Drawing Is ...
Your Guide to Scribbled Adventures
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
An inspiring and affirming book on drawing and how to think about drawing, for kids and all curious humans ages 8 and up.
For fans of Wreck This Journal, Wreck This Picture Book and Making Comics.
What happens when you pick up a pencil? How do you talk to yourself about drawing while you're drawing? Where do your scribbles start and where do they lead?
Are you ready to find out?
With acclaimed art and editorial director of Illustoria and author-illustrator Elizabeth Haidle as your guide through the world of art, Drawing Is . . . is an essential and captivating guide to drawing, brimming with artful exercises and perfect for anyone seeking a creative adventure.
If you've ever picked up a pencil, drawn, stopped drawing, started again, doodled without purpose, sketched with intention, been disappointed with your art and thrown it out, yet turned the page to try a new experiment . . . this book is for you.
All you need is a drawing surface. A drawing tool. A dot. And a line. Whatever your skill level, you're invited to draw along.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As the title's ellipsis hints, Haidle (Christo and Jeanne-Claude Wrap the World) takes an expansive approach to drawing that covers much more than the mechanics of putting pencil to paper. Calling the act "two-dimensional traveling," exploratory text strikes an intimate chord that should immediately put any audience at ease, extending into ideas about consciousness and self-discovery, and aligning the act with everything from "focusing" to "growing" to "magic." Hand-written invitations ("Can you find at least a corner of your brain that is comfortable with not-knowing?") and affirming declarations ("A drawing is evidence... that you are alive, you exist!") urge readers to approach the empty page with curiosity. Brief interstitials offer concrete instruction on fundamentals including scale, contrast, texture, and pattern, and suggested practices draw on inspiration from artists including Lynda Barry, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Hokusai, Yayoi Kusama, and the surrealists. Executed in pencil, ink, gouache, and graphite powder, with strategic bursts of digital color brightening the grayscale palette, the book itself is a work of art that reflects the thoughtfulness, spontaneity, and discipline championed throughout its pages. It's like having a series of conversations with a cool, totally nonjudgmental, knows-the-ropes friend. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Repeatable exercises conclude. Ages 8–12.
