Observational Sketching: Hone Your Artistic Skills by Learning How to Observe and Sketch Everyday Objects

Excelente libro, con mucha información, referencias de artistas y consejos, lo he leído en detalle y me encanta

There are not nearly as many examples in this book as I thought there would be. Its pretty much the same 12 drawings on the cover repeated on multiple pages.

While this isn't the perfect drawing book for *me*, I do think it's excellent. I say it's not "perfect for me" because it really is a book about drawing from a perspective of studying the industrial design of things rather than the form of things. Meaning- the book shows you how to take an object- a mug, for example- and study it closely- the handle, the seams where the handle meets the vessel, the texture of the materials used to make it, the shapes that make it up, the markings on it. Also, the book invites you to think further about it- how was the handle joined to the mug- is it fastened on? Or attached and the clay smoothed over? Then it goes even further- it starts asking questions about manufacturing mugs in general. I know it sounds like an exageration, but this book really does push you to consider these things.And by looking at objects with this much depth, the book posits you are better equipped to render them.I think this is a very interesting - and thorough- approach to drawing. One that produces exquisite, realistic, and properly rendered results. But one thing the book doesn't take into consideration is technical skill- the bottom line is that some people can do this type of illustration without pause, and others will struggle to draw a straight line, no matter what "tips and tricks" they learn (which is me).I definitely think this book gives me a whole new way to approach drawing, but my drawings are still coming out quite wonky and lopsided, no many how much effort and time I put in practicing and observing. And there's no place in the book - in any of the examples or artists whose work is shared- for anything less than neat and rendered well.So if you have a quirky style, and don't mind that, and want something that will help you develop it even further, this is not the book for that. However, that being said, this is a great book for learning how to fully observe all the little aspects of the world around you, which WILL help you capture the character and fundamentals of everything you see when you start drawing.

This book is nothing like what I expected. It starts off with very old-school skills, such as drawing freehand ellipses, learning one- and two-point perspective, and breaking down objects into simple shapes. I'd call it "sketching 101." It's very well explained, very will illustrated. But then suddenly, the book takes a sharp left turn into understanding materials. Yes, I agree that it's beneficial to understand materials, but sketching a small square Braun alarm clock does not actually require understanding everything inside it (Higaki disassembles the whole thing and shows the component parts!). Nor does it require understanding the technical specs of ABS plastic and the manufacturing process of injection molding (which Ms Higaki also shows us).However, if you plan to be a designer, or an industrial designer, you will eventually need to know this info. Although it's quite interesting, it strikes me as very extraneous to the actual process of sketching, sort of the equivalent of understanding the heart and lungs when you're sketching nudes. Even more so, since for an object, everything you will need to sketch is plainly visible outside, while humans have slightly translucent skin that hides subtle anatomy.I wasn't sure how to rate this. If you are planning to do industrial design, this is definitely a 5-star book. If you just want to learn to sketch objects for still lifes and studies, a lot of it is utterly extraneous, so it's more like 3 stars. I split the difference and gave it 4 stars.

Love, love, love, loooooove this book! It won't appeal to everyone but it certainly struck a chord with me. The author is an industrial designer and she takes both an engineering and architectural style approach which is straightforward and simple.I've been arting for years and do so in a lot of different ways, sometimes urban sketching which closely relates to observational sketching. However, in this book, Higaki chooses inanimate objects as subjects for observational sketching. The practice is based around analyzing your subject matter by breaking it down into simple shapes and questioning materials, considering how they behave, and how that can be conveyed in your drawing.Trust and honor the process. You will find that it translates to organic subjects too. I know when I sketch flowers and humans, I break down every element into a simple shape then build flesh around it. The same process follows here, where starting with inanimate objects might be less intimidating. But start with any simple subject that appeals to you (and will remain still!).These are great beginning steps for those who want to learn how to sketch, or for those who want to give their already-existing skills a bit more structure and realism.This is one book I will reorder for my youngest son who loves drawing, and also for my friend who has been arting for a year with an instructor who is highly accomplished and holds a MFA. This offers an excellent foundation for anyone who wants to draw anything and then build their own style from there.