Sketching Your Favorite Subjects in Pen & Ink [Hardcover]

Claudia Nice (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1993

The first complete guide on sketching from life, presented in easy-to-follow step-by-step fashion.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Popular among both fine artists and decorative painters, Claudia Nice is known for her friendly, unintimidating art instruction. With over 400,000 copies sold, her nine bestselling North Light titles include Creating Textures in Pen and Ink with Watercolor, How to Keep a Sketchbook Journal, and most recently, Creating Creatures of Fantasy and Imagination. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 136 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books; 1st edition (March 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891344721
• ISBN-13: 978-0891344728
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #760,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Pen & Ink

More About the Author

Claudia Nice is a successful and well-known pen & ink artist, teacher and author in the US. She teaches students from all over the world at her studio in Oregon. Claudia lives with her husband in the Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon border.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, lot's of tips & techniques, May 2, 2000

By 

Angel Lee "Liocorno Amethyst Moonstone" (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sketching Your Favorite Subjects in Pen & Ink (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book for anyone just starting to learn pen & ink drawing. This is not a step-by-step, draw what I draw, book. It is more a collection of tips & techniques for drawing almost any subject.

The author starts out by explaining each kind of line and what it's used for. Next, she explains value. Ink washes, a dry brush, and a variety of different line types are then used to create contrast and texture.

The design & composition section is great for showing you how to put everything together and what pitfalls to look out for. She also guides you through choosing a subject, finding a good photo to work from and achieving perspective.

Finally, each kind of subject is explained in detail. Some include flowers, landscapes, all kinds of water, and buildings. She also covers many animals including dogs, horses & birds. Human faces & figures are detailed as well.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Pen & Ink Introduction, October 26, 1998

By 

hamsterdance (TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sketching Your Favorite Subjects in Pen & Ink (Hardcover)

I got this book after first buying Ms. Nice's Pen & Ink with Watercolor book. This book is also a delight to use. While it does not have quite the appeal of the other book (for me personally since I like and missed the color) it is still a good book for anyone wanting to become more proficient in pen & ink. Since that is what it is meant to do that is the criteria I used to rate it.

There are chapters describing the materials used. Chapters on the different strokes and how different the effect each one has when she shows a ball created with them. There are chapters on value and contrast, composition, landscapes, seascapes, plants, animals and portraits. She shows drawings created only with a verticle stroke for example or only with contour lines or dots along with many more that combine them with other marks. She shows the effect different technical pen sizes have on a drawing. She shows pen & ink combined with ink washes and gives advice on a field sketch kit. And these are only a few of the things this book demonstrates.

On every page the numberous drawings show the humble pen deserves to be respected as a serious art medium in its own right. This book would be a good addition to any artist's library no matter their skill level or subject matter.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's the definitive book of pen and ink drawing., October 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sketching Your Favorite Subjects in Pen & Ink (Hardcover)

You learn more in this book than any art class anywhere. It teachs you more than the art instructor does. It makes you understand art in a more broad range. It teaches you everything you need to know about drawing with pens and ink. You learn how to draw water in motion, landscapes, and many other things. It's very helpful.