I'm a beginner. Picked up a pencil and sketch pad last summer and tried it on and off since then. I've not done landscapes before.
Overall I really like that the book contains such a massive range of sketches to learn from. I know that if I play around with copying these then by the end of it I will be able to try out any landscape of my choosing having learned how to lay out the sketch and get the best from it as well as how to go about conveying everything with pencils (including the difficult stuff; water, clouds etc). I also appreciated the details about materials and that each sketch explains what has been used to draw it. Handy to know what there is and how it's used even though I'm just working with a couple of pencils at the moment. I'm really enjoying the experience and looking forward to seeing the results of the one I'm working on at the moment! I think this book is a good investment.
-- Hilda Wright * Amazon Customer Review *
Margaret Eggleton is a professional artist and experienced tutor whose work is based on good drawing techniques. Her new book, Drawing Landscapes, is a redesigned edition of her successful Drawing Masterclass: Landscapes. The book provides a practical guide to drawing media, including graphite pencils, acrylics ink, pen, Conte crayons, pastel and charcoal. An introduction to materials, getting started, using sketchbooks, and line and tone, is followed by information on elements in the landscape, such as trees and foliage, hills and mountains, moors and meadows, skies, flowers, water, man-made structures and figures. Six step-by-step projects build on the knowledge you have learnt.
* Leisure Painter *
I have found it extremely helpful and has given me the impetus to do more pencil drawings, as most of my artwork is done with paints. The book is well illustrated with some inspiring drawings and gives much information on materials, perspective, how to work from your own photographs etc. I was very interested to see how to do skies with pencil, different types of trees, and in particular figures as I tend to avoid drawing people, but will be doing more practice now.
On the whole the book is very informative, and I will certainly be practising my pencil work more in the future.
If anyone is looking for a good book to enhance their drawing skills - I whole heartedly recommend this.
-- Viv Frodsham * Customer Review *
The cover of this book filed me with trepidation. It is such a lovely drawing that I felt the challenge would be too much for me. Fortunately, my initial fears were unfounded, as Margaret's approach is so well structured.
The author introduces us to past masters of the genre: Durer, Turner, and Van Gogh, by producing drawings in their individual styles before giving an overview of the various mediums used in the book, together with small examples. Even the mediums are drawn!
The author quickly moves onto the practical aspects of drawing, with worked examples showing the how the picture is constructed. Simple line drawing is quickly followed by introducing tone (the example forms the cover picture). Perspective is covered in its various forms, such as aerial and linear.
Margaret breaks down the components of a drawing to explain how each part is developed; e.g. trees and foliage, hills and mountains, together with exercises for the reader to try themselves. Once past these specifics, we move on to worked examples of various subjects for the reader to attempt in the various drawing media. Each example is complete with a list of materials and a comprehensive set of instructions.
By the end of the book, I felt that my landscape drawing skills would be noticeably improved. The book is well written, easy to follow, and has great illustrations, and well worth the money.
-- David Raison * Customer Review *
