Description
Book SynopsisLearn dynamic sketching and watercolor techniques for creating cityscapes, landscapes, figures and faces, still lifes, and more, enhancing the story you want to tell with form, line, and color. Discover incredible methods and tips for
creating dramatic street scenes and
vivid landscapes, and capturing
dynamic figures and
graphic architectural details. Artist Alex Hillkurtz—a top Hollywood storyboard artist, international workshop instructor, and Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society—presents fundamental concepts of sketching with pencil and pen for a number of popular genres. Discover simple ways to jot down spontaneous ideas in pencil, capture rough details in ink, and add watercolor for extra depth and interest.
Make sketching more enjoyable by adopting
innovative techniques that will make a difference in your practice, and your artwork. No matter your experience or skill level, you’ll benefit from learning:
-
Compositions that draw the eye
- How to avoid common sketching mistakes
- Ways to create light and shadow to define shapes and add interest
- Successful ways to use negative space
- The importance of perspective in creating depth
- Easy color washes that create drama
Get started today, and fill your sketchbooks with unique drawings and paintings you will be proud of.
The For Artists series expertly guides and instructs artists at all skill levels who want to develop their classical drawing and painting skills and create realistic and representational art.
Trade Review"An ideal DIY instructional combination of textbook, guide and 'how to' manual, exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation making it especially and unreservedly recommended ." * Midwest Book Review *
"Emphasizes the power of storytelling through drawings, with plentiful tips and suggestions on how to capture mood, energy and narrative." * Artists Magazine *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
1 MATERIALS AND TOOLS A Personal Choice Pens, Pencils, and Inks
Paper and Sketchbooks
Brushes
Watercolor Paint
Miscellaneous Tools
2 GENERAL SKETCHING TECHNIQUES Using the Language of Film to Tell a Story
Selecting What to Sketch
Rendering Light in a Sketch
Details
3 COMPOSITION Telling a Story
The Rule of Thirds
Contrast and Detail
Thumbnail Sketches
4 PERSPECTIVE Basic Bones
Linear Perspective The Horizon Line
One-Point Perspective
Two-Point Perspective
Three-Point Perspective
Perspective on a Curved Street
5 STILL LIFE A Poem Made Visible
A New Way to See Objects
Rendering Light
Adding Color
Structure
Negative Space
6 LANDSCAPES Landscape Composition
Sketching Landscapes and Line Weight
Atmospheric Perspective
7 ARCHITECTURE An Overview of Basic Forms
Roofs
Doorways and Arches
Windows
Balconies
Awnings
Signs
Architecture as Character
8 FIGURES The Basic Figure
Adding Volume
Capturing Gesture
Drawing Figures in Groups
Drawing the Head
9 WATERCOLOR Dancing with Watercolor
Creating Multiple Effects with One Color
Creating Texture: Splatters, Splashes, and Scrapes
Color Mixing
Warm and Cool Colors
Painting with a Limited Palette
Stages of a Painting
The Color and Consistency of Shadows
Contre Jour
Conclusion: Keep Going
Resources
Influences
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index
