Drawing Landscapes in Pencil (Practical Art Books) [Paperback]

Ferdinand Petrie (Author)

Book Description

Series: Practical Art Books | Publication Date: March 1, 1992

In 12 detailed demonstrations, Petrie explains how a simple lead pencil can be manipulated to create finished landscape drawings that rival the beauty of works in any other medium.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ferdinand Petrie was born in Rutherford, New Jersey, and received his art training at Parsons School of Design and The Famous Artist School of Illustration. He also studied painting with Frank Reilly at The Art Students League in New York. After working for 20 years in advertising agencies and studios in New York City, he began painting full time. For the past 20 years he has operated his own in Rockport, Massachusetts. Petrie's work can be found in many public and private collections throughout the United States. Mr. Petrie’s other book published by Watson-Guptill is The Big Book of Painting Nature in Watercolor, with photographs by John Shaw.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (March 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823026469
• ISBN-13: 978-0823026463
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.4 x 10.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Pencil

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book. I am a beginner., July 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Drawing Landscapes in Pencil (Practical Art Books) (Paperback)

I am a retired electronic engineer, and have taken up art as a hobby. According to what I have read, drawing should be studied before going into painting. Mr. Petrie's book has been an excellent launching pad for learning to draw. In the past 3 months I have purchased 13 books on learning art, but none has proved as useful to me as this one. I copy his drawings and am surprised on how well they turn out. I can heartily recommend this book.

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for Beginners, December 28, 1999

By 

Bill Wilson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drawing Landscapes in Pencil (Practical Art Books) (Paperback)

This book is without a doubt the best single book I have ever seen on basic pencil techniques, esp. drawing scenic landscapes. The methods he teaches are simple and easily learned, yet yield excellent results.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I recommend it to everyone, September 26, 2004

By 

R. Fernandes "FF" (Mumbai, India) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drawing Landscapes in Pencil (Practical Art Books) (Paperback)

I wouldn't term this book as 'good for beginners only'.

To begin with, the book features Mr. Ferdinand Pertries style of drawing landscapes and is replete with completed drawings. And, he, the author, isn't a beginner definitely, as you will know.

Yes, the landscapes are not `photo-realistic', because they are not meant to be. They aren't amateurish either. One should have a look at the cover of the book itself to know what I'm trying to say.

Personally, I found that each of those drawings were 'wish you were here' type of drawings. They have a dreamy kind of look; and what's more better than that, they're very easy to create. You will be surprised at how beautiful landscapes can be rendered with simple pencil strokes within an hour or two; from photos or from life.

After a brief introduction to materials and strokes, the book jumps right into examples wherein Mr. Petrie demonstrates how one can render various elements like trees, mountains etc., all accompanied with an actual *finished* drawing. The last part of the book features the Artist's Portfolio of drawings.

Most importantly, the book does not drag you into overt technical language (which to my preferences seems boring). It will get your hands down and dirty in no time.

Inspiring; if it only were for the landscapes in this book, even then I would go ahead I buy it!

Cheers,
FF


p.s. having said this, a word of caution to the `I want a photo-realistic drawing' types. This book is NOT for you.