You Can Draw in 30 Days: The Fun, Easy Way to Learn to Draw in One Month or Less [Paperback]

Mark Kistler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2011

Learn to draw in 30 days with public television’s favorite drawing teacher.

 

Drawing is an acquired skill, not a talent—anyone can learn to draw! All you need is a pencil, a piece of paper, and the willingness to tap into your hidden artistic abilities. You Can Draw in 30 Days will teach you the rest. With Emmy award–winning, longtime PBS host Mark Kistler as your guide, you’ll learn the secrets of sophisticated three-dimensional renderings, and have fun along the way. Inside you’ll find:

• Quick and easy step-by-step instructions for drawing everything from simple spheres to apples, trees, buildings, and the human hand and face

• More than 500 line drawings, illustrating each step

• Time-tested tips, techniques, and tutorials for drawing in 3-D

• The 9 Fundamental Laws of Drawing to create the illusion of depth in any drawing

• 75 student examples to help gauge your own progress

In just 20 minutes a day for a month, you can learn to draw anything, whether from the world around you or from your own imagination. It’s time to embark on your creative journey. Pick up your pencil and begin today!

Editorial Reviews

Review

Kingman Daily Minor, 12/22/10
“Would make a great gift.”

Boston Globe, 1/16/11

"Sharpen your pencils and open your sketchbook; your teacher is waiting.”

Infodad.com, 1/20/11
“The book offers a set of valuable introductory lessons in putting what you see—in the real world or your mind’s eye—down on paper.”

 

Midwest Book Review, February 2011

“A must for anyone who wants to pursue art but doesn’t know where to start.”

Deseret News, 2/26/11

“Kistler provides detailed instructions and tips that take the mystery out of making simple drawings that look good. He also uses a sense of humor and encouraging words to help.”

 

Sacramento Book Review, April/May 2011

“Kistler’s approach is light and fun, and rather than overwhelming with technical terminology and intimidating concepts, he instead starts you out putting pencil to paper. Within the first few pages of the book, you are already well on your way…The approach presented in this book works so well because you get instant results, which inspire you to continue with the process.”

About the Author

Mark Kistler is one of the most popular and most recognized drawing teachers in the world. The longtime PBS host of Mark Kistler’s Imagination Station, he is the author of nine books, including the bestselling children’s drawing book, Drawing in 3-D with Mark Kistler. He lives near Houston, Texas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books (January 4, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738212415
• ISBN-13: 978-0738212418
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.7 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,420 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing
  • #11 in Books > Arts & Photography > History & Criticism

More About the Author

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 59 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars draw in 30 days February 16, 2011

By C. erickson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is really good for learning the basics to creating realistic drawings! Im using it in an art class for 3-6th graders. I present the short 10 minute lessons at the beginning of class. The students work in their drawing journals. Even my 6 year old is learning the lessons at home! They are short, simple and doable for anyone! I prefer this book over m.kistlers other book called draw squad. Great for both adults and students. After the simple drawing lesson there is even an option to take the lesson to the next step and apply it in some other way to create a piece of art.

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended! April 12, 2011

By N. Embaye

Format:Paperback

I bought this book elsewhere after losing my copy of "Draw Squad." Before using his book I cannot say how many failed attempts I had at learning to draw - dozens! I lost the first book after completing about half of it, and I was excited to see this one for adults. I'm halfway through this one now and the results are awesome! I may be able to realize my childhood dream of becoming a cartoonist. You go from rendering simple shapes to experimenting with figure drawing exercises in 30 lessons. It goes farther than "Draw Squad," which means that even if I find the old book I still have new material.
Also: there are complementary lessons on his website and I highly recommend those too. Mr. Kistler was very responsive to a problem I had with the site - my email was answered the next day!
If you have trouble with the exercises I suggest doing them over and over - I think that is what worked for me. If you have trouble with the shading try a different pencil. I use "H" (hard) for sketching and "B" or "2B" for dark lines and shading.

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for anyone who thinks they can't draw August 22, 2011

By Sam's folks

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

When I was 13 years old my art teacher wrote on my end of year report card that I tried but had no talent. At that point I stopped trying. Now I'm starting to catch up with all the things I've spent my life wishing I could do, and drawing is one of them. I have a lot of good books that will help me when I've got the basics under my belt, but most of them jump too quickly from very simple exercises to drawings that are way above my present standard. This book doesn't do that. Each lesson builds on the one before, introducing new concepts slowly enough that you can feel yourself developing the foundation skills you need to be able to take on more complex drawings. It'll take me a lot longer than 30 days to complete this book - 30 weeks perhaps? - but the investment in time will be worth it. No, I'll never be a Rembrandt or Picasso, but after just three lessons I can already draw well enough to impress other people who think they can't draw, and that's good enough for me!