642 Things to Draw: Journal [Paperback]

Chronicle Books (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2010

A rolling pin, a robot, a pickle, a water tower, a hammock, a wasp, a safety pin, a kiss. Budding artists and experienced sketchers alike will find themselves invigorated by this collection of offbeat, clever, and endlessly absorbing drawingprompts. Some are deceptively simple (just try drawing a bicycle!), some are conceptually mind-bending (sketching the sound of girlish laughter?), and some are refreshingly basic (the only hard thing about drawing an egg is deciding how you want it to be cooked). Hip and helpful, 642 Things to Draw is the perfect inspirational sketchbook, sure to entertain and provoke the imagination of anyone ready to pick up a pencil.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811876446
• ISBN-13: 978-0811876445
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.9 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 87 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Really Fantastic Idea / Heirloom in the Making June 7, 2011

By Ally B.

Format:Paperback

The bad reviews on this book are really unfair. They are basically the equivalent of saying:
"I thought I was buying an orange.
I was actually buying an apple.
And, dang it!, it doesn't taste anything like an orange!!"

If you pay attention to what you are buying and even go so far as to take advantage of the handy-dandy "look inside" feature on this site, then you won't be disappointed in what you get.

This is a book of IDEAS of things to draw and spaces in which to do so. It's a fantastic way to engage the imagination and make an artist in a rut think outside the box. Many, MANY artists get into the habit of drawing the same subjects over and over again. A book with 642 suggestions of (often) off-the-wall ideas will force such people to go in a different direction.

I understand that some people are looking for a "how to" book, but what better way to learn to draw than to simply sit down and do it? Having someone set up a step-by-step example of how to draw a particular object is all good and well if you want to draw exactly like somebody else. But developing your own style of art requires you to look at things with your own eye and figure them out yourself. If you want to encourage your young budding artist to draw, please don't shy away from this book. It will be exactly what they need!

As for the actually physical construction: The book is, itself, really nice. The cover is sturdy. (I'm not sure what they call the material... It's not actually paper, but it's not a hardback, either.) The paper is nice, very smooth, and stands up well to different mediums. So far we have used ink and a variety of markers and have not had any problems with the colors bleeding through the paper.... I am going to try some carefully applied watercolors in it to mix things up, but the paper will not likely hold up under much more than that. It will have its limits. It is a nice sized book. I expected it to be quite small, sort of a travel journal sort, but at about 7.5x9 inches, it's more substantial than that. This was good news for me.

I took another reviewers suggestion and use this as a sort of guest book for our home, in which visitors are asked to draw a random picture and sign and date it. When this book is all filled up, I believe it will be one of my most treasured possessions and a family heirloom. Read more ›

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not sure what to make of this ... it's actually kind of brilliant. August 9, 2011

By M. Flaig

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book really threw me off when I first opened it.

I knew from the "Look Inside" feature that the book consisted of just what it says: "642 Things to Draw." The pages consist of a drawing prompt(s), with a space underneath the prompt where you draw the item. The pages vary as to the number of prompts and spaces -- some pages are divided vertically with a prompt for each column. Some are divided into four squares with a prompt for each square, some into three horizontal rows, etc.

The prompts are small and understated, and include such things as "a giraffe", "a saint", "first love", "a rollercoaster", "a real estate agent", "cat whiskers."

When I opened the book I immediately looked for an introduction. Even just a paragraph or two addressed to the reader, explaining how to use the book (I know it's obvious, but I'm a stickler for instructions). Or, if not explaining how to use the book, at least providing some sample drawings. Or even a simple: "dive in and have fun -- there are no rules." Just ... something!

But there was nothing. I thought I was missing it! I looked in the front, carefully separating the opening pages in case they were sticking together. Nothing. The book starts with its first prompt: "a rolling pin." I wanted to know if I should find a rolling pin and draw it by looking at it, or draw a rolling pin from my head, or find a picture of a rolling pin and draw from the picture. I wanted to know things like, why 642? Why is the book set up as it is? etc.

I even looked in the back, thinking I'd find SOME kind of message there. Still nothing.

This was really bothering me ... until it dawned on me: The author is making a point to keep this book simple simple simple -- there isn't even an author's name on the cover.... The whole point of the book is KEEP IT SIMPLE. This way, the reader/drawer is encouraged to focus solely on the prompts and our imaginations.

I realized that the author is saying, "It's up to you how to use this book. It's up to you whether or not to draw from a picture, from real life, or from your imagination. You don't need an introduction to tell you that. Just draw."

I also realized that my confusion resulted from this being marketed and designed as a book book, rather than a sketchbook. It looks like a book that you read. For me, I think this book would be better if it were designed as a sketchbook, with spiral binding and drawing paper. And if the title included the words "a sketchbook" after "642 Things to Draw."

Other than that, I'm intrigued and a bit delighted with the author's creativity and tenacity in how he/she designed this book. Most importantly, I'm excited to dive in and just draw. Read more ›

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars lots of opportunities December 6, 2010

By lhillebr

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Even though there is not much to this book, there are plenty of fun and interesting things to do with it. I use it as a table piece and every time a guest comes over they have to open to a random page and draw whatever it says. Also its a good ice breaker for an art class were the first five minutes are dedicated to drawing a different thing. It is also a nice time filler when riding the subway or bus or on long trips to keep you occupied!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Sketchbook April 25, 2011

By inkcube

Format:Paperback

This is a great sketchbook that shouldn't be getting bad reviews because people don't know how to read descriptions or use the "Look Inside" feature. You won't have to stare at a blank page anymore, wondering what to draw; the drawing prompts are bound to fuel some creativity. There are a ton of different objects in here that I would never even think of drawing.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great idea for a sketchbook, good quality material as well June 3, 2011

By S. Ma

Format:Paperback

I just got this book at my local Kinokuniya bookstore yesterday. I flipped through it and realized this is exactly what I need at this moment in time: a sketch journal to help me broaden my "visual dictionary". There are a lot of prompts/ideas/objects/concepts in here that I never would have thought to draw randomly--I mainly draw people as my preferred choice of subject--so this is perfect for me since I want to be able to know how to draw all kinds of different objects on the fly, without having to think too long or hard about it. Making myself go through a couple of pages in this book a day, researching what I can while I have free time, will definitely help me "see" all of these everyday and non-everyday things better, by having to actually transfer everything down onto paper. I'm going to think of this sketch journal as a way for me to teach myself "how to" draw all of these things, which is much better in my opinion than having a book that tells you explicitly how to draw them (only practice and a constant drive to be better can really teach you "how to" draw anything anyway).

The paper quality is decent, not heavy Moleskine quality but not thin either. It's smooth and feels good to the touch. I drew on a random page with a Copic multiliner pen to test it out just now, and there's no bleeding, nor can I see any marks on the other side, which is great because I'm going to go through this entire thing with pen and ink!