Dare to Sketch: A Guide to Drawing on the Go

I was moved to buy this book after having seen just a few sketches in some sample pages. Those few sketches made me smile, and warmed me with their confidence and whimsy. And now, having read all 159 pages, lingered long over every sketch, all in one sitting, I can tell you, that for me, this is simply the most joyful, tip filled, inspirational, and liberating art book I’ve ever read, and I will treasure it for a long time to come. I’ve read other guides and help books that read like they were written by the failed, frustrated artist we all know who is always browbeating you with all the things you’re doing wrong. Sheinberger’s sketches, text, advice, and suggestions never cause you to feel downcast or overwhelmed, but are always encouraging and uplifting. Sheinberger is a good writer too. His text is generally limited to 2 to 5 easy to read paragraphs that take up maybe half a page and is mixed on page with a sketch that illustrates the point he’s making. Subject matter is conveyed in a focused and concise fashion so that, while brief, will leave you feeling you’ve been given a lot of information in a very few words. The one real thing the text immediately branded into me was that, I’m sketching for me. Not reality, not for others, and not for anyone’s approval. I had long understood these notions intellectually, but reading it in this little book, while perusing his wonderfully unconventional sketches, the concept was burned, indelibly, into me emotionally. The topics he covers include the typical: sketch tools, sketch books, perspective, landscapes, etc., but he does it creatively, and in a gentle, and encouraging manner. There is practical advice about public sketching etiquette, taking time to sketch, what to sketch, and lots more. This may have all been covered in other art books, but I have either not read, or enjoyed, those like I did this one; I felt refreshed and vitalized after reading it. I readily recommend this book and sincerely think you will not regret it.

I've always wanted to sketch small daily things, vacations, trips to the museum, etc. Somehow I felt like my private sketches had to look like the magnificent sketchbooks plastered on the internet, because of course we compare ourselves to the pretty things we see on the internet. So I never really tried to learn properly how to keep a casual sketchbook, despite years of on/off relationships with journals. Enter this book. 1. The author's attitude motivates without being cloying. He has a fantastic "just do it" attitude that makes sketching very accessible, with zero folksiness or condescension. I often find these types of books to be so simplistic in their approach that it seems the author thinks they need to dumb everything down and use very small words. This book gives excellent guidance on first purchases and provides strong starting points, but most importantly, it lays out the concepts simply, but not simplistically. 2. His drawings have enormous personality. None of the illustrations are classically "right," with ears in the wrong places, and weird angles on buildings, and odd lines here and there. But they're incredibly compelling and full of life, and demonstrate that the sketchbook isn't for getting it right, it's for capturing what you see - that person's quirked eyebrow, the way the dog leans on the guy's leg, the colors on the street. My take-away was to capture what I hear, smell, and feel as much as what's physically presented to my eye - and I love that. 3. The overall message is liberating. Sometimes training and looking at "great work" can feel very limiting, but the words and illustrations in this book make the point that there are lots of types of art out there. The kind you want to capture in your private sketchbook (or not private, as you choose) is entirely up to you. The sketchbook is for playing, experimenting, and getting things wrong. And all of it is good. This mental shift was pivotal for me, and was the kind of permission I think I was looking for to begin the kind of sketchbook I'll actually use and enjoy. I've almost filled a large Moleskine now, and have also devoured the author's other book on watercolor sketching (also very highly recommended). If I had a complaint, it's that I'd like him to write more books. If you're considering sketching for pleasure, this is one of your best starting places.

This delightfully well written book introduces the reader to the world of urban sketching. While it does not deal in huge detail with the actual materials of sketching, like which pen to use or favored watercolor brands, the author, a seasoned professional illustrator and artist, follows the time honored rule for writers, and in this case literally shows, not tells, how urban sketching is done. No, you won’t learn the rules of perspective or how to produce a realistic eye, as that is not the book’s main aim. You will instead learn, from wonderful colored reproduction of the authors work, what to sketch and where and why...If thé why is not obvious from reading the book, it lies half in the sheer joy of drawing, no matter how “sketchy” or “unrealistic” and half in the human need to preserve and to share memories. While the author insists that a sketchbook is personal and need not be shared, the fact that he shares his sketches here and in other books reveals that this is in fact a need. To share memories and observations and viewpoints is innate and utterly human, as is drawing itself. I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking inspiration to draw or sketch what interests her in the world. (Review written by Phoebe Sparrow Wagner)

A good instructional book about travelling and drawing. Although the author, like many others, has his own ideas about things. Once you realise he feels strongly opinionated about certain things and that you also are entitled to your opinion the reading of the book is more enjoyable. Obviously written by a well travelled artist. Between this and a few other books I have read about sketchbooks I don't feel as if I have to be Leonardo or Vincent anymore due to the illustrations the authors of such book have done in their sketchbooks.

I ordered this book and put it aside for a week. I enrolled in a class by the author which reminded me of the book. This book makes me think that I didn’t have very good instructors or I didn’t ask the right questions. Delighted to have discovered it. Very easy to read. Lots of useful information. A big thanks to the author who has helped me immensely.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 7 Why use a sketchbook? The sketchbook 8 Which sketchbook? 11 Choosing a format A book with personality 12 Where to begin? 14 Protecting your sketchbook 17 Notes are permitted 18 Journaling 21 Doodling will set you free 22 The right and wrong ways to draw Tools 24 Specialty pens 27 Sepia ink 29 Colored pencils 31 Ballpoint pens 32 And, of course, pencils 36 Markers, glitter pens, and beyond 39 Watercolors 44 Collage Expressing yourself 47 Visualizing your ideas 48 Blind contour drawing 51 Your line is you 52 Mistakes are allowed! 55 Drawing what you feel 56 Drawing is not photography 58 Letting imagination complete the picture 61 Drawing the invisible The basics 62 Shot settings and westerns 64 Five types of shot settings 68 Getting a feel for composition 70 Weight and balance 72 Collected works 74 Perspective 78 Depth and perspective 80 Landscapes 83 Nature 84 Landscapes and time 87 Coloring landscapes 88 Landscapes in ink 90 Light and shadow 93 Depicting shadows People 95 People are not objects 96 Friends 98 Passersby 101 Performers 103 Hide and seek 104 Use your head 106 Portraits and caricature 108 Nudes and proportion Animals 110 “It won’t stop moving!” Architecture 114 New and old places 117 Consider the everyday 118 Drawing buildings The right place 120 Stay open 123 Good and bad places 124 Finding your spot 127 Don’t forget to draw the cars 128 Cars mark the era 130 Montages 132 Objects Traveling 134 When in Rome, see what the Romans see 137 Travel drawings 138 The journeying artist is not a tourist 141 Drawing is a global language 142 The right place at the right time 144 Museums 147 Panoramas 149 Trifles and truffles Taking it further 151 Reality is not reality is not reality 152 Everything is in flux 154 Redoing drawings 156 Using digital media 157 Whatever happened to da Vinci’s sketchbook?

A great intro to the philosophy of sketching. It is not an instructional manual but does have a few tips and ticks. Overall it is a very motivational read that encourages you to sketch for you and to enjoy doing it.

im a beginner artist and have tried a couple of books and and all were basicly useless (5 steps to painting a swan is pretty useless) no book really helps you develep your creativity or how to put the artist in you on paper just a bunch of rules and dry facts but this book is the first one that is based on bringing out the artist in you and its great at it even if your not interested in urban sketching i found it very aplicable to my original drawings (another book i would sugest is 'start with a scribble by Quentin Blake' although its marketed for children it has a great aproach that will make your drawings more you