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The Urban Sketching Handbook Understanding Light: Portraying Light Effects in On-Location Drawing and Painting
The Urban Sketching Understanding Light is an informative guide to heightening the impact of your artwork by capturing the look and subtleties of light in any scene.
In settings ranging from fields and mountains at daybreak to neon cityscapes at midnight, learn how to express light effects through color and value to improve and refine your drawings and paintings.
Artist and urban sketcher Katie Woodward offers strategies Master the art of rendering light with The Urban Sketching Understanding Light as your guide.
The Urban Sketching Handbook series offers location artists expert instruction on creative techniques, on-location tips and advice, and an abundance of visual inspiration. These handy references come in a compact, easy-to-carry format—perfect to toss in your backpack or artist’s tote.
In settings ranging from fields and mountains at daybreak to neon cityscapes at midnight, learn how to express light effects through color and value to improve and refine your drawings and paintings.
Artist and urban sketcher Katie Woodward offers strategies Master the art of rendering light with The Urban Sketching Understanding Light as your guide.
The Urban Sketching Handbook series offers location artists expert instruction on creative techniques, on-location tips and advice, and an abundance of visual inspiration. These handy references come in a compact, easy-to-carry format—perfect to toss in your backpack or artist’s tote.
- GenresArtNonfiction
112 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 9, 2021
19 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 27, 2022
This was an excellent overview of the many ways light can affect the appearance and mood of a painting, especially a landscape painting. The text was informative and detailed, and the many examples really brought the lessons home. I feel like I learned SO MUCH that I now am itching to put into practice. Natural light at various times of day and night are covered, as well as artificial lights and lighting combinations. Also the many and varied types of shadow, reflections, textures, and light viewed through translucent objects.
I would recommend this to anyone with some painting experience who wishes to take their work to the next level by considering lighting. It's an excellent resource.
*Thanks to NetGalley and Quarry Books for providing an e-arc for review.
I would recommend this to anyone with some painting experience who wishes to take their work to the next level by considering lighting. It's an excellent resource.
*Thanks to NetGalley and Quarry Books for providing an e-arc for review.
February 5, 2022
A great book that shows how light affects everything around us, with lots of advice on how to use light in your paintings/artwork. It's not for beginners, but if you have some experience it is an invaluable source of information. Clearly laid out, with lots of example paintings and drawings, it is perfect for anyone who wants to improve their basic techniques.
March 2, 2023
nice short introduction to working with light and understanding its effects on color/shape/etc! marketed specifically to plein air artists but useful for anyone imo.
December 18, 2021
This review originally published in
One of my favorite sections was on Reflected Light. Woodward writes: "Explore how much color and detail can be found in shadows!" And of course plenty of examples are provided.
This is not a beginners book, or a 'how to' book. This (and the other Urban Sketching Handbooks I've read) are for those who already have a decent understanding of how to draw and sketch and paint, but perhaps struggle with an aspect or maybe just want to improve on something.
I really appreciate that this series (based on what I've read so far) doesn't over explain an artistic process and instead lays it out pretty simply and then offers lots of examples. Seeing what is explained I find to be much more hopeful. I've read plenty of art books (I have a few on my shelves) that spend pages saying the same thing with one or two examples. The brevity here, along with smart color-coding tabs, makes this perfect for carrying in a pocket or an art bag for quick reference.
Katie Woodward explains the presence of light well, and better yet, she helps the reader look at light in or on a subject to help create more interesting art.
Looking for a good book? If you like truly helpful tips and suggestions to possibly improve your sketching and painting, then consider including The Urban Sketching Handbook: Understanding Light by Katie Woodward in your must-have book collection.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
One of my favorite sections was on Reflected Light. Woodward writes: "Explore how much color and detail can be found in shadows!" And of course plenty of examples are provided.
This is not a beginners book, or a 'how to' book. This (and the other Urban Sketching Handbooks I've read) are for those who already have a decent understanding of how to draw and sketch and paint, but perhaps struggle with an aspect or maybe just want to improve on something.
I really appreciate that this series (based on what I've read so far) doesn't over explain an artistic process and instead lays it out pretty simply and then offers lots of examples. Seeing what is explained I find to be much more hopeful. I've read plenty of art books (I have a few on my shelves) that spend pages saying the same thing with one or two examples. The brevity here, along with smart color-coding tabs, makes this perfect for carrying in a pocket or an art bag for quick reference.
Katie Woodward explains the presence of light well, and better yet, she helps the reader look at light in or on a subject to help create more interesting art.
