Read The Drawing Lesson A Graphic Novel That Teaches You How to Draw Mark Crilley 9780385346337 Books

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Product details Paperback 144 pages Publisher Watson-Guptill (July 5, 2016) Language English ISBN-10 0385346336

The Drawing Lesson A Graphic Novel That Teaches You How to Draw Mark Crilley 9780385346337 Books Reviews

• I've never heard of Mark Crilley before, never read any of his books, and I have a feeling I'm not his usual target demographic (since he's well-known for his manga books and I'm not a manga fan), but wow, this was a wonderful book.
  
  Its purpose, according to the book's notes, is to allow you to experience what it's like to have a mentor--someone who will not only teach you how to draw, but interact with you, point out what you're doing wrong, and to encourage you (but not coddle you). This book delivers that, in an abbreviated form.
  
  The story is of a boy, David, who meets a woman in the park who is drawing. He begs her to teach him, and she does, for a few hours. But of course, the lesson doesn't end there! Each chapter shows how David and his mentor meet up, and each chapter shows her teaching him a new drawing principle. First, it's getting the outline of the drawing accurate. There's a chapter on shading. Then there's the one about using your pencil strokes to follow along the form. (I enjoyed that one. Finally, a beginner drawing book that doesn't rely on smearing the graphite! Eureka! Glory be!) Negative space is covered, composition--it's a really good book!
  
  I'd recommend it to anyone, of any age. I wouldn't assume that it would be the only drawing book that would ever be needed. It can't possibly cover everything. But it does offer a good start, plus it teaches some truths that beginner artists need to learn, but are things that are often beyond the scope of regular beginner drawing books. Things like wanting to draw for its own sake (not to compete with someone else), and to accept criticism and keep on moving forward.
  
  This is a wonderful book and beautifully presented. I think it would be a big hit with anyone, but particularly those under age 18, especially if they've just discovered drawing.
• Well, I pre-ordered this book and it arrived yesterday. I think if Mr Crilley met me he would be VERY surprised to find an older beginner artist bought this book! This book is amazing, and it's a whole teaching manual, with a story line that's interesting ! I highly recommend this book to new and intermediate artists..... You will love it! Thanks Mark Crilley !
• TLDR; highly recommend for kids or any beginner who is interested in drawing better. Entertaining story and art, and excellent instruction.
  
  This is the book that I wish I had had when I was 6 (or 10, or 13).
  
  I got this for my niece and nephew, the former of whom likes to draw, and the latter hopefully will develop the habit as he grows a little older. Being that I live thousands of miles from them, I cannot easily teach them what I've learned about drawing, sit with them and practice, or encourage them to keep at it; so I decided this would be a fair substitute. That said, what kind of uncle would I be if I didn't look though it first, to ensure that the quality and lessons were worth it.
  
  Well, worth it they are!
  
  This little book surprised me in several ways. First of all, the story and pictures are delightful, and could be enjoyed without the lessons. Actually the lessons almost feel secondary, they weave so well with the narrative that you'd almost forget that there was a lesson there at all, except that at the end of each chapter there is a prompt on what to practice. I was worried that the "story" would be just a cheap gimmick, and that it would otherwise be just a another "how-to-draw" book, but the story really stands up on it's own. A synopsis can be ready elsewhere, so I won't get into what the story is about.
  
  Second the lessons are good. Really really good, not pedantic, formulaic or "kids stuff", but lessons on real fundamentals, and things that aspiring artist will not necessarily pick up just from practicing. One of the big ones is that it encourages the types of practice which really will cause kids to improve, and yet remain versatile enough to tackle whichever style they chose to emulate, or to develop their own.
  
  The third thing which really impressed me is that it's very much NOT a how-to-draw X book and not the least bit stifling. It's doesn't demonstrate how to draw a specific thing, step-by-step, but teaches basic techniques for seeing and interpreting, for composition, shading, proportion, etc. such that kids will learn how to draw whatever they see, and whatever they want to draw, not just what a step-by-step how-to book taught them to draw.
  
  Now, many kids really do enjoy those how-to methods, and I'm not necessarily saying they should be avoided, but this is much more useful an approach than those are and of a more lasting benefit. Get this and how-to books, fine, but don't skip on getting this.
  
  The fourth thing, and perhaps a bit personal to me, is that I never had a chance to get any good art instruction when I was young, and this is the book that I now wish that I had had then. Any beginner with this book has a huge head start (I really can't overstate that), particularly if they aren't going to be getting any professional instruction. This book is one part excellent lessons, one part interesting art and story and one part mentor. There are many great books on drawing, or art in general, but this one could have been the only one that I needed from about the 3rd grade through at least my early teenage years.
  
  And here is a bonus fifth surprise, which only came to me well after finishing the book and thinking about it in retrospect The simply-drawn panels are actually something that could get young kinds inspired to do their own comics... or just share their drawings and stories in general; Some kids may not necessarily need all that much inspiration to do so, but they could easily tell their own stories in pictures and words, hold them up against Mr. Crilley's and be satisfied that they drew well enough to communicate their story to their readers. I dealt with a ton of self-doubt when I was young, about whether or not my art was good enough to show to others. I wrote and drew and then stuffed the work away and mostly hid it from others. Seeing a real book, with simple and expressive art in it, which did tell a story, which people read and liked and paid money for would have encouraged me thoroughly and would have put those doubts to rest forever. That's of incalculable worth to an aspiring artist.
• Believe it or not, I could've been the first person to review this! But I wouldn't have gotten it in the mail and it would've been dishonest, so now that I've finished reading it, (a few minutes ago actually,) I'll share with the internet my thoughts on this masterpiece.
  
  The sketchy art style is superb. With it's cartoony characters and semi-realistic backgrounds, it's almost as if he's returned to his Akiko roots, while at the same time he makes it seem as if the world around the characters is a sketch itself. The thinly laced plot is solid as a rock and the characters are very believable. From the eager student David, (named after his real life art instructor, David Small,) to his art instructor Becky, who seems to teach him about drawing just to get him to stop bugging her.
  
  As a young student artist, it calls to mind MY drawing lessons I've had with my first art instructor a few years ago, (and him telling me to make my lines darker among other things.) I've had many of the same problems with my art as David does in this book, (and still do,) so that makes the young protagonist far more compelling to me than, say, Miki Yoshida from Miki Falls. Becky's drawing lessons are very practical and very similar to how my art instructor taught me, (though I don't remember him telling me about Negative Space,) and her instructions don't feel like she's talking down to you, unlike SOME instructional comics I've read.
  
  Ever since I picked up that copy of Mastering Manga over a Christopher Hart book so long ago, I feel like I've learned everything about drawing comics from this master of the comics medium, (and from my art instructor of course!) All in all, if this masterpiece doesn't win him his Eisner Award, (or at least fourteenth nomination,) I don't know what will!