Customer Reviews

Fast Sketching Techniques: Capture the Fundamental Essence of Elusive Subjects

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

With the exception of the old courtroom sketch artists, rarely do you see someone standing or sitting with just a pad and a few pencils trying for a likeness of something. Most people reach in their pocket, pull out an autofocus 35mm camera and snap a picture. Anyone can sketch with some degree of success. David Rankin shows you his techniques which rely on speed, basic shapes and dramatic shading. Whether your subject is a landmark building, your seven year old neice, or a peacock at the local zoo, this book will show you easily how to capture the image in a few brief strokes. The rewards are endless. If you are an accomplished artist, the sketches will be invaluable to you back in the studio for reference in creating full blown art pieces. If you are just looking for a way to record scenes for your own edification, you will have some dramatic fast renderings that reflect a mood, something a camera simply can not do. I love this book.

If you're hesitating over this book because of the negative reviews, let me just say that I did too, and I'm so glad that I went ahead and ordered it. It's not a drawing book for beginners but a very well-explained approach to rapid sketching. The techniques are counter-intuitive and so take a little time to learn, but the results are worth the trouble. I find that it's helping my drawing in geneneral, because it teaches you to loosen up and simplify. I really don't understand some of the reviews here, the drawings are nothing like children's drawings; they're simple but the lines are in the right place! If you want to learn how to get your impressions down on paper quickly, don't hesitate to buy this book.

At last, a book which helps people produce fast, casual sketches of everyday life. Most drawing books feature perfect, professional drawings which took hours to produce -- and make the viewer think, "I could never do that."

Not so with this much-needed book, which demystifies sketching, making it a fast, easy pastime which anyone can master. With his step-by-step exercises, Rankin shows how to capture the essence of a subject quickly.

The fast sketching method here has a particular goal. That is, to capture information about a subject for further reference. Mr Rankin is an accomplished painter and uses this technique apparently as a basis for his watercolors. His method can produce beautiful sketches at times-as he shows- but that apparently is not the main intention.

Rankin's method presented here involves using a 9b pencil to do fast contours of separate shapes, blended together with a smudge technique, and heavily emphasising values. I tend to do all my sketches in ballpoint, without regard for shading, and without consideration for future studio work, so his method doesn't quite appeal to me personally. Still, I went through his book, practiced every exercise, and I definitely feel I learned some valuable things.

Recently, I went to a local museum to sketch, where they don't allow pens into the gallery. I brought my 9b pencils and tortillions and had a succesful trip using Mr. Rankin's techniques. The method in Fast Sketching Techniques is easy to learn and the instruction is excellent. If you are a total beginner, I might recommend a true beginner's book first, before this. Ohterwise, it's a useful addition to your bookshelf.

I agree this book is full of valuable tips and ideas. Rankin makes the difference between drawing and sketching clear and provides ways to practice the skill of speed sketching. He uses specific instruction and inspirational examples from his own work.

I was so intrigued by the sketches I saw in the book when I was browsing through it I just had to buy it. This book literally changed my whole direction artistically as well as giving me confidence I never had before. Sure the sketches *appear* to be simple. What the author is teaching here is not how to make a *pretty* picture but how to truly *see* a subject and *quickly* capture your impression. If you want a finished "pretty* picture, you go back to your studio and work on it from there. For the first time ever I have the confidence to go out into public and draw people. It was always so frustrating for me that I just assumed that drawing people just was not my forte. I was wrong, I just needed to learn how to see and translate that to my hand and onto paper.

I am fortunate enough to live in the same area as David and I attend his drawing classes at the local art gallery. I learned in a couple months what would have taken me years to learn on my own. Trust me - the book is worth it!

This is a book of techniques to improve your sketching speed, not your drawing ability. Profusely illustrated with examples from the authors own sketchbooks, this book is above average; the techniques work and are presented logically.

The book starts with a description of basic concepts, techniques and tools. Then, separate chapters for sketching landscapes, people and animals are presented. Each chapter includes exercises for the reader as well as numerous tips and hints.

Those who are looking for a book to improve the quality of their sketching will be disappointed. This book is about speed -- capturing the essentials of your subject in the shortest amount of time. It is expected that the reader will be able to use their sketches (along with reference photographs) as the basis for later, finished works.

but it helped me a great deal! This is my first review and I am surprised by some of the reviews here; If you are looking for a book to help you draw, Nicolaides' book will help you do that. But if you are looking for strategies to use in sketching quickly, this is the book for you.

The author, Mr. Rankin is to be commended for sharing his thoughts on how to get the essence of what is before us before it disappears. I am especially taken by his use of afterimages in sketching.

Now I am not an expert in this area, but this came along at exactly the best time for me. It looks as if some of the reviewers expected something else from the book; but all in all I found it a facinating read, and am still learning from it.

I agree with some other reviewers who don't understand how this book could have gotten negative reviews. If you are looking for a way to capture what you see in your everyday environment, then this book will help you do it.

The sketches are not "finished" in the sense that the author talks about - a tightly polished rendering which could - and almost always does - take hours. That's not the goal of the book, and the author says as much, even showing examples of both the quick sketches and the highly detailed drawings as comparisons. There shouldn't be any doubt that what he's discussing is sketching.

I have tried the techniques set forth in this book and have found them an immense help in improving my drawing skills. The resulting sketches may look "simple," but the technique itself and frame of mind you must be in to draw this way *do* take some time to learn, as do most worthwhile activities relating to drawing, painting, playing an instrument, and so on. There is always practice involved, but if you put forth the effort, this technique will help improve your drawing.

This book has some excellent advice and techniques, but never have I seen an artist who needs to get over himself more! I own at least 100 different art books (had a hard time choosing a medium and then a subject to focus on, and I like to read them) and in not one of them are there as many posed photographs of the artist in his various locations (at least 10-15). These are not photos of his hand used to illustrate a point or technique- these are cheesy "look at me in --- with my pad and pencil- don't I look serious" pictures.

His introduction is pompous and his text, at least at the beginning, is as well. IF you can get past that, you can learn from this book. I found his writing style to be distracting as he recounted his journey to becoming the artist he is today (winner of many "prestigious awards"). Bleh. If they were to do a 2nd edition of this book, the publishers would do well to revise the text heavily.

I enjoy when artists become conversational while writing an instructional text. Claudia Nice is an excellent example (Pen and Ink)- her humor shows and she is conversational. Ann Kullberg (Colored pencil) makes you feel like you are sitting at a table having coffee with her and you are completely capable of doing pictures every bit as good as hers. In both cases, these ladies' personalities shine through, but they are still extremely strong in the teaching/instructing department.

The first chapter of "Fast Sketching Techniques" has us view (apart from the numerous photos of the author) many "drawings" to compare with "sketches". After 2-3, you see the difference, but there is a lot of fluff. I think that's my main problem with this book- the fluff. They wanted a certain length that this subject just doesn't lend itself to very well and had to fill in somewhere!

Not a *bad* book, if you aren't bothered by the style of the author. If you can get past his opinions of his "idyllic journey" and get the instruction underneath, you will learn from it. To sum up this entire book- sketching fast means leaving out details and concentrating on the main lines. There.