10 Step Drawing: Nature

There are an amazing 60 plants and animals to draw in this book which it shows you in very clear easy steps. This book is a delight for adults and children alike. Beautifully presented with rounded edges and coloured borders, I am surprised it is not more expensive. Not much text but enough to help with each stage. My only criticism and its a minor one, is that I would have preferred it to be all UK species but there are a few that are not.

-- Valerie Harrison * Amazon *

There is a new addition to the Search Press ’10 Step Drawing’ series and what a fabulous addition it is! 10 Step Drawing: Nature, by Mary Woodin, aims to guide you through creating your own nature images (animals, flowers, trees and more) within 10 steps!

Now, I’ll be honest with you here, when I flicked through the book and saw the sumptuous images I really didn’t believe such detailed drawings could be created in 10 steps… Well, I was wrong! Mary really does expertly guide you through each image in 10 achievable steps!

The book is divided into 3 different ‘nature’ themes including: ‘Meadows and Wetland’, ‘Forest’ and ‘Coast’. I was really impressed at the wide variety of nature drawings within each theme (there are 60 options) and even the contents page is beautifully illustrated. So, from wildlife to plants, this book has you covered!

The instructions and the layout of each drawing is really well placed and easy to follow. Each of the steps are numbered along with their corresponding instructional image and short textual instructions. I love how accessible this is by making each step a short, achievable step which doesn’t feel overwhelming.

I also love how under each title, there is a little extra info to inspire, encourage and inform! The final image is the largest image and I think that really helps for clarity so that you know what you are progressing towards. I also really like that the colour palette is at the end underneath the final image as it means you can focus on the actual mark marking in steps 1-9 before exploring colour in the final step. That really helps to make sure we’re not getting distracted by colours in the earlier steps and that we can then focus on the structure, the marks and the shapes!

I’ve really enjoyed looking through this book and I have cracked out my pen and paper to start the 10 steps too! This is a really beautiful, accessible and inspiring book which is full of creativity and ideas for drawing nature!

-- Naomi Clarke * naomialice.co.uk *

Part of the 10 Step Drawing series, 10 Step Drawing: People uses simple lines and shapes to make lifelike images - starting with just one line and building this up in ten steps. The book includes information on over 60 different flowers, trees, animals and objects - starting with very basic lines and showing how to develop these, until you have a complete picture. This guide is the perfect way to start drawing, while, at the same time, building your skills and confidence.

* Leisure Painter *

Learn to draw the wonderful world of nature in this latest addition to Search Press’ innovative 10 Step Drawing series. Have a go at depicting sixty plants and animals from the temperate northern hemisphere from simple shapes to the final coloured work.  After a brief introduction on how to use the book and what to use to add colour, the flora and fauna are divided into where they are found: meadows and wetland, forest and coast.

Choose from British favourites such as the goldfinch, barn owl, dandelion, violet and herring gull or American species including black bear, humming bird, raccoon, Californian poppy and cardinal. Each project takes one or two pages and demonstrates how to go from a basic outline adding features until you have the complete drawing. There are some lovely studies in here, and the book will serve as a starting point for anybody who wants to have a try at drawing nature.

-- Rachel Hyde * myshelf.c