Review
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"How to draw. Why to draw. What to draw. When to draw. Steve answers all these questions and so many
more in this delightful, in-depth exploration of the drawing habit. It’s not just a beautiful book—it’s the doorway to a
lifelong love affair with art.”
—Danny Gregory, founder of SketchBookSkool.com and author of An Illustrated Life
“Making art and teaching art are two different skill sets. Steve Reddy is one of the few artists who excels at both.
In this book, drawing enthusiasts of all levels will not only learn useful approaches to drawing from life and
imagination, but also the confidence that only comes from learning from an exceptional teacher.”
—Gabriel Campanario, founder of Urban Sketchers and author of The Art of Urban Sketching
"Readers will notice immediately that they are in the presence of a gifted and empathetic instructor, more than
familiar with the problems and hesitations beginners like to think are original to them. I’ve never read a how-to book
that felt more like being in an actual class, with the teacher’s encouraging voice in one’s ear, anticipating our
questions and needs.
Many people believe that drawing what one sees is a difficult, esoteric skill available only to the talented. Steve
does as much to demystify and dethrone that misconception as he can fit between two covers. Repeatedly, Steve makes the
crucial point—you can do this! And he clearly believes it, based on long classroom experience; by the time we finish the
book, we do too."
—from the Foreword by Gary Faigin, co-founder and artistic director of Gage Academy of Art and author of The Artist's
Complete Guide to Facial Expressions
You may say, “But there is nothing interesting to draw where I live.” My response is to simply look at the amazing
work of the prolific Steven Reddy. For me, an architect who likes to draw buildings and spaces, the magic of Steve’s
work is that his sketches capture the ordinary, everyday things that you might never even notice, like his next door
neighbor’s house, cozy cafes and stores, or a collection of objects on a shelf. His drawings are accessible and fun and
chock full of details that add character and invite you in to examine each and every form. Best of all, his sketches
have the power to elevate the mundane and often overlooked elements of life to the level of Art. By looking at how Steve
views his world through his sketches, he teaches us to look at our world a little differently, to really see what is
around us every day.
—from the Afterword by Stephanie Bower, architectural illustrator, blog correspondent for Seattle Urban Sketchers, and
author of The Urban Sketching Handbook: Understanding Perspective.
About the Author
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Steven B. Reddy teaches drawing and illustration at Gage Academy of Art in Seattle. He has also taught for
the Seattle Public Schools since 1998. Reddy has a passion for creating detailed illustrations of urban scenes,
cluttered interiors, and complex still lifes on location in ink and watercolor. His drawings from China and Mexico
appear in Danny Gregory's An Illustrated Journey. Reddy also self-published Now Where Was I? An Illustrated Memoir,
which showcases drawings that span 35 years from his daily sketchbook diaries. He teaches two popular classes on drawing
and sketching in pen and ink and watercolor for Craftsy. Gary Faigin trained at the Art Students League of New York and
at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris. He has taught at the National Academy School of Design and at
Parsons School of Design; currently he is the artistic director of the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle, which he also
co-founded. He's the best-selling author of The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expressions, an art instruction
classic. Stephanie Bower is an architectural illustrator, workshop instructor, blog correspondent for Seattle Urban
Sketchers, and author of The Urban Sketching Handbook: Understanding Perspective.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
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MATERIALS: IT’S NOT ABOUT THE PEN
“Oh, please do not ask me about what paints I use and which brushes I like! The art materials don't matter because art
is all about relationships and harmony, which can be achieved with any paints. What matters is how you use the
materials.”
—Aleksander Titovets
A lot can be written about tools and materials and still only scratch the surface of your options. A visit to any art
supply store can quickly become overwhelming. Just when you get accustomed to a sketchbook or brand of ink,
manufacturers discontinue your favorite products and art supply stores change their inventory.
I sketch with friends who build custom, portable travel kits out of Altoid tins and film canisters. They “MacGyver”
ingenious devices for holding inks and watercolors to the edge of sketchbooks as they draw. They chat about technical
pens, brands of watercolor, and the advantages of different weights of paper. They create complex charts comparing
watercolor brands and build detailed graphs of pens and inks.
My own materials haven’t changed much over the years, evolving only gradually on a need-to-grow basis. I’m less
interested in tools than in helpful ways of seeing. The artistic principles and elements I mull over while drawing would
be the same if I were scratching contour lines in sand with a stick: focus on the scene with the goal of understanding
the objects and their relationships and translate them into drawings, whatever the tools. I want my drawings to say,
“Look at this. We pass by or handle these objects every day until they become invisible and taken for granted. But look
how interesting they are!”
What’s in My Bag
It helps to keep your materials simple and compact. My preferred instruments are commonly found in office supply stores
or are easily ordered online. With unwieldy requirements you may be hesitant to head out. Even worse is to arrive on
location and realize you’ve forgotten your “special” brushes or sketchbook. With a lightweight satchel or backpack
always ready to go, you’ll have fewer obstacles to keep you from diving in.
