Includes drawings of plants, animals, landscapes, and other aspects of nature in each season, with comments from the artist on how and why he drew them.

A facility with pencil drawings is a valuable asset for painters in oil and watercolors, and a high-quality pencil sketch ranks as the artistic equal of the best painting. This guide offers beginners step-by-step demonstrations of how to depict clouds, trees, buildings, and other outdoor scenes.Famed for his landscape paintings, author Leonard Richmond provides pencil studies that demonstrate each stage of picture-making, from rough sketch to completed work. Students who copy and memorize the simpler studies can advance to the more complicated pictures, attaining skills that will assist them in drawing directly from life or nature. Using a variety of pencil techniques, Richmond shows how to re-create stormy and tranquil skies, foliage, driftwood and rocks along the seashore, and other outdoor scenery. Students will savor the rich diversity of these illustrative landscapes, which include scenes from England's Cornish coast, a homestead in New Mexico, a Vermont meadow, and the French countryside.

Early in March Jim Arnosky, sketchbook in hand, set out to discover the arrival of spring in his Vermont countryside. He had imagined many times just what he would find, and was fascinated to discover that the beginnings of spring were very different from his winter bound expectations.The weather was cold and raw. Most of his sketching was done with gloved hands. The first signal he perceived of resurging wildlife was the call of wood frogs. Early spring wildflowers thrived, but they were in difficult, Hard-to-reach places. Everything as in barely perceptible motions. On March 31 he commented, "I am slowly beginning to be surrounded by the things I want to draw."This book is the fulfillment of one spring season spent sketching by the artist, and naturalist. At the very heart of this remarkable work is his sharing of the keen pleasure that can be had sketching outdoors in spring and bringing it all back home.

A guide that shows painters, drawers, doodlers, and urban sketchers how to bring their drawings to life with colorful, bold, yet accessible painting methods. Watercolor sketching is a rapidly emerging technique that enlivens sketches done in pen or pencil with the expressive washes, glazes, and luminous hues of watercolor . This lushly illustrated resource teaches artists on the go how to sketch with watercolor, rendering subjects efficiently and without inhibitions. Readers are guided through all aspects of the medium, from fundamental techniques including wet-on-wet, glazing, and washes; materials and supplies; and little known tips and tricks for getting the most out of watercolor (for example, just sprinkling a little salt on your painting creates a texture that's impossible to achieve with a brush.) A strong focus color theory provides a solid foundation for enhancing drawings with vibrant hues.

Noted artist, author and educator shows how to draw every major outdoor subject — land, greenery, skies, building, people, cities, and more — in all the major drawing media: pencils, pen and ink, brush and ink, felt pens, charcoal, Rembrandt to Wyeth. Over 100 illustrations.

Make the world your studio! Capture the bustle and beauty of life in your town. Experience life as only an artist can! Join the rapidly growing, international movement of artists united by a passion for drawing on location in the cities, towns and villages where they live and travel. Packed with art and advice from Marc Taro Holmes, artist and co-founder of Urbansketchers.org, this self-directed workshop shows you how to draw inspiration from real life and bring that same excitement into your sketchbook. Inside you'll find everything you need to tackle subjects ranging from still lifes and architecture to people and busy street scenes. • 15 step-by-step demonstrations cover techniques for creating expressive drawings using pencil, pen and ink, and watercolor. • Expert tips for achieving a balance of accuracy, spontaneity and speed. • Practical advice for working in the field, choosing subjects, coping with onlookers, capturing people in motion and more. • Daily exercises and creative prompts for everything from improving essential skills to diverse approaches, such as montages, storytelling portraits and one-page graphic novels. Whether you are a habitual doodler or a seasoned artist, The Urban Sketcher will have you out in the world sketching from the very first page. By completing drawings on the spot, in one session, you achieve a fresh impression of not just what you see, but also what it feels like to be there . . . visual life stories as only you can experience them.

This companion volume to the PBS-TV series Drawing From Nature represents a spiritual sharing of ideas and techniques by a gifted wildlife artist (School Library Journal). Photos and drawings throughout.