That’s all, you don’t have a single excuse left, because the author of the new book “Sketches!” - self-taught artist. Frans Belleville-Van Stone not only draws great, but also achieved popularity. She worked on interesting projects with professional artists, despite the fact that Frans is an English teacher by training.
It doesn't matter what diploma you have, take a pencil, a sketchbook - and go!
Who is this book for?
For those who believe that without art education nothing will come of it. But no! Work hard every day and believe in yourself. Everything will work out!
What is this book about?
A whole chapter is devoted to the lack of art education, and it is very convincing. All you need is the desire to draw and develop. And there is no magic here. No, you will not become an amazing artist just by reading this book (and all others), but you will understand in which direction to move. And you will understand that the most important thing is not to stop moving forward.
Any book written by an artist will have a chapter on materials. But all are unique. An individual author's style dictates an individual set of tools. Frans talks in great detail about his main material - liner pens. And no less fascinating about some others. The main feature of the described materials is their compactness and ease of use, which is very important when your main work surface is your own knees. Everything that the artist uses is placed in a small pencil case, because the desire to make a sketch can catch you at any moment.
About any minute - still a whole chapter. When to draw a person who honestly works from 9 to 18 and still has a lot of household chores? The answer is simple: along the way. Draw in transport, in line at the clinic, while the potatoes are boiling or the washing machine is wringing out the laundry. In these few minutes you will not create a masterpiece, but is it needed? The author encourages you to change your attitude to drawing: lower your expectations, do not strive for an excellent result, and then you will gain freedom and be able to focus on the process. What is a finished drawing? Take a closer look at your underdrawn sketch, because it also has a special charm.
digital sketching
Turn your gadget into an art workshop! No need to carry a pencil case and a sketchbook with you or think about how it is more convenient to sit in the open air. A tablet, a stylus and a handy drawing program are all you need for digital sketching.
You can spend a lot of time to figure out which program to download and which stylus to choose. And Frans has already made an overview of the best, in her opinion, styluses and programs. And she also very clearly described all the pros and cons of drawing on a tablet. And, of course, she writes about drawing techniques. The variety of tools in drawing programs is simply amazing and opens up new horizons.
Source of ideas
A whole chapter is devoted to the sore point of all the artists of the world: what to draw? Frans approached the solution outside the box and suggests at least one topic for sketching for each letter of the alphabet. For the first time, ideas are definitely enough. And then the process will capture you so much that you will have to write down your own so as not to forget.
How is the book made?
Form or content? What is more important to you? I can say with confidence that their unity is important to me. And this book is exactly what I want. Lots of author's drawings (black and white and color), stunning imitation of rough watercolor paper on each page, rounded corners, high-quality printing and a very pleasant cover design. The combination of matte and glossy elements looks beautiful and feels amazing to the touch! At the bottom of each page is the chapter number and title, and a picture of the lovely little car on the cover. All design has a single inspiring power. Believe me, it is simply impossible to resist buying a paper version.
Outcome
A very beautiful and useful guide to daily sketches from a self-taught artist. Frans Belleville - Van Stone, a young mother, knows how difficult it is to find time for sketching in the hustle and bustle of everyday life and how wonderful it is when you still have it. And she knows for sure that daily work will bear fruit, but there is simply no shortcut to success.
Buy Frans Stone's book Sketches! How to sketch everyday life
Book "Sketches! How to sketch everyday life” is available for order in the Ozon online store at a price of 700 rubles.
Sketches! How to sketch everyday life
Frans Belleville-Van Stone: Sketches! How to sketch everyday life.
The original title of this book is Sketch!: The Non-Artist's Guide to Inspiration, Technique, and Drawing Daily Life. This guide for non-artists: rest assured, you can draw very cool too! Quick sketches and improvisation are the keys to success and will help you get better at drawing.
This is not a textbook and not a step-by-step instruction "how to learn to draw", but a book filled with inspiration, tips and tricks about drawing in everyday life. When you do not have the opportunity to go to the open air. When you can draw what close to you so that it becomes a real art.
Frans Belleville-Van Stone - famous blogger, website wagonized.com she posts her drawings from everyday life (sketches from the living room, the backs of her colleagues during meetings, cars, shoes, or her cat): her style of pen and ink drawings is recognizable and very interesting, and the blog is hugely popular. She can find time to paint even though she is a very busy mother and French teacher. Now her book has been published - a large, detailed one, and even in Russian!
The author does not delve into explaining the basic drawing techniques (perspective, form, etc.), but she is obviously guided by these ideas. Drawing here appears serious, almost professional, but a very accessible matter for understanding each of us.
The practical advice in this book is suitable for both experienced artists and beginners. The drawings in the book are by no means simple. It's really good drawings that can become illustrations of your books, if you are an author, or decorate the interior.