Here is a complete list of my favorite tools and materials. They are dependable and well-suited to the techniques
described in the following chapters.
Paper
When I began sketchbook journaling, I used cheap, student-grade sketchbooks with thin nonabsorbent paper that d
if I applied washes. They were the cheapest books available, and because I drew for my eyes only, it didn’t matter to me
that the books should last. In the margins of those early books are to-do lists, phone numbers, drafts of school
assignments, and rambling diary entries. If someone asked to see them, I felt a need to read over his shoulder, ready to
flip quickly past pages of sentimentality, ill-formed fantasies, regrets, and obsessions.
But when sketching became a daily habit and I began to take drawing more seriously, I wanted more robust paper. India
ink washes and watercolors require heavier paper that can hold several layers of wet media. I no longer use my
sketchbooks for to-do lists, financial calculations, and fretful midnight worries. Although some sketchbook journalists
incorporate text with interesting results, I have separate, lined s for all that.
The best paper for working with pen, ink, and watercolor is cold-press multi-purpose (or all-purpose) paper, which is a
cross between watercolor paper and drawing paper. On coarse watercolor paper, the sharp nib of a pen will pull up the
fibers and the line may skip and stutter across the rough paper surface. Smooth, hot-press drawing paper takes too long
to dry and will not absorb the many ink washes and watercolor layers that I apply.
After experimenting with different sketchbooks and paper, I prefer Canson Montval All-Purpose spiral sketchbooks and
buy them in bulk from my local art supply store. This paper is the perfect blend of absorbency and smoothness. I pull
out the spiral bindings and replace them with three or four one-inch binder rings because otherwise the edge of the
drawing near the binding won’t lay flat on a scanner’s glass plate, causing the drawing to be out of focus. The rings
are easy to unsnap, so pages can be removed and scanned flat. The binder rings also allow me to swap pages and organize
sketchbooks by subject. I have books that contain, for example, only still lifes, exteriors, or diary comics.
Pencils
It can be a challenge to give up a dependence on pencils and erasers but liberating when you do. The minimal pencil work
we’ll do will be quick and gestural and erased all at once when we finish inking. Soft leads such as a 2B or softer are
easier to erase. Pencils without erasers will help you avoid the temptation to tighten up and become too fussy from the
start. If you use a mechanical pencil you won’t need a sharpener, but broken leads and mechanical glitches can be
distracting nuisances when you’re in the flow of a drawing. I like Kimberly 2B pencils by General Pencil, but I’ve
borrowed pencils from baristas and grocery clerks in a pinch and it’s made no difference.
Erasers
Kneaded erasers are soft, last a long time, and can be pulled apart into smaller sizes. (Once, while I was sketching in
Acapulco, a group of local kids gathered around to watch. I gave each of them paper from my sketchbook and tore my
eraser into smaller pieces for them to share.) Pink erasers dry out and leave streaks on your drawing. Vigorous rubbing
wears down your paper’s tooth. I like the kneaded erasers by Prismacolor.
Drawing pens
I prefer to draw with a pen because I’m a neatnik. Graphite smears. Pastels leave colored dust on everything. Oil and
acrylic need to be washed out of brushes. Drawing directly with a pen helps me be more direct and decisive. When signing
a document, we don’t fussily correct our signatures, and a drawing can be as personal and direct as signing your name.
The workhorse of my technique is the easy-to-find and inexpensive Uni-ball Vision pen. I buy them in bulk at office
supply stores. They can even be found in some drug and convenience stores. I use the “fine” (.07) point for contours and
the “micro” (.05) point for smaller details and hatching. The ink is completely waterproof and quick drying, which is
essential for applying washes and watercolor layers over the ink lines. If you try other pens, choose carefully! There
are many “waterproof” pens that are merely water resistant. Test them before committing to a long sketch by drawing a
few lines and then brushing clean water across them (or just trying to smear the ink with a wet finger).
An advantage of the Uni-ball Vision pen is that the line width is uniform and consistent. A disadvantage of the pen is
that the line width is uniform and consistent! Pressing harder or softer will not vary the line width, so it is not as
expressive as a brush pen or dip pen with a flexible nib. However, there are ways to achieve an expressive and varied
line width, which we’ll go over in later chapters. Many of my sketching friends love Micron pens, which come in many
widths and colors. I find the Micron has to be held perpendicular to the page, much like a technical pen, which is not
my natural grip. I suggest you try them out for yourself.
...
