Fast Sketching Techniques: Capture the Fundamental Essence of Elusive Subjects
$9.99
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When you’re struck by am image or impression you want to use in your art, you must record it – quickly! – before it’s gone. But what’s an artist to do when there’s no time for a carefully rendered drawing or even a good photo? Some quick field sketching, that’s what!
This book will revolutionize the way you sketch. David Rankin reveals the simple secrets to creating quick, impressionistic field sketches from life – and how to work with them once you’re back in the studio. With the tools and methods described here, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to draw rapid visuals of landscapes, animals, figures, crowds, any subject.
So the next time you’re taken by a sudden, fleeting inspiration, you can capture it. And make the most of it in your art.
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127 reviews for Fast Sketching Techniques: Capture the Fundamental Essence of Elusive Subjects
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$9.99
Lina Barattin –
excellent booki
helene vergnolles –
A RECOMMENDER A TOUTE PERSONNE SOUHAITANT PROGRESSER DANS LA CREATION;DE SUPERBES DESSINS;JE NE PEUX QUE RECOMMANDER.beaux dessins animaliers.la version Kindle est tres bonne au niveau du rendu
Outdoorsy Mom –
I have quite a library of art books, but this one really stands out! Usually drawing books contain a little corner about sketching and art journal books tend to be more about prompts and layouts. Here is a book that offers a simple and effective method of truly sketching – seeing what is in front of you and quickly recording it. The author is generous with his knowledge and he will have you diving right in.
The main materials used are a soft pencil and a blending tool, like a tortillion. Once you get the concept, it isn’t hard to adapt the techniques to other mediums, if you like. A wide variety of topics are covered, including objects, landscapes, portraits, and animals. There are a lot of examples and quite a few exercises for the reader to try. The author is very encouraging, without being condescending.
There are a lot of dated references (VCRs and film cameras), but the information the author is shaing is still valid. (It isn’t too difficult to figure that we should press “pause” on the DVR, instead of the VCR he refernces – the sketching experience is still the same.) Formatting on the Kindle was a little rough and there are some consistent typos. That doesn’t affect the content, but it would have been nice if the editors/publisher had worked a little harder at presenting a clean package.
This book has wide appeal. Even very beginning artists should have success with these ideas, pretty quickly and more experienced artists will be reminded about how to get back to basics and to draw what you see (basic shapes, shading, etc). I come back to it often and I tend to find new tidbits of info. I’d recommend this to anyone interested in improving his/her sketching – from the very beginner to the frequent sketcher/art journaler to the painter who uses sketches as references and preparation for more involved pieces.
Transformational Coach, Holistic Healing, Hypnosis & Artist –
Wow- sketching is so much more fun now and easy! I do love this technique…if anything I just needed an introduction to the 9b graphite woodless pencil and the blendy tool. In any case, the author has great enthusiasm and some of his sketches are pretty impressive. Some not so much, but then again- many of them are done in minutes or less even. My greatest complaint is with the kindle edition- and I am a kindle junkie of sorts! This book either needs a completely new layout for kindle or it just shouldn’t be offered. None of the pics can be enlarged, none of the pics are aligned with the text so half the time you don’t even know what the author is referring to. Basically, if you really want to make the most of this book- buy it in print!
Karen R –
I also have well over a hundred art books, many of them on how to draw.. Having never had formal drawing lessons I have always found this side of my art to be a bit lacking – I love to paint but drawing didn’t grab me until I read this book.
To be able to just have a 9B graphite pencil and a blending stump and to be able produce great shaded sketches in a minute or two has made me very enthusiastic about David Rankins Sketching Style as I find it really works for me.
Another book that goes well with this is “You can draw in 30 days” which enables you to draw in perspective learning a very easy way and having fun doing it.
G. Troll –
Gutes Lehrbuch, um das schnelle Anfertigen von Skizzen zu lernen.
Anne –
A must have to get those quick sketches happening. Therapeutic and great to do instead of watching tv.
user –
This is a fantastic book that should be in every artist’s library.
Rankin provides so much more context for his drawings than most books provide, printing illustrations actual size, and NOTING THAT THEY ARE ACTUAL SIZE. I can’t tell you how often I see book illustrations where I don’t know whether they’re as big as a billboard and done with a grease pencil, or tiny micro-mini postage stamps done with a sharpened pencil. When you enlarge small images, they look the same. But the technique/approach/movements used to make them are completely different. Rankin also notes how much time was taken to do various drawings. Again, this is RARE in drawing books. It’s a different thing to take 30 seconds to do a sketch, versus 1 minute, versus 15 minutes, or an hour.
Rankin shows the early images from when he was first starting to develop the specific technique being taught in the book. He shows you how it looked at first, still somewhat hesitant and fussy. Then, you see the evolution to the bold, expressive sketches of his mature style. Allowing the student behind the curtain and into the developmental process is so reassuring and valuable. Not enough artists do it, and they should.
The book’s later chapters are separated into subject matter categories: landscapes, people, animals. Within these categories are useful subdivisions: architecture, nature, sports/action drawing, portraits, birds. These subjects are of primary importance for the speedy sketcher. The breakdown of the chapters lets you get to useful advice quickly. The book does not meander or go on tangents. In several instances, Rankin shows the development of his drawing by re-enacting it on the page: which lines were drawn first? Then what? Then how was the drawing finished?
Some Amazon reviewers were complaining that this book is not useful for beginners. I agree. However, learning how to draw speedily is not the same thing as speedily learning how to draw. It’s possible that readers interpreted the book’s title to mean “Learn to draw, fast!” instead of “Learn to draw fast.” But for artists who struggle with speeding up their ability to capture essence and likeness, it’s truly one of a kind.
David Harvey –
A very good book with good tips and guides to rapid sketching. The author doesn’t rule out the use of a camera, cine equipment or using photographs to develop fast sketching methods. I thought the balance between text and actual sketches as a means of learning the techniques in the artist’s early learning stages was about right. Very pleased to see there were no matchstick figures! Lots of emphasis on capturing the essence of a sketch before producing a finished drawing or picture. Well worth the money.