Art of the Pencil: A Revolutionary Look at Drawing, Painting and the Pencil (Paperback)

by Sherry Camhy (Author) "When I was beginning to study art, like most students at the time I was told to learn drawing before learning painting..." (more)
Key Phrases: Eberhard Faber, Supplemental Materials, Using Workable Fixative

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Based on the premise that the realms of drawing and painting overlap, this book focuses on how pencil art can produce many painterly tonal and textural effects. Drawing materials and techniques used are reviewed extensively. Included are graphite carbon, and charcoal; water-soluble, erasable, and other colored pencils; and pastels, crayons, and other chalk- and wax-based media. 200 illustrations, 100 in color.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823013731
• ISBN-13: 978-0823013739
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #614,095 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling!, January 25, 2000

By A Customer

I've been working seriously with graphite for several years and this was one of the so-rare times I opened a drawing book and had my hopes exceeded. By a lot.

While her colored pencil examples are sophisticated and gorgeous (nothing like the strained, harsh works in so many books) my primary reason for buying this book was to refine my graphite techniques. What a gold mine I hit! Traditional graphite pencil, water soluble graphite, powdered graphite...intense detail to smokey frottage...it's here. It makes me shiver to think how close I came to not buying this book because it covered both colored pencil and graphite and my experience has been that in such cases graphite gets awfully shallow treatment. If that's what you're thinking too, it's not the case here.

Art of the Pencil is not a beginners book, but beginners should definitely see or own it as inspiration as to what the humble pencil can do. For those of you working seriously with pencil, haunted by it's potential, Sherry Wallerstein Camhy has written a book you will drop everything for when it arrives.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly revolutionary book on drawing, July 18, 1999

By A Customer

I am not the author of this book, but I have had the pleasure and privilege of knowing Sherry Wallerstein Camhy for the past four years as I've made the effort to strengthen my own drawing and artistic skills. The tone of Art of the Pencil perfectly embodies Camhy's actual teaching style, with expertise kindly and gently served. Art of the Pencil is a very beautiful, colorful book, with a provocative premise that drawing and painting are not separate techniques--with painting of course far superior to drawing--but instead can be successfully combined. Camhy uses a wide variety of her own work to beautifully and effectively illustrate her points on the many ways drawing techniques can be used to achieve painterly effects. Chock full of useful information and ideas, this book is an excellent proxy for those who are unable to benefit personally from the author's inspirational mentoring style in the furthering of their artistic development.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like an Oasis in a desert of Drawing books, July 20, 2002

By	T. Law "The Roving Eye" (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is not a trivial how to book but an equally reasoned argument about the line between "painting" and "drawing" (the author I think correctly posits there is none). In addition she is a highly skilled artist...not a second rater like most how to authors...And that's another thing!...she DOES show you how to!...the best of all worlds. If you want to be serious about your drawing you must have this book.