Demonstration: Still Life with Lightbulb
Step 1: Loose pencil guides
Use a soft pencil to lightly indicate placement of the major “chunks” in your scene. This is not a drawing! I cannot
emphasize this enough. In my classes and workshops I have been known to pluck pencils away from students who spend time
“drafting.” Don’t pencil anything recognizable. You are merely giving yourself parameters, establishing the major pieces
of info within which to place the details. If you spend a lot of time erasing, correcting, and fussing, you’ll deaden
and polish away the little variations and serendipitous anomalies that make your drawing yourdrawing. Like scratching
the boundaries of a volleyball game in the sand, the pencil lines let you know if you’re going too far out of bounds to
keep the real drawing on the page.
{ILLUSTRATION}
The original setup
{ILLUSTRATION}
My rough pencil guides
Step 2: Contours
Using your pencil lines as a general guide, start in the foreground with your Uni-ball fine (.07) point pen and draw
carefully observed contours. Because you’re working in pen, you must draw the foreground objects first and work your way
toward the back. Take your time but don’t “sketch” with scratchy, hairy, tentative lines. Start at the beginning of a
contour, continue until you come to the end, and then stop, just as you would write your signature.
{ILLUSTRATION}
Start with the contours in the foreground, then work your way toward the back.
Don’t prejudge your drawing at this stage. Wobbly lines, distortions, and wonky proportions will tempt you to start
over. Don’t. Your lines cannot help but have your personal stylistic stamp. When you fill the page with the kind of
lines that only you can make, the consistency of your style will unify the drawing. As they say in jazz music, “If you
make a mistake, make it three times.” Don’t try to correct or redraw wonky lines. Commit to a line, draw it once in ink,
and move on. Leave them be. They’re perfect. Excellent. Beautiful. Next line. Move on.
When your contours lines are finished, use a kneaded eraser to remove all pencil lines. If you find it difficult to
completely erase any pencil marks, then you probably drew too many or pressed too hard.
{ILLUSTRATION}
Erase the pencil lines for the finished contour drawing.
Step 3: Ink wash
Squint at your scene to observe only darks and lights. Apply one smooth layer of light (20 percent) ink wash to isolate
the highlights and bright whites. Use a fairly large brush, #6 or #8, to cover everywhere that is not white. (This will
include most of your drawing unless you are painting a polar bear in a snowstorm.) Use as little liquid as possible by
swabbing off the brush inside the rim of your jar. If your paper is already buckling, you’re using too much water or
your paper is not robust enough. Don’t scrub or fuss. Hit it and quit it and let it dry.
{ILLUSTRATION}
The first ink wash isolates the highlights and bright whites.
After the first layer dries completely, squint again at your subject and brush on another layer of the same light ink
wash to darken the shadow areas. Don’t apply ink anywhere you left white.Those areas are highlights. That’s why you left
them white, right? Only put the second ink layer inside the perimeter of your first wash. This is a good reason to use a
fairly dry brush; otherwise, your paper will get soggy and warped and yucky. Let it dry. (Yes, you have to wait. Stand
up and stretch. Move around. Go clean the cat box.)
{ILLUSTRATION}
Apply a second ink wash to darken the shadow areas.
Finally, apply your third and final layer of wash to really deepen those nooks and crannies. You can apply another layer
of the same wash, but to speed things along and really increase the contrast, I use a different, darker ink solution or
add a drop or two of ink to the one I’ve been using.
{ILLUSTRATION}
After the third and final ink wash
Step 4: Watercolor glazing
Apply very diluted washes of color. You can always add more saturation, but you can’t remove color, so sneak up on it
gradually. While applying a color, look carefully for reflections and objects that share that color. Here, the red ink
bottle is reflecting on the green , and the orange pencil sharpener reflects on the glass jar.
{ILLUSTRATION}
Start with a wash of light color, then build up the color, especially in the shaded areas, to increase contrast.
Step 5: Final details
Looks good, yes? Now let’s add the hatching. It takes practice. Use your thinnest Uni-ball (the .05 micro point) and
hatch little parallel lines where you want your super-duper blacks. I also hatch to indicate surface “direction” and to
add surface details like wood grain, fur, design elements, and so on. This is your last chance to add details that you
rightfully didn’t draw yet because they weren’t contours. (With your .07 pen you only drew actual contours, right?)
{ILLUSTRATION}
The final drawing, with hatching lines added
Sign and date it. It’s beautiful. It’s perfect. You’re perfect. Congratulations. Now do another one.
Then do another.
And another…
...
INTERIORS: DRAWING IN PUBLIC
“Photography is an immediate reaction, drawing is a meditation.”
—Henri Cartier-Bresson
After practicing with manageable still lifes in controlled environments, we’re ready to take our show on the road and
apply the same approach to large, cluttered environments.
Learning to draw on location can change your life. It changed mine. It has heightened my awareness of the city in which
I live and inspired me to travel around the world sketching the details of my adventures. Travel sketching has
introduced me to artists and locations I never would have seen were it not for the global network of location sketchers.
There’