Review: Masters of Sketching

Sketches have long fascinated artists. Indeed, the study of sketchbook art is a popular way to see how the masters worked, and is sure to improve your own drawing skills.

This is the thinking behind Masters of Sketching, a 271-page softback book that assembles 20 contemporary sketch artists and explores how they bring their work to life. The book presents a good variety of styles, ranging from impressionist charcoal pieces to precise and whimsical work, so there's bound to be an artist in its pages you can learn from.

Each artist's section is broken down into a tutorial and a showcase gallery. While the galleries can be frustratingly brief, sometimes comprising just a couple of images, the step-by-step tutorials have much more depth and provide a fascinating glimpse into lots of different sketching methods.

This slightly compromised balancing act doesn't mean readers will be unsatisfied, though, because there's plenty to learn and appreciate from this book. And with further information about each illustrator at the end of the book, there's lots of research to embark upon if you've discovered a particularly engaging sketch artist.

This article originally appeared in ImagineFX issue 144; buy it here!