell-Smith takes beginners by the hand and breaks down the barriers we face around sketching, and shows you how to begin with quick, loose sketches building your confidence and skills to draw spontaneously, with nothing more than the things around you for inspiration. With simple exercises that anyone can follow, Jen shows you how to sketch the things and the places around you from life, using simple watercolour techniques to add vibrancy to your work. With simple exercises and step-by-step tutorials, Jen shows you how to sketch the places around you from life, and those further afield from photos, using simple watercolour techniques to add vibrancy to your work.

An essential little book – perfect for the pocket or art bag – covering all practical aspects of sketching and drawing. Sketching is a skill that every artist needs to master and this handy book shows you how in a very clear and simple way. Jackie starts by describing all the different media used for sketching, including pencils, charcoal, coloured pencils, pens, pastels, watercolours and gouache, as well as the different types of sketchbooks. She then looks at the basic techniques of sketching, emphasizing the importance of observation and showing how to make marks, use tone, create 3-D form and portray pattern.

She then covers a wide range of subjects, such as plants and flowers, skies, animals, the urban landscape, and figures and portraits, explaining how to compose your sketches and giving useful tips about sketching on the move. There’s also a fascinating section on sketching from the Masters, to provide additional inspiration. The instruction is clear and concise throughout, providing an ideal resource for artists of all levels to dip into when sketching out on location.

Life Lessons: Learn How to Capture a World Constantly in Motion. Fluid, fast and expressive life drawing starts here. Step by step, you'll learn to render fleeting gestures from memory, capture expressions simply and more quickly, give your drawing a life of its own with body language, and more. Along the way, you'll develop a more spontaneous approach for successfully working from life. Inside you'll find:. • A comprehensive course on drawing from life, based on classic principles. • Essential techniques for drawing gesture, figures, clothing, expression, body language and more. • Lots of exercises that bring lessons to life.

The skills you'll learn from this book are so fundamental that every artist will find something in these useful lessons for making the most of all the inspiration that life has to offer.