Looking for a good book? If you like truly helpful tips and suggestions to possibly improve your sketching and painting, then consider including The Urban Sketching Handbook: Understanding Light by Katie Woodward in your must-have book collection.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
January 3, 2022
The Urban Sketching Handbook – Understanding Light by Katie Woodward
Amazing, information, thought provoking, and intriguing. I now have a desire to…sketch…but…with a new eye to doing so. I kept going “hmm” as my mind was opened to “seeing” what I have seen so many times before but wanting to go back to see it…through eyes that have just been educated. There is so much information in this book that builds chapter by chapter. I will never see the world around me quite as I did before.
NOTES:
* Tools are more than pencils and paper or ways to color…don’t forget your sunscreen, hat, water, a chair and easel…plan before packing to go out to sketch
* Key Terms with definitions…definitely worth reading and thinking about
* Think and LOOK and decide what you want to say…BEFORE you begin.
* There is a lot more to creating a sketch than putting down what you see…or putting it down exactly.
* Checklists and tips were inspired…and inspiring
* Value: find the light before you begin (and there is a LOT to know about light!)
* Color: so much to know about this…I built on what I know from previous study thinking about the use of color in shadow and reflections and in other ways
* Reflected Light: This was fascinating….need to look into this some more
* Skies & Atmopheres: another intriguing topic that dealt with ways to create cold, hot, and various weather situations as well as time of day and how that can vary
* Reflections: in water, floors & ceilings (new thought for me), windows, reflective objects, transparent objects (brought up memories of trying to get flowers in a glass vase “right”)
* Foliage: who knew there was so much to think about…dappled, under, through, around, etc…interesting topic, too.
* Night Scenes: This one blew me away…how to do neon signs or how a baseball field might look at night or ANY place at night, actually
* Challenges at the back of the book that I would love to attempt in the future
* I think I need to take some art classes!
Did I like this book? Oh, my yes!
Would I like to have it to refer to again? Definitely!
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group-Quarry – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
Amazing, information, thought provoking, and intriguing. I now have a desire to…sketch…but…with a new eye to doing so. I kept going “hmm” as my mind was opened to “seeing” what I have seen so many times before but wanting to go back to see it…through eyes that have just been educated. There is so much information in this book that builds chapter by chapter. I will never see the world around me quite as I did before.
NOTES:
* Tools are more than pencils and paper or ways to color…don’t forget your sunscreen, hat, water, a chair and easel…plan before packing to go out to sketch
* Key Terms with definitions…definitely worth reading and thinking about
* Think and LOOK and decide what you want to say…BEFORE you begin.
* There is a lot more to creating a sketch than putting down what you see…or putting it down exactly.
* Checklists and tips were inspired…and inspiring
* Value: find the light before you begin (and there is a LOT to know about light!)
* Color: so much to know about this…I built on what I know from previous study thinking about the use of color in shadow and reflections and in other ways
* Reflected Light: This was fascinating….need to look into this some more
* Skies & Atmopheres: another intriguing topic that dealt with ways to create cold, hot, and various weather situations as well as time of day and how that can vary
* Reflections: in water, floors & ceilings (new thought for me), windows, reflective objects, transparent objects (brought up memories of trying to get flowers in a glass vase “right”)
* Foliage: who knew there was so much to think about…dappled, under, through, around, etc…interesting topic, too.
* Night Scenes: This one blew me away…how to do neon signs or how a baseball field might look at night or ANY place at night, actually
* Challenges at the back of the book that I would love to attempt in the future
* I think I need to take some art classes!
Did I like this book? Oh, my yes!
Would I like to have it to refer to again? Definitely!
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group-Quarry – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
January 9, 2022
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Urban Sketching Handbook Understanding Light is a volume in the Urban Sketching Handbook series, this one about light treatments and techniques by Katie Woodward. Released 28th Dec 2021 by Quarto on their Walter Foster imprint, it's 112 pages and is available in flexibound paperback and ebook formats.
This is a well written, accessible, and useful book for intermediate to advanced artists who are looking for guidance to improve their technique, especially with regard to painting light and reflection. The book begins with a very short introduction. Specific tools and very basic techniques are not covered, but can certainly be found easily elsewhere. The author instead concentrates on six key concepts in depth: value, color, skies & atmosphere, reflections, foliage, and night scenes. Each chapter contains multiple examples by several different artists to illustrate key points. There are checklists to prompt students to better observations and technique development.
The author's entire process is well documented with photo and drawn illustrations. The book also contains a useful tutorial and tips collection in highlighted text boxes as well as a resource list and artists' links for artists whose work is featured in the book. There is a short list of challenge/learning prompts also: sketch a body of water, sketch a shiny object, sketch backlit translucent bottles, and others which will provide students with many hours of enrichment practice.
