Artist's Drawing Book, The

“The Artist’s Drawing Book by Katy Lipscomb and Tyler Fisher involves you from the very first page by inviting you to ‘start immediately by adding some flare to this page, personalising it with whatever doodles, colours, or images inspire you the most!’ Filled with exercises, activities and guides, the book aims to inspire your inner artist, starting with information about the essential tools and materials you will need and moving on to specific skills and techniques, including sketching basics, creating a composition and drawing from life, using pen and ink, and colour, mixing media and finding inspiration. The design of the book is fun and informal, but the relaxed style doesn’t detract from the good instruction contained here. It’s packed with advice for beginners and those wishing to revisit their drawing skills, with step-by-step exercises, tips from the professionals and suggestions for what to try next. This is a refreshing and lively book that is sure to inspire.

* Leisure Painter magazine *

More than just a basic drawing guide, The Artist’s Drawing Book inspires you to work and make a living with your art, whether it’s a long-time passion or a part-time hobby. From teaching the basics of design to navigating the increasingly digital world of art selling, artists Katy Lipscomb and Tyler Fisher share their knowledge in this detailed book. The Artist’s Drawing Book is perfect for sketching as you read along and encourages hands-on action to bring your artistic dreams to fruition. It helps you develop art skills and teaches you insider tricks for how to create a viable business plan and successfully sell your art.

* Artists and Illustrators magazine *

This is, as much as anything else, a book of ideas, something to dip into and take things pretty much at random. It might be a way with colour, a new subject or a technique you’re familiar with but haven’t ever really thought about. There isn’t a structure or flow – it’s not a course – so I wouldn’t even try to work through it in any order. At first sight, the pages can seem crowded and the images a bit overwhelming, but that’s where focus comes in and you’ll soon find that the authors actually aren’t afraid of a bit of white space and allowing the illustrations to breathe when they need to. I’m also sure you’ll find some of the ideas trite, banal even, but I’m not going to give examples because the bits I think are brilliant could be the bits you hate and the whole point, I think, is to find something that catches your eye and then start to think. And yes, if that thought is “that’s rubbish”, that’s fine because you can start to work out how you’d have done it better and, before you know it, you will have done it better. Sometimes, learning isn’t about what the teacher tells you, but what you tell yourself. This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea – I’m not even sure it’s mine – but it provides a lot of ideas that are simply expressed and that the authors work with entirely rationally.

-- Henry Malt * Artbook Revi