What do you think?
Rate this book
The Guided Sketchbook That Teaches You How to Draw!
Always wanted to learn how to draw? Now’s your chance.
Kean University Teacher of the Year Robin Landa has cleverly disguised an entire college-level course on drawing in this fun, hands-on, begging-to-be-drawn-in sketchbook. Even if you’re one of the four people on this planet who have never picked up a pencil before, you will learn how to transform your doodles into realistic drawings that actually resemble what you’re picturing in your head.
In this book, you will learn how to use all of the formal elements of drawing–line, shape, value, color, pattern, and texture–to create well-composed still lifes, landscapes, human figures, and faces. Keep your pencils handy while you’re reading because you’re going to get plenty of drawing breaks– and you can do most of them right in the book while the techniques are fresh in your mind. To keep you inspired, Landa breaks up the step-by-step instruction with drawing suggestions and examples from a host of creative contributors including designers Stefan G. Bucher and Jennifer Sterling, artist Greg Leshé, illustrator Mary Ann Smith, animator Hsinping Pan, and more.
Kean University Teacher of the Year Robin Landa has cleverly disguised an entire college-level course on drawing in this fun, hands-on, begging-to-be-drawn-in sketchbook. Even if you’re one of the four people on this planet who have never picked up a pencil before, you will learn how to transform your doodles into realistic drawings that actually resemble what you’re picturing in your head.
In this book, you will learn how to use all of the formal elements of drawing–line, shape, value, color, pattern, and texture–to create well-composed still lifes, landscapes, human figures, and faces. Keep your pencils handy while you’re reading because you’re going to get plenty of drawing breaks– and you can do most of them right in the book while the techniques are fresh in your mind. To keep you inspired, Landa breaks up the step-by-step instruction with drawing suggestions and examples from a host of creative contributors including designers Stefan G. Bucher and Jennifer Sterling, artist Greg Leshé, illustrator Mary Ann Smith, animator Hsinping Pan, and more.
207 pages, Paperback
First published October 29, 2013
6 people are currently reading
513 people want to read
About the author
Robin Landa
52 books24 followersRobin Landa holds the title of Distinguished Professor in the Robert Busch School of Design at Kean University of New Jersey. She is included among the teachers that the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching calls the “great teachers of our time.” Most recently, Landa was a finalist in the Wall Street Journal’s Creative Leaders competition.
Professor Landa has won many awards for design, writing, teaching, and creative leadership, including: National Society of Arts and Letters, The National League of Pen Women, New Jersey Authors Award, Creativity, Graphic Design USA, Art Directors Club of New Jersey, The Presidential Excellence Award in Scholarship from Kean University, and the Rowan University Award for Contribution to Design Education.
Landa is the author of twelve published books about graphic design, branding, advertising, and creativity including Graphic Design Solutions, 4th edition (Wadsworth), Advertising by Design, 2nd edition (John Wiley & Sons), Designing Brand Experiences (Cengage Learning), and Thinking Creatively (HOW books). Her books have been translated into Chinese and Spanish.
Co-authoring with her colleague Professor Rose Gonnella, she wrote Visual Workout Creativity Workbook (Cengage Learning); and co-authored 2D: Visual Basics for Designers with Gonnella and award-winning designer Steven Brower. Known for her expertise in creativity, Landa penned Thinking Creatively (HOW), and co-authored Creative Jolt and Creative Jolt Inspirations (North Light Books) with Rose Gonnella and Denise M. Anderson. Robin’s article on ethics in design, “No Exit for Designers,” was featured in Print magazine’s European Design Annual/Cold Eye column; other articles have been featured in HOW magazine, Step Inside Design, Critique, and Icograda. Robin’s Amazon Shorts—“Advertising: 11 Insights from Creative Directors” and “Branding: 10 Truths Behind Successful Brands”—both reached the #1 spot on the Shorts best-seller list.
Robin has lectured across the country at the HOW International Design Conferences, Graphic Artists Guild conference, College Art Association, Thinking Creatively conference, Art Directors Club of New Jersey, and the One Club Education Summit. She has been interviewed on radio, television, in print, and the World Wide Web on the subjects of design, creativity, and art.
Professor Landa has won many awards for design, writing, teaching, and creative leadership, including: National Society of Arts and Letters, The National League of Pen Women, New Jersey Authors Award, Creativity, Graphic Design USA, Art Directors Club of New Jersey, The Presidential Excellence Award in Scholarship from Kean University, and the Rowan University Award for Contribution to Design Education.
Landa is the author of twelve published books about graphic design, branding, advertising, and creativity including Graphic Design Solutions, 4th edition (Wadsworth), Advertising by Design, 2nd edition (John Wiley & Sons), Designing Brand Experiences (Cengage Learning), and Thinking Creatively (HOW books). Her books have been translated into Chinese and Spanish.
Co-authoring with her colleague Professor Rose Gonnella, she wrote Visual Workout Creativity Workbook (Cengage Learning); and co-authored 2D: Visual Basics for Designers with Gonnella and award-winning designer Steven Brower. Known for her expertise in creativity, Landa penned Thinking Creatively (HOW), and co-authored Creative Jolt and Creative Jolt Inspirations (North Light Books) with Rose Gonnella and Denise M. Anderson. Robin’s article on ethics in design, “No Exit for Designers,” was featured in Print magazine’s European Design Annual/Cold Eye column; other articles have been featured in HOW magazine, Step Inside Design, Critique, and Icograda. Robin’s Amazon Shorts—“Advertising: 11 Insights from Creative Directors” and “Branding: 10 Truths Behind Successful Brands”—both reached the #1 spot on the Shorts best-seller list.
Robin has lectured across the country at the HOW International Design Conferences, Graphic Artists Guild conference, College Art Association, Thinking Creatively conference, Art Directors Club of New Jersey, and the One Club Education Summit. She has been interviewed on radio, television, in print, and the World Wide Web on the subjects of design, creativity, and art.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 8, 2014
This book is well written with easy to understand guided studies.
I judged this book based on how my drawing skills improved or did not improve from before I started to after completion and I can say I have seen an improvement. I find I look at subjects and plan my drawings differently and can see an improvement in the finished product.
You need to be very objective about your own work to get the full value of this book or have a trusted friend to look things over with a critical eye and you will see an improvement.
I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in improving thier drawing skills!
December 31, 2014
It will not teach you how to draw.
If you can draw, it may show you new perspectives.
If you can draw, it may show you new perspectives.
July 24, 2019
Very dissatisfied! It does not teach you how to draw. You can cherry pick some drawing tips, if you already know basically how to draw.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews