Full Description
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.
Contents
FEELING SKETCHY? ...................................6
What Do I Need? ............................ 8
Materials ..............................................................10
Papers and sketchbooks ................................... 12
Colour chart ........................................................14
Fill a page: doodles and scribbles.................... 16
Getting Started .............................. 18
Practicalities .......................................................20
Sketching basics ................................................ 22
Sketch what you love ........................................ 24
Adding text ......................................................... 26
Quick drawing .................................................... 28
What Shall I Draw? ..................30
Drawing the everyday, every day ..................... 32
FOOD............................................................ 34
Fruit ...................................................................... 35
Biscuit .................................................................. 36
Fill a page: macarons ........................................ 37
Tea and coffee ................................................... 38
Draw what you eat.............................................40
Shopping list ...................................................... 42
PLANTS ....................................................... 44
House plants ......................................................45
Leaves .................................................................46
Fill a page: foliage ............................................. 47
Flowers ................................................................48
Different angles ................................................. 49
Trees ....................................................................50
ANIMALS ..................................................... 54
Pets ...................................................................... 55
Birds ..................................................................... 56
Fill a page: insects .............................................58
Imaginary creatures ..........................................60
Feathers .............................................................. 62
PEOPLE ........................................................ 64
People at home ................................................. 65
Newspapers and magazines ...........................66
Yourself ...............................................................68
Hands and feet ..................................................70
Fill a page: people on TV .................................. 72
FURNITURE & INTERIORS ........................74
Favourite chair ................................................... 75
Bed and bedclothes .......................................... 76
Perspective ......................................................... 78
Fill a page: furniture thumbnails.....................80
Bathroom fixtures ............................................. 82
STILL LIFE ................................................... 84
Cupboard contents ...........................................85
Bookcase ............................................................86
Fill a page: pockets/bags ................................88
Negative space ..................................................90
Collections .......................................................... 92
PRODUCTS ................................................. 94
Cereal boxes ....................................................... 95
Favourite product ..............................................96
Fill a page: make-up bag .................................98
Bottle of wine/gin ...........................................100
Morning or evening Items ............................... 101
PATTERNS ..................................................102
Rug or carpet ................................................... 103
Bricks and tiles ................................................. 104
Crockery ............................................................ 106
Fill a page: patterns in a single room ........... 108
Curtains.............................................................. 110
OUT THE WINDOW....................................112
Rain ......................................................................113
Different times ...................................................114
Frame details .....................................................116
Clouds .................................................................118
Fill a page: view from the window ................ 120
What Next? ........................................122
Showcasing and developing your work ........124
ABOUT THE AUTHOR ............................ 126
INDEX ......................................................... 127
