Review
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"How to draw. Why to draw. What to draw. When to draw. Steve
answers all these questions and so many more in this delightful,
in-depth exploration of the drawing habit. It's not just a
beautiful book--it's the doorway to a lifelong love affair with
art."
--Danny Gregory, founder of SketchBookSkool.com and author of An
Illustrated Life
"Making art and teaching art are two different skill sets. Steve
Reddy is one of the few artists who excels at both. In this book,
drawing enthusiasts of all levels will not only learn useful
approaches to drawing from life and imagination, but also the
confidence that only comes from learning from an exceptional
teacher."
--Gabriel Campanario, founder of Urban Sketchers and author of
The Art of Urban Sketching
"Readers will notice immediately that they are in the presence
of a gifted and empathetic instructor, more than familiar with
the problems and hesitations beginners like to think are original
to them. I've never read a how-to book that felt more like being
in an actual class, with the teacher's encouraging voice in one's
ear, anticipating our questions and needs.
Many people believe that drawing what one sees is a difficult,
esoteric skill available only to the talented. Steve does as much
to demystify and dethrone that misconception as he can fit
between two covers. Repeatedly, Steve makes the crucial
point--you can do this! And he clearly believes it, based on long
classroom experience; by the time we finish the book, we do too."
--from the Foreword by Gary Faigin, co-founder and artistic
director of Gage Academy of Art and author of The Artist's
Complete Guide to Facial Expressions
You may say, "But there is nothing interesting to draw where I
live." My response is to simply look at the amazing work of the
prolific Steven Reddy. For me, an architect who likes to draw
buildings and spaces, the magic of Steve's work is that his
sketches capture the ordinary, everyday things that you might
never even notice, like his next door neighbor's house, cozy
cafes and stores, or a collection of objects on a shelf. His
drawings are accessible and fun and chock full of details that
add character and invite you in to examine each and every form.
Best of all, his sketches have the power to elevate the mundane
and often overlooked elements of life to the level of Art. By
looking at how Steve views his world through his sketches, he
teaches us to look at our world a little differently, to really
see what is around us every day.
--from the Afterword by Stephanie Bower, architectural
illustrator, blog correspondent for Seattle Urban Sketchers, and
author of The Urban Sketching Handbook: Understanding
Perspective.
About the Author
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Steven B. Reddy teaches drawing and illustration at Gage Academy
of Art in Seattle. He has also taught for the Seattle Public
Schools since 1998. Reddy has a passion for creating detailed
illustrations of urban scenes, cluttered interiors, and complex
still lifes on location in ink and watercolor. His drawings from
China and Mexico appear in Danny Gregory's An Illustrated
Journey. Reddy also self-published Now Where Was I? An
Illustrated Memoir, which showcases drawings that span 35 years
from his daily sketchbook diaries. He teaches two popular classes
on drawing and sketching in pen and ink and watercolor for
Craftsy. Gary Faigin trained at the Art Students League of New
York and at the Ecole nationale superieure des beaux-arts in
Paris. He has taught at the National Academy School of Design and
at Parsons School of Design; currently he is the artistic
director of the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle, which he also
co-founded. He's the best-selling author of The Artist's Complete
Guide to Facial Expressions, an art instruction classic.
Stephanie Bower is an architectural illustrator, workshop
instructor, blog correspondent for Seattle Urban Sketchers, and
author of The Urban Sketching Handbook: Understanding
Perspective.