Book review- Everyday Sketching and Drawing

  Ordering books off of Amazon can sometimes be rather hit and miss. I ordered this book, 'Everyday Sketching and Drawing' by Steven B. Reddy, for one of my children last month. I was not really familiar with either his work or his books but bought it based on the recommendations of the all-knowing search preferences algorithm. It turned out to be an interesting one based on a few intriguing differences to other 'urban sketching' books.


The first thing is that he applies a still life approach to scenes, something I don't see very often. The result is that the appearance of the final work is often visually completely cluttered.

 The second interesting thing I observed is that he includes a huge amount of visual data in each image. A current trend in Urban Sketching is selective editing where the artist takes away the things that don't contribute to the overall point of the picture, Reddy, on the other hand, doesn't appear to enjoy editing at all.

   The third interesting technique he uses is one where he applies an ink wash to his pictures to establish tonal value before adding color. This results in an almost newsprint-like color scheme. While this is a common practice in actual painting, I haven't seen it all that often in watercolor.

   All of the things mentioned above tend to repel me, technique-wise, when taken individually, yet when viewing his completed work they create interest and depth. They are simultaneously fascinating and overwhelming.

   Since I love a sense of peace in my own work as well as order and method, my urban sketches have been almost the opposite of Reddys. Even those that have detail tend to express it in an ordered way.

For the fun of it and to attempt to loosen up my work while on location I have been trying to emulate some of the ideas in the book. I have filled up my pictures a bit more, certainly. That being said, I am not sure the end results are actually better. Still, it is fun.

   I recommend this book for the sake of its odd quirkiness. It is a little bit cartoony, making it fun and not too serious. He also includes several tips for laying out the composition of 'busy' scenes. A fun book, and one I find useful to get out when I start taking myself too seriously.

   So what do you prefer? My orderly sketches or the fuller, busier ones? Do you sketch? Which method appeals most to you? Let me know in the comments.


If you liked this post you might enjoy my other book reviews:

- Art Inc.
-Views of Paris
- Venice

Or just a chance to browse my art library.



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