Five stars. Definitely a worthwhile addition to the artist's reference library. This would also be a superlative selection for public and school library acquisition, classroom instruction, and group studio use.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Urban Sketching Handbook Understanding Light is a volume in the Urban Sketching Handbook series, this one about light treatments and techniques by Katie Woodward. Released 28th Dec 2021 by Quarto on their Walter Foster imprint, it's 112 pages and is available in flexibound paperback and ebook formats.
This is a well written, accessible, and useful book for intermediate to advanced artists who are looking for guidance to improve their technique, especially with regard to painting light and reflection. The book begins with a very short introduction. Specific tools and very basic techniques are not covered, but can certainly be found easily elsewhere. The author instead concentrates on six key concepts in depth: value, color, skies & atmosphere, reflections, foliage, and night scenes. Each chapter contains multiple examples by several different artists to illustrate key points. There are checklists to prompt students to better observations and technique development.
The author's entire process is well documented with photo and drawn illustrations. The book also contains a useful tutorial and tips collection in highlighted text boxes as well as a resource list and artists' links for artists whose work is featured in the book. There is a short list of challenge/learning prompts also: sketch a body of water, sketch a shiny object, sketch backlit translucent bottles, and others which will provide students with many hours of enrichment practice.
Five stars. Definitely a worthwhile addition to the artist's reference library. This would also be a superlative selection for public and school library acquisition, classroom instruction, and group studio use.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
February 8, 2022
Understanding Light is Important in Drawing
Katie Woodward, urban sketcher and watercolor painter, is presenting "The Urban Sketching Handbook: Understanding Light. Portraying Light Effects in On-Location Drawing and Painting," one of the books in the "The Urban Sketching Handbook" Series published by Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry. Woodward is convinced that it is important to learn about light and to master it. But she knows that capturing light is a challenge. In the introduction she states: "There is light on everything we see. The color and quality of that light and how it interacts with our surroundings deeply affects our relationship with the world around us, and thus how we choose to portray it in our sketches. Learning how to accurately replicate different lighting circumstances can give sketches a better sense of realism. Mastering lighting can also help with decisions outside of reality, to help you sketch what you wish you saw, or manipulate the mood of a scene. Capturing the light can be a challenge; it often changes faster than we can sketch! Painting the sunlight dappled through a tree is hard enough without an inopportune cloud getting in the way" (p. 5).
After the introduction the book contains six keys to accomplish the task of understanding light: 1) Value, 2) Color, 3) Skies and Atmosphere, 4) Reflections, 5) Foliage, and 6) Night scenes, as well as a list with challenges. Woodward presents examples of paintings from herself and various artists to underline her teaching, listed with the materials that were used for the particular painting. She also included tips and observation lists throughout the book and a list of the contributors. I recommend the book for beginners as well as for advanced artists who want to enlarge their knowledge and skills.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#TheUrbanSketchingHandbookUnderstandingLight #NetGalley
Katie Woodward, urban sketcher and watercolor painter, is presenting "The Urban Sketching Handbook: Understanding Light. Portraying Light Effects in On-Location Drawing and Painting," one of the books in the "The Urban Sketching Handbook" Series published by Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry. Woodward is convinced that it is important to learn about light and to master it. But she knows that capturing light is a challenge. In the introduction she states: "There is light on everything we see. The color and quality of that light and how it interacts with our surroundings deeply affects our relationship with the world around us, and thus how we choose to portray it in our sketches. Learning how to accurately replicate different lighting circumstances can give sketches a better sense of realism. Mastering lighting can also help with decisions outside of reality, to help you sketch what you wish you saw, or manipulate the mood of a scene. Capturing the light can be a challenge; it often changes faster than we can sketch! Painting the sunlight dappled through a tree is hard enough without an inopportune cloud getting in the way" (p. 5).
After the introduction the book contains six keys to accomplish the task of understanding light: 1) Value, 2) Color, 3) Skies and Atmosphere, 4) Reflections, 5) Foliage, and 6) Night scenes, as well as a list with challenges. Woodward presents examples of paintings from herself and various artists to underline her teaching, listed with the materials that were used for the particular painting. She also included tips and observation lists throughout the book and a list of the contributors. I recommend the book for beginners as well as for advanced artists who want to enlarge their knowledge and skills.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#TheUrbanSketchingHandbookUnderstandingLight #NetGalley
January 27, 2022
"Understanding Light" is an excellent guide on what to observe and consider to better create a realistic sense of light in your paintings or drawings. This is for any medium, but the illustrations were mainly watercolor, pencil, and pen. While the author provided tips on using value and such to create a sense of light, much of the focus was on making sure that you see what's actually there rather than using the colors you expect to see. She also gave useful tips for what to consider or change if you realize what you're doing isn't working. I've heard some of this advice before, but it never really clicked until I read it so clearly explained here. Overall, I'd highly recommend this book to artists who are getting the hang of the basic skills of their medium and now want to improve their portrayal of light in a scene (urban or not).
