Sketching Stuff

Charlie O'Shields is the creator of Doodlewash®, founder of World Watercolor Month in July, and host of the Sketching Stuff podcast. Every single day, for over three years, he created a watercolor illustration and wrote a short essay about whatever came to mind that day and posted it on his blog. These are some of the collected favorites along with some brand new musings. With over 180 illustrations, this book is part personal memoir and sometimes just a randomly fun romp through the sillier bits of this crazy world we all inhabit. Written to take on the impossible task of inspiring creativity, unleashing your inner child, and instilling hope, it will, at the very least, make you smile and touch your heart.

Want to learn to draw, but stuck for how to get started? 'Sketch Your Stuff' shows you how to turn everyday objects that fill your home into subjects for your sketchbook - allowing you to work on your drawing skills at any moment of the day.

"How to Draw Cool Stuff: Basics, Shading, Texture, Pattern and Optical Illusions" is the second book in the How to Draw Cool Stuff series. Inside you will find simple illustrations that cover the necessities of drawing cool stuff. Specific exercises are provided that offer step-by-step guidelines for drawing a variety of subjects. Each lesson starts with an easy-to-draw shape that will become the basic structure of the drawing. From there, each step adds elements to that structure, allowing the artist to build on their creation and make a more detailed image. Starting with the basic forms, the artist is provided a guide to help see objects in terms of simplified shapes. Instructions for shading to add depth, contrast, character and movement to a drawing are then covered. The varieties of texture and pattern that can be included in an artwork offer another layer of interest and depth to a design. These elements are necessary to indicate the way something looks like it feels in a work (texture) or creating the repetition of shapes, lines or colors (patterns). Illustrated optical illusions involve images that are sensed and perceived to be different from what they really are, showing examples of how the mind and the eyes can play tricks on each other. All you need is a piece of paper, a pencil and an eraser and you are ready to draw cool stuff. Once the drawing is complete, it can be colored, shaded or designed in any way you like to make it original. Following these exercises is a great way to practice your craft and begin seeing things in terms of simple shapes within a complex object.

Boost your natural creativity and create like a kid again with over 60 fun creative exercises! All great ideas start with just a notion, a scribbled thought on a page. Whether it's in a physical or digital sketchbook, sticky notes, napkins, or a laptop, these thoughts are just the beginning. I think of this wild and whimsical act of dreaming up new concepts as simply "Sketching Stuff"!This book was created to help you reconnect with your Inner Child and reclaim a childlike sense of wonder so you can create bigger and better ideas. From your latest hobby to your current profession, these insights and activities will help boost your natural creativity at any age!We are all born talented and creative people! Remaining that way, just takes a bit of practice. So, get ready to have a blast as we fill our sketchbooks with wonderful new ideas. It all starts with Sketching Stuff!

Start with a heart . . . and create beautiful in-proportion people! Aspiring artists who feel intimidated at drawing figures will love Jane Davenport's amazingly easy technique, developed while she worked as a fashion illustrator. It involves using equal-size hearts to build the body's structure, and the results are astounding. Jane lays out the basics and walks you through working with different mediums; drawing the head, face, clothing, hair, and features; and constructing figures inspired by fashion, fantasy, life drawing, and more.

This book is a guide to how to sketch the world around you, for anyone who wants to know how to draw the exciting and ever changing events of everyday life. Discover your place in the world, one sketch at a time. Content includes the nuts and bolts of ske