This is a definite look into if you want to learn the art of drawing basic things.

Haven’t looked at all of it, but have found the majority of what I’ve seen useful.

'The Art of Basic Drawing: Simple step-by-step techniques for drawing a variety of subjects in graphite pencil' by William F. Powell, Michael Butkus, Walter Foster and Mia Tavonatti is an art instruction book with a variety of projects to draw.

This book has 5 sections. The first section goes in to tools and materials, how to hold a pencil for art and learning to see (or unsee) for art. Then there are sections on drawing still lifes, animals, landscapes and people. There are lots of step by step instructions and lots of encouragement to take a sketchbook everywhere and draw.

This book makes drawing beautiful things attainable and has a great encouraging approach to teaching. The examples are not simple but are broken down to show the steps to get there. I found this to be a really good art instruction book

I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing Group - Walter Foster, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Art of Basic Drawing demystifies sketching in a beautifully illustrated book with clear instructions and great tips to learn and grow as an artist. Both beginner and experienced can learn from this gorgeous book.

5 out of 5 stars. Recommended for every art reference library.

This book is an introduction to drawing, talking about perspective, shapes, shading and then focusing on animals, landscapes and faces. What bothered me is that only the first few pages deal with basic drawing and the next chapters are basically the same (illustrations included) as other small drawing booklets published in this series.

THE AUTHORS

William F. Powell and Michael Butkus, et. al. are the accomplished authors, artists, and writers of a plethora of publications. Together the authors have created a splendid tutorial for all those who want to increase their skills and abilities.

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE

The Art of Basic Drawing provides a guided tutorial, style self-help book based on Quarto’s Walter Foster imprint style. Although it is described as basic, there are techniques described within the pages that will appeal to those with an intermediate skill level. For this reason I believe most artists or aspiring artist will benefit from the valuable information in this print.

SYNOPSIS

This book is skillfully illustrated and resplendent with invaluable insights as well as tips, tricks, and techniques. The magnificent tutorials enclosed will guide you through methods to improve your skill-set and assist you in producing more satisfying results from your efforts.

This artists manifesto is attractively presented and most important easy to follow in step-by-step instructions. The presentation gives the viewer confidence to try out the techniques in the comfort of their own home or studio.

The structure of the book allows the reader to move from chapter to chapter or section to section with equal ease, whilst maintaining full comprehension. The phased sequence transports the beginner through the drawing methods: from getting started, to how to approach still life subjects, followed by animals, landscapes and people.

CONCLUSION

The Art of Basic Drawing made a considerable impression on me, and it reminded me of the depiction and style of more traditional artists of previous decades. It has the feel of a quality product written and published by those who possess genuine experience and love for the subject. For the price of a night out at the cinema you could have this manual that will give you a lifetime of pleasure. I heartily recommended this book for both beginners and intermediate artists.

WHO IS WALTER FOSTER

Walter Foster Publishing is one of the most recognized names in art instruction. The timeless drawing and painting techniques found in Walter Foster titles have assisted people around the world discover their creative talents. Walter Foster Publishing has developed a full library of titles for the modern artist: from traditional pencil sketching; to acrylic, oil, and watercolor painting; to mixed media, hand lettering, and DIY crafting.

KNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank the authors William F. Powell and Michael Butkus, Netgalley, and Walter Foster Publishing for affording the opportunity to review The Art of Basic Drawing.

The most extensively inclusive book on drawing I’ve seen in quite some time, not only would it be a gift for a novice, but even more advanced artists could find it useful as a compact reference book.

This book of basic drawing techniques covers pretty much everything a beginner should know in quick little snippets. It would be worthwhile especially if someone was looking for a quick overview of all topics. The actual art samples unfortunately like many art books seem to jump from simple to complex without really explaining how to get there yourself. However the topics covered run the gamet here as well, covering pretty much all one might be interested in.

The Art of Basic Drawing is a tutorial technique guide for graphite pencil drawing for the beginning to intermediate artist. Due out 3rd March 2020 from Quarto on their Walter Foster imprint, it's 128 pages and will be available in paperback format.