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
January 3, 2022
I am not a very good artist, although I love to paint. This book, "The Urban Sketching Handbook: Understanding Light" is an invaluable resource to learning how to understand light and how it affects a scene.
There is the assumption that the reader already knows what they're doing,so a lot of the basic theories are omitted here. Instead, the book covers light, shade, reflections, angles of lighting, depth, colour, transparency, and so much more, so as to evoke the sensations of the different lightings.
The illustrations included range from loose watercolours to pen and ink to bold colours, and all hightlight the different concepts presented in each chapter.
I'll be coming back to this book again and again - and hopefully my own art will improve as a result!
~Many thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~
There is the assumption that the reader already knows what they're doing,so a lot of the basic theories are omitted here. Instead, the book covers light, shade, reflections, angles of lighting, depth, colour, transparency, and so much more, so as to evoke the sensations of the different lightings.
The illustrations included range from loose watercolours to pen and ink to bold colours, and all hightlight the different concepts presented in each chapter.
I'll be coming back to this book again and again - and hopefully my own art will improve as a result!
~Many thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~
August 3, 2023
4.5 stars
This ended up being much more helpful than I initially thought it would be. I (wrongfully) assumed I knew the basics of light but this was a great resource where it breaks down all the ways to look at a scene and how the shadows and reflections hit. Great tips on tackling foliage, different atmospheric scenarios and night scenes.
I think the majority of the examples shown in this were of the author’s, but I love Katie Woodward’s artwork (especially as she often paints NYC scenes), so I didn’t mind that in this instance.
I only wish perhaps that there was more techniques on how to achieve all these things to take note of. There are tips to keep in mind, and ways to tackle it but I guess it is definitely more what the title says: UNDERSTANDING Light.
This ended up being much more helpful than I initially thought it would be. I (wrongfully) assumed I knew the basics of light but this was a great resource where it breaks down all the ways to look at a scene and how the shadows and reflections hit. Great tips on tackling foliage, different atmospheric scenarios and night scenes.
I think the majority of the examples shown in this were of the author’s, but I love Katie Woodward’s artwork (especially as she often paints NYC scenes), so I didn’t mind that in this instance.
I only wish perhaps that there was more techniques on how to achieve all these things to take note of. There are tips to keep in mind, and ways to tackle it but I guess it is definitely more what the title says: UNDERSTANDING Light.
January 10, 2022
This excellent series just keeps growing and growing with the most marvellous additions! I loved Understanding Light and plan to go through it in detail, examining each of the wonderful examples on how to bring focus and visual impact to any painting. Surely an essential help for any urban sketcher or art journaler who wants to improve on that!
The author was a scenic artist for many years in theatres and have given sketching workshops too. They really know how to include the best contributors to this great great series.
A resounding 5 stars from me. One of my most favourite so far.
Can’t wait to see what’s next!
The author was a scenic artist for many years in theatres and have given sketching workshops too. They really know how to include the best contributors to this great great series.
A resounding 5 stars from me. One of my most favourite so far.
Can’t wait to see what’s next!
February 24, 2022
I’m a sucker for all the books in this series. I spend far more time reading them than I do actual urban sketching, alas. But, one thing I especially like about this book are the little checklists embedded within each section. They end up being exercises in observation and have gotten me to notice the many manifestations of light around me. Any time I’m out walking now, I find myself noting elements of the light: direction of the light, cast shadows, reflected light, reflected color, etc. Anything that gets me to pay more attention to my world is a win.
January 15, 2022
I can't quite put my finger on why, but this one was a favorite in this series. Perhaps it's because I knew of the artist already and there's a lot of NYC art.
June 27, 2022
Great add to this series!
March 25, 2022
This short little book is very effective at teaching how to work with angles and shadows of light in various sketching/painting conditions. Each page is loaded with full color examples and descriptions of what to do to create various effects. Woodward's writing style is straightforward and practical and you don't have to have gone to art school to get what she's teaching. Also, the art is lovely.
March 8, 2024
Shadows have color? Fuck me.
Explained a lot of basic things that I never put into words / explicitly realized before.
Love it when a book makes me see things differently (literally ha ha ha)
This is probably really basic info for painters.
Explained a lot of basic things that I never put into words / explicitly realized before.
Love it when a book makes me see things differently (literally ha ha ha)
This is probably really basic info for painters.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews