The Artist's Guide to Pen and Ink: Take Your Drawings to the Next Level with Gorgeous Shading Techniques

by Tri Le

Master the basics of pen and ink drawing and fill your sketchbook with breathtaking art with this all-in-one guidebook. You’ll learn the most important techniques of the pen and ink medium so you can capture your favorite subjects in beautiful detail. Tri Le Shiba, a professional artists and educator, guides you through his foolproof course, helping you master key concepts in sketching and shading with a pen. Then, you’ll practice what you’ve learned in drawing projects of portraits, nature scenes, still lives, doodles and more!This book sets you up for success with straightforward lessons on once-intimidating subjects like sketching your forms, cross-hatching, scratching and stippling. You’ll perfect the motions and linework of each technique, then cement your skills in larger works. Learn how shading denotes value in a piece, then sketch a still life, capturing the dark and light portions with only ink. Practice hatching and cross-hatching, then use both in a nature scene to detail the grasses and leaves. By the end of this book, you’ll have sketched buildings, outdoor landscapes and human figures and faces and have every skill you need to capture your world with just a pen.

192 pages, Paperback

Published July 29, 2025

Reviews

[Mark Hartzer]

The subtitle says :"Take Your Drawings to the Next Level with Gorgeous Shading Techniques", and that is the key takeaway to this nice little book.

Although I really appreciate art and the artists who make it possible, I would characterize my own artistic abilities as a 'good lawyer'. In other words, not a 'good artist'. I appreciate Mr. Le's efforts to explain and demonstrate shading techniques to the layperson. Here he is on page 76 explaining (with pictures) crosshatching:

"Step 5: At this point, with a high density of crosshatching, you can continue adding more layers in any direction you choose. It's ok if new strokes overlap previous layers. The key is to continuously change the layering and ensure that the intersecting strokes feel balanced."

He addresses a number of key concepts such as, "An Easy Guide to Linear Perspective" or "Depicting Animal Fur". Helpful ideas for beginners and experts alike. 5 stars

[Christianne]

Good pen and ink drawing addition to my art tutorial books

I have several books on art instruction, including a few classic and contemporary pen sketching books. All to over stippling and hatching/crosshatching, but this is the first one that I have have owned that provides guidance on the engraving style on pen shading. The practice exercises are approachable for new and intermediate learners and the tutorials help you apply the what you learned to your own references without just needing to rely on the author. The author provides suggestions in applying the pen practice to different styles abstract, realistic, Cubist, surrealist, etc. I read through the entire book, completed a couple of the practice exercises, and would recommend this book. The book works perfectly on Kindle too.