Rendering in Pen and Ink: The Classic Book On Pen and Ink Techniques for Artists, Illustrators, Architects, and Designers [Paperback]

Arthur L. Guptill (Author), Susan E. Meyer (Editor)

Book Description

Release date: August 1, 1997

Arthur L. Guptill's classic Rendering in Pen and Ink has long been regarded as the most comprehensive book ever published on the subject of ink drawing. This is a book designed to delight and instruct anyone who draws with pen and ink, from the professional artist to the amateur and hobbyist. It is of particular interest to architects, interior designers, landscape architects, industrial designers, illustrators, and renderers.

Contents include a review of materials and tools of rendering; handling the pen and building tones; value studies; kinds of outline and their uses; drawing objects in light and shade; handling groups of objects; basic principles of composition; using photographs, study of the work of well-known artists; on-the-spot sketching; representing trees and other landscape features; drawing architectural details; methods of architectural rendering; examination of outstanding examples of architectural rendering; solving perspective and other rendering problems; handling interiors and their accessories; and finally, special methods of working with pen including its use in combination with other media.

The book is profusely illustrated with over 300 drawings that include the work of famous illustrators and renderers of architectural subjects such as Rockwell Kent, Charles Dana Gibson, James Montgomery Flagg, Willy Pogany, Reginald Birch, Harry Clarke, Edward Penfield, Joseph Clement Coll, F.L. Griggs, Samuel V. Chamberlain, Louis C. Rosenberg, John Floyd Yewell, Chester B. Price, Robert Lockwood, Ernest C. Peixotto, Harry C. Wilkinson, Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, and Birch Burdette Long. Best of all, Arthur Guptill enriches the text with drawings of his own.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arthur L. Guptill (1891-1956) who co-founded Watson-Guptill Publications and was co-editor of American Artist magazine, was an architect, a painter, an art director, an author, and a teacher. Born in Gorham, Maine, he graduated with a degree in architecture from Pratt Institute in 1912, and then studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A partner in Bearse & Guptill, architectural designers and illustrators, from 1919 to 1925, Mr. Guptill was a freelance specialist in design, freelance advertising artist, and advertising agency consultant from 1916 to 1937. The founder, president, and director of activities of the Amateur Artists Association of America, Mr. Guptill wrote numerous art instruction books. He taught at Pratt and the Brooklyn Museum and was a member of the Art Directors Club of New York and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in England. Susan E. Meyer was born and raised in New York City. She was graduated from the University of Wisconsin and attended the Universita per Stranieri in Perugia, Italy. Ms. Meyer has had a long history of involvement with Arthur Guptill's work. For over seven years, as managing editor of Watson-Guptill Publications, the company he co-founded, she compiled and edited his books. In that capacity, she also compiled, edited, and collaborated on a number of other books on watercolorists and their techniques, painting portraits, and designing with type. In addition, Ms. Meyer was editor of American Artist magazine, where Guptill himself was once co-editor. She is the author of over a dozen books and is currently the director of Roundtable Press, Inc. in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill; 60 Anv edition (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823045293
• ISBN-13: 978-0823045297
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.8 x 12 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Pen & Ink
  • #10 in Books > Professional & Technical > Architecture > Reference > Methods & Materials

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No other book is necessary April 2, 2002

By Elizabeth

Format:Paperback

If you have a desire to learn to draw with pen and ink this is the first book you should buy. It is thorough and informative. It goes into great detail about different techniques used to obtain certain effects (or textures). I refer to this book time and time again, and although my main media is not pen and ink, I cannot help but to be inspired by his lessons.

This is a fun medium and an inexpensive one. If you are truly interested in learning the ins and outs of pen and ink drawing and can only afford one book, this is the book.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like ink, you MUST buy this December 11, 2004

By Sabad One

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Years ago, when spare time was still a reality for me, I used to draw birds and other animals in ink. I still love ink, maybe because I love the minutest details that it can express so well. The main reason why I purchased this book was not the text, and the pedagocical content, but the many splendid splendid illustrations from masters of the art. Still, I ended up also reading this book, even if I spent much more time admiring the illustrations. It is beautifully written, you immediately realize why this book has become an eternal "classic". But the illustrations, the illustrations are literally awesome. Every time I have this book in my hands I feel that I want to start drawing again. There are example of every sort, and they are all equally splendid: landscapes, portraits, architectural drawings, images of fables and monuments. Believe me, if you like ink, you will have a hard time finding a better book that this. If you would like to start drawing in ink, or if you would like to improve your technique, you will like this book even more, but the illustrations are worth the price by themselves. No wonder that all reviewers appear to agree! This book is fantastic.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Your 'Bible' for Pen & Ink! November 21, 1999

By Jim Sprague Jr.

Format:Paperback

This book is: 1) To the point and clear to understand. 2) Detailed with explainations for all techniques. 3) Filled with illustrations and examples cover-to-cover. I consider this to be my 'bible' for Pen & Ink. I was able to learn so much in such a short amount of time. It made my experience, excelling in this media, fun and enjoyable to go through! This is a MUST to have in your collection!