Got a yearning to pick up a pen and see what you can do? Go for it! But don't sketch alone-let popular artist and teacher Claudia Nice be your guide. She'll make your first steps fun and successful!

In her trademark style-friendly and encouraging-Claudia will show you how to do a sketch of a subject that actually ends up looking like the subject. And she shares her secrets for turning simple lines and dots into all kinds of lifelike textures, including leaves, glass, hair, fruit, water, clouds, wood grain, grass, fur and feathers.

Easy (and fun!) exercises get you started. Step-by-step projects teach techniques as you draw trees, flowers, barns, animals and other subjects-even people! And demonstrations show you how to put all that you've learned together to create a finished picture.

So go ahead-grab that pen and have fun! Just follow along with Claudia to get the hang of it, and before you know it you'll be making your own, original pen-and-ink drawings!