The layout follows the familiar Walter Foster tutorial format. An introduction covers tools and supplies and is followed by a short and easily accessible general drawing tutorial and an introduction to texture and perspective. There's a good subchapter on blending, texture strokes, and pencil techniques as well as a short intro on how to compose a drawing and developing forms.

Each of the chapters includes several start to finish projects illustrating the concepts and techniques from the chapter. The tutorials are grouped roughly thematically: still life, animals, landscapes, and people/portraiture.

This is a very basic book but full of good technique and will provide some useful takeaways for the majority of readers/artists. This entire series is worthwhile and will be a valuable addition to the artist's home library. The material is at least partially compiled from previously published work; one of the contributors (Walter T. Foster) passed away roughly forty years ago.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I wanted to read this book because I wanted to improve my drawing ability. I can't draw well so this book would be helpful to me. It did help with that but I learned something I didn't expect. With a book like this I need to keep the book open while I practice what I read. This is more of a read and apply book. While your reading it your also trying to apply what your reading to a separate page or board. So, I read the book book I didn't get as much out of it as I wanted because practicing will be a longer process then reading.

Great introduction to drawing for a complete beginner like myself. Goes through all the basics, and gives me confidence. A physical copy would probably be the best way to read this.

I received this book from NetGalley as an ARC for an honest review.

I like drawing. I try to copy illustrations and cartoons.
I am able to draw simple ones, but when stacking of multiple items in a picture is required alignment becomes haphazard.
But now I know principles of single person or two person perspective in a drawing; that stacks items correctly with respect to each other.
This book teaches such basics in a simplified way like shading, perspective, shadowing, faces, noses etc.
A very good work that has stood test of time and can work as inspiration for young artists.
A nice book to gift to kids who love drawing.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

This book was really easy to follow, it has a great layout which makes it easy to read. It’s perfect if you didn’t want to sit and read it all at once, but wanted to learn how to draw certain bits at different times, with no pressure. I found little snippets of information quite interesting that I didn’t know. It made me want to get my drawing book and pencils out and I don’t think I’m capable of drawing. It’s certainly inspired me to try again, watch this space!!!

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

It's a beautiful and easy read for begginers in drawing (like me) and i was very happy with all the information in just one book and easy to understand.

I'm practicing with watercolors and this book help a lot with my sketches, I will use this a lot.

This book is for everyone who want to start drawing.

Copy in exchange of an honest review.

I still can't draw, but is it this books fault? No, no it's not. I love these types of step-by-step drawing guides. Always happy to see a new one!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is a delightful book full of easy to follow but detailed step by step instructions to encourage the budding but beginning artist. This book covers many starting points such as shading, shadows etc and gives activities to try before starting out with the sketches in the book itself.

This book is very detailed and informative. The sections on perspective and shading are excellent. I highly recommend this book and I truly loved it. This book covers many solid techniques and the artwork is well done. I received this book from NetGalley as an ARC for an honest review.

This is a great book for beginners who are wanting to learn but it's also I great refresher for people who already know how to draw. It goes thru all the basics and tips. I highly recommend this book.

This really is a book for beginner artists. There are plenty of steps and clear instructions, so even a complete beginner could have a go and get some good results. I liked the variety of projects and pictures and the demonstrations of different textures. Everything is very clear and the projects are basic but varied enough to give you a good all round basic knowledge. Perfect first book for aspiring artists or anyone just wanting to improve their drawing skills and attention to detail.

This is quite a good introduction to drawing. The author goes into basics about topics like perspective, supplies, shapes that make a drawing, shading and cross-hatching (and more), exercises to build your talents, and so on. Exercises are provided to practice with still life, animals and landscapes, with quite a few step-by-step examples of everything from horses to Persian cats to gorillas to mountains. There is just a bit of "and then a miracle occurs" when going through the steps to the fantastic drawing you see at the end, but that's pretty much the norm in drawing books. There is help with drawing people and facial features at the end and there's the typical 1950's look to the people that is so common with drawing books. All in all, this is a great primer on developing your drawing talents, though.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.