Helen Birch - Freehand: Sketching Tips and Tricks Drawn from Art

First published in the United States in 2013 by Chronicle Books LLC.

Copyright 2013 by RotoVision SA.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.

ISBN: 978-1-4521-2961-7

Design/layout: Lucy Smith/The Entente and Jennifer Osborne

Cover design: Sarah Higgins

Art Director: Emily Portnoi

Art Editor: Jennifer Osborne

Chronicle Books LLC

680 Second Street

San Francisco, CA 94107

www.chroniclebooks.com

Image Credits

Front cover (clockwise from top left): Ana Montiel, Craig McCann, Whooli Chen, Bryce Wymer, Julia Pott, Sophie Leblanc, Marina Molares, Isaac Tobin

Back cover (clockwise from top left): Stephanie Kubo, Nayoun Kim, Manuel San Payo, Sophie Leblanc, Diego Naguel, Hollis Brown Thornton

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: Carine Brancowitz

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: Sandra Dieckmann

: Chris Keegan

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Dedicated to: Joyce (Cooper) Birch and Jo Fuzzbox Dunne

In addition to the contents listing opposite, we have included category and visual indexes to help you dip in and out of this book. Use these to find specific information or illustrations quickly.

We have used four main categories to highlight the techniques and qualities of every illustration and make it easy for you to compare similar subjects and styles. These four categoriesprincipal element, medium, type of drawing, and subjectare indicated by the series of icons included with each illustration, and listed in the full category index on .

Because Freehand is as much about visual inspiration as it is about technique, we have also included a visual index on . If you are trying to find an image you have already seen in the book, or looking for a specific style, color, background... use this to take you straight to the right page. Page numbers are given on the thumbnail of each illustration. Please note that where more than one illustration is included in an entry, only one is included in this index.

So that you can see the finer marks of larger and more elaborate drawings, we have included teardrop details to enlarge a section of the drawing and give you a close-up view.

Drawing is something we do contentedly and naturally from a young age. Its only when we become aware of how others might judge our drawings that many of us begin to believe we cant draw, and either criticize our own drawings harshly or give up.

Too many people see drawing as a magical conjuring tricksomething you have to have an innate talent forbut this is not the case. If you want to draw, the most important thing is to be interested in it. If you enjoy the drawings of others, and are excited by the possibilities, want to handle drawing materials, or simply wish to have a go at it, youre already more than halfway there.

In basic terms, drawing is marks made on paper.

But it can be much more. Think about the times you do it unconsciously: making marks in the sand, doodling while on the telephone, running your finger through condensation on a window, moving the cursor around a computer screen, or filling in the loops of letters in a piece of text. The aim of the diverse examples in this book is to give you the confidence to consciously try new ideas, or to reappraise any you have already had. You may wish to emulate the subject matter you see here, try out the drawing materials described, or both.

Drawing is such an easy thing to do, and it uses such basic equipment. It can help you focus on your surroundings or experiment with ideas prompted by color, texture, line, composition, and more. Digital drawing apps have extended this range even further.

You dont have to have an aim for your drawing. It can be about relaxation or visual energy. There doesnt have to be a goal, though you may have one. Drawing can be instinctive, emotive, or intellectual. Your may have big ambitions, or sketch as a passing fancy. You could be an art student, or draw as a hobby. Whatever, whoever, drawing is a great thing to do.