Sketching for the Absolute Beginner

I am barely an amateur painter (acrylic & watercolor), and much less than that when it comes to drawing skills. I've read many sketching and drawing books, some with good advice and theory, but NONE which made more sense to me, filled me with enthusiasm and hope and even a smattering of confidence, as this book. It is easy to follow from beginning to end (I just finished the whole thing in one session, and am immediately going to do it again, soaking in the teachings and working on the exercises). The concept of Shapes, Edges, Tones (SET), and the use of lost and found edges rather than outlines just seems to make perfect sense to me. I do very few reviews (books, products or services), but this book is orders of magnitude better than anything I've ever read on this subject, which is very difficult for me. For the very first time I feel like I have a road map to follow, and total confidence that I will have improved my skills by walking down that road. Thank you, sincerely, Peter Cronin, your approach to teaching is absolutely excellent. Robin

Step by step guide to learning, very helpful

Not as easy to follow. The pictures of steps was not as clear to follow either.

Excellent teaching guide for adults. It’s not dumbed down or a childish guide to sketching as many of these books are.

Reading different art books and this was recommended to me by an artist I follow.

A great review of different techniques. I’m looking forward to picking up my pencils and get back into sketching.

For anyone who wants to improve their sketches for painting or preliminary studies, this is a great addition to your library. Cronin uses his S.E.T. (Shape/Edge/Tone) method to analyze every scene. I substitute Value for his Tone but that is just my preference—either way, the approach is a good habit. He also does a quick outline sketch of the top of the background and works to the midground and foreground from there. Many other books cover these methods as well, but Cronin’s examples and written explanations are clear and direct.

I’ve been wanting to get into drawing/sketching for a while now and thought this would be a great book to get started with! I really love how free-flow everything feels, as someone who gets easily frustrated when her art isn’t “perfect” this is helping me to accept my skill levels as is while I improve

This is an excellent book for beginners

Very bad book. Below quality sketches. One should not buy this and waste money

I have been following British artist, Peter Cronin, for several years (I'm also British), especially his watercolours, so was thrilled when I learned he was publishing this sketching book. I am not disappointed! This book is jam-packed with pictures and easy-to-follow instructions and sketches. Shows the process of starting a sketch to finished pictures, which are a pleasure just to look at in themselves. I can thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in sketching outdoors, not just beginners.

Found this a very well put together and accessible guide to getting started with sketching. Covers all the basics in a clear simple way to follow and build up skills. Cannot get away from the overall message that it comes down to lots and lots of old fashioned practice!

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