Beginning of the book.
The book shows the personal path of the author, the artist, which is interesting and revealing. The introduction and the first chapter tell us about France. Reading this book is interesting. The author keeps the main focus on inspiring us, making drawing a part of our daily life, because without this it is simply impossible to achieve a good result. There is also stories about basic techniques which will help you acquire some basic artistic knowledge and skills.
Frans talks clearly about the drawing supplies she uses, the basic techniques, recommends what and where to draw when time is limited, shows a digital drawing on a tablet (she uses an iPad), and finally gives a list of items to draw in alphabetical order. This book is a clear guide that will help you get off the ground and try to find yourself, your creative style. Drawing in everyday life, when there seems to be no time, no means, no spectacular objects for a still life at hand, is possible for everyone.
The book is very stylish., cover with rounded corners. The pages look like textured paper (although they are actually smooth, thick). The cover is soft, very durable: it is gift version of a non-standard book for any person who wants to learn how to draw, tries to draw. Including and for children, teenagers.
If you've always wanted to do more than learn how to just redraw finished drawings, but dreamed of taking an album and pencils, sitting on a bench with a view of the landscape (or even without such a view) and getting carried away for a few hours, this book is for you. Speed doesn't matter, perspective and proportion don't matter: every time you draw, you're learning new skills and constantly evolving.
This is a motivating and inspiring book. This is a book that you can take with you to the park, for a walk, to the country house, to the beach, or just on the sofa, and read slowly. Recommended to all draftsmen and artists. 
Even cheap pencils and a very simple sketchbook can work perfectly, you just need to learn how to choose them and, most importantly, how to use them. It's hard to spend money on a hobby that's in its early stages, when you're insecure about yourself. However, it is useful to have an understanding of how different instruments can create different effects, and you will learn about this through the book.
Once you get familiar with the tools, let's start with simple exercises to develop different techniques of drawing, shading, and more.
Which watercolor to choose? In Russia, the best watercolors are considered White Nights, you can take Ladoga (it is cheaper) - in general, watercolors from ZKH are recommended. If you draw seriously, then it is better not to take watercolor from Gamma, it is more suitable for children.
The book as a whole is focused on the basic techniques of drawing with a pen and pencil, it is graphic, although color is sometimes also present (usually these are watercolors).
The last chapter is hints. Animals, airports, suitcases, bananas.... lots of great ideas, with examples and tips. This is a great chapter for when you just don't know what to draw. An alphabetical list of a variety of objects that are great to draw, with a little explanation of how and why they can be drawn, is a great help to any aspiring artist.
The main thing is not to put a strong emphasis on the end result, otherwise you will miss the joy of the drawing process. Work with what you have at hand, and you can find inspiration in everyday things around you.
Good motivational drawing book anywhere, anything, anywhere.
The size of the book is about 19x23 cm, 144 pages - with text and pictures.
In the photo below in the gallery - some more examples of pages.
Drawing exercises and practical tips - something that will come in handy for both experienced artists and those who do not know how to draw at all.
Urban sketching or the practice of daily drawing “in between” is a new trend. And for representatives of creative professions, this is often an urgent need, given the active modern lifestyle.
In this inspiring book, self-taught artist Frans Belleville-Van Stone encourages readers to rethink their daily schedule so they can dedicate at least 10 minutes a day to sketching. She suggests getting out of your comfort zone and also gives you tips on how to turn a rough sketch into a finished drawing.
Belleville-Van Stone learned to draw by practicing every day, and knows firsthand how difficult it is to make time for creative expression in everyday chores. In the book, she talks about several effective ways:
- Drawing objects according to the order of the letters in the alphabet: airport and banana, face and hands, business meeting and workplace.
- Tips on the tools and materials you might need, as well as how to carry them all with you.
- Chapters on the inevitability of mistakes, drawing with a time limit and changing the approach to the concept of completeness of a drawing.
— Pros and cons of digital sketching, including a description of applications and their capabilities, as well as styluses.
For those who dream of having time to draw between study and work, bathroom and bedroom, the alarm clock and leaving the house, the practical advice from the book will be a real salvation. Author of the book "Sketches!" shares the details of organizing his own creative process and inspires both beginners and established artists. You will be able to review your daily schedule, learn to enjoy the very process of drawing and keep an artistic diary of your daily life and the world around you.
From the author
Remember: how did you prefer to spend your time as a child? Building castles, hosting tea parties for dolls, building snowmen or going fishing? All my childhood memories are connected with the LEGO constructor: it took all my free time from school. I had two huge boxes of parts and a stack of building plates. I loved building houses and spent days thinking about the optimal layout. I did everything in a big way: a courtyard, four bedrooms, huge tables, large beds, a garage for two cars and a spacious entrance hall. I sat for hours at this activity, so that later I could put small LEGO figures in the built house, pick up suitable cars for them and, finally, play.
