Art for Kids: Drawing: The Only Drawing Book You'll Ever Need to Be the Artist You've... by Kathryn Temple

Art for Kids: Drawing: The Only Drawing Book You'll Ever Need to Be the Artist You've...

Features

Reading level: Ages 9-12

Cover Type: Hard Cover with 112 pages

Published by: Lark Books May 1, 2005

Written in: English

ISBN 10 Number: 1579905870

ISBN 13 Number: 978-1579905873

Book Dimensions: 10 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches

Weighs: 1.1 pounds

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7–This first-class introduction to essential drawing techniques builds from the starting points of lines and simple shapes. Typically, books for this audience present step-by-step directions for rendering specific objects, animals, or people; with Temple's work, children can use the skills taught here to go beyond the examples and draw their own unique illustrations. The author limits the scope of the book to drawing with pencils. Eight concise chapters explore seeing with artist's eyes, line drawing, light and shadow, proportion and scale, perspective, drawing faces, drawing bodies, and using imagination. The succinct text reads smoothly and is written in a clear, understandable style. Sample sketches and crisp, color photographs extend the text and often serve as the basis for many purposeful exercises. These illustrations are precisely placed with the appropriate corresponding text and are enhanced by supplementary details that have been highlighted with sweeps of color. Librarians looking for materials that focus more on the process of drawing than on the product will find this refreshing selection to be a useful resource for budding artists.–Lynn K. Vanca, Akron-Summit County Public Library, Richfield, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 5-8. This entry in the Art for Kids series offers an great introduction to the tools and techniques of drawing. Professional artist Temple's clear, encouraging text starts with the reminders that drawing begins with careful observation and that children, as well as adults, can be serious artists. The first chapter covers basic drawing materials, advice for observing details and shapes, and information on the differences of seeing with the right and left sides of the brain--a rare topic in an art guide for young people. Subsequent chapters discuss line, light, shadow, proportion, perspective, and human bodies and faces. Temple's accomplished drawings appear on nearly every cleanly designed page, and each section includes numerous exercises for practicing the accessible, well-presented techniques. She concludes with a chapter that encourages young artists to apply their new skills to wildly imagined scenes of their own. Comprehensive and written in clear language that never condescends to its young audience, this thoughtful guide contains plenty of information that will also be useful to older students (and adults) able to overlook the cover image of a middle-grade boy. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Reader Reviews
I got this book at the library for my ten year old daughter to see if she would like if before purchasing it. She is talented and comes from artists on her father's side, but had a bad experience with her first Art teacher in a school setting. I was looking for something to spark her confidence and keep her interest high in at least independant and self explorative instruction for now. She loved the book immediately. Because she had some formal class instruction this year she was able to recognize some of the exercises that she was required to do in class, so that background exposure helped her "get" this book right away. This is a great fundementals darwing book for kids, but it is an exersice with a you can do it attitude book which is what I wanted for my daughter at this time. Something she could read for herself, interpret for herself and try her own way and see what she gets without someone else trying to shape her ideas for her. The book's attractively layed out for my ten year old, but I think she will work with this slowly here and there at her own pace, and probably come back to it even more when she's older too. there are some drawing projects but they are not as extensive as the fundimental practices area. For this reason I also bought her Lee Hammond's series on drawing life like animals for more go right to it and start drawing projects. She is spending more time with that now and I expect as she gets more and more into drawing she'll come back and forth to the therory and the practical fun stuff. For a child who just wants to draw cool looking picts fast, you might be better off with the lee Ames draw 50 series. My 8 year old son loves these draw or trace books as what he produces looks great with no theory just draw. Comment | | (Report this)

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Updated on 6-4-2008.