Each time I looked forward to the moment of the game, but as soon as the house was ready, I almost immediately lost all interest in it. On the same day, I dismantled the newly built building and started all over again.
In the end, I realized that it was not the game with the house that attracted me, but the process of building itself, and with its end, the enthusiasm also disappeared. Although I was burning with the desire to see the result of my work, the desire to build was the real motivation. Going through infinitely many pieces in search of one suitable one, under the influence of a sudden idea to look at them all over again, to make decisions - that's what playing LEGO was for me.
Drawing is very similar to playing with building blocks. Probably, and you first of all want to see the result, but you will enjoy the process, model, paper, pen, pencil, pressure, shading, color, strokes and your own mistakes.
My book is about how great it is to draw. In it you will find practical advice, recommendations on the choice of materials and tools, ways to find creative stimulus - in other words, what will help you start painting.
Expand description Collapse DescriptionAbout the book
Drawing exercises and practical advice - something that will come in handy for both experienced artists and those who do not know how to draw at all.
Urban sketching or the practice of daily drawing "in between" is a new trend. And for representatives of creative professions, this is often an urgent need, given the active modern lifestyle.
In this inspiring book, self-taught artist Frans Belleville-Van Stone encourages readers to rethink their daily schedule so they can dedicate at least 10 minutes a day to sketching. She suggests getting out of your comfort zone and also gives you tips on how to turn a rough sketch into a finished drawing.
Belleville-Van Stone learned to draw by practicing every day, and knows firsthand how difficult it is to make time for creative expression in everyday chores. In the book, she talks about several effective ways:
Drawing objects according to the order of the letters in the alphabet: airport and banana, face and hands, business meeting and workplace.
Tips on the tools and supplies you might need, and how to carry them all with you.
Chapters on the inevitability of mistakes, drawing with a time limit, and changing the approach to the concept of completeness of a drawing.
Pros and cons of digital sketching, including a description of applications and their features, as well as styluses.
For those who dream of having time to draw between study and work, bathroom and bedroom, alarm clock and leaving the house - practical advice from the book will be a real salvation. Author of the book "Sketches!" shares the details of organizing his own creative process and inspires both beginners and established artists. You will be able to review your daily schedule, learn to enjoy the very process of drawing and keep an artistic diary of your daily life and the world around you.
From the author
Remember: how did you prefer to spend your time as a child? Building castles, hosting tea parties for dolls, building snowmen or going fishing? All my childhood memories are connected with the LEGO constructor: it took all my free time from school. I had two huge boxes of parts and a stack of building plates. I loved building houses and spent days thinking about the optimal layout. I did everything in a big way: a courtyard, four bedrooms, huge tables, large beds, a garage for two cars and a spacious entrance hall. I sat for hours at this activity, so that later I could put small LEGO figures in the built house, pick up suitable cars for them and, finally, play.
Each time I looked forward to the moment of the game, but as soon as the house was ready, I almost immediately lost all interest in it. On the same day, I dismantled the newly built building and started all over again.
In the end, I realized that it was not the game with the house that attracted me, but the process of building itself, and with its end, the enthusiasm also disappeared. Although I was burning with the desire to see the result of my work, the desire to build was the real motivation. Going through infinitely many details in search of one suitable one, under the influence of a sudden idea to look at them all over again, to make decisions - that's what playing LEGO was for me.
Drawing is very similar to playing with building blocks. Probably, and you first of all want to see the result, but you will enjoy the process, model, paper, pen, pencil, pressure, shading, color, strokes and your own mistakes.
My book is about how great it is to draw. In it you will find practical advice, recommendations for choosing materials and tools, ways to find creative stimulus - in other words, something that will help you start painting.
about the author
France Belleville-Van Stone is a self-taught artist who grew up in Montbéliard, France and has loved cars and drawing since childhood. As a teenager, she became interested in learning English, influenced by the works of Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen and John Steinbeck. After receiving a master's degree in English from the University of Strasbourg, she moved to America and became a teaching assistant at the University of Pennsylvania.
I didn't study drawing in high school. In 2006, she started a blog she called wagonized (being passionate about retro wagon models of Volvo cars), where she posted her sketches to motivate herself to draw daily. This led to acquaintance and joint creativity with colleagues from different countries. Danny Gregory used her sketches in his book Drawn Life in 2008.
Today, France lives in an old house in northwest New Jersey with her daughter and husband, who upholsters furniture, builds gazebos, and plays the ukulele. She is often seen drawing, with a cat on her lap.
2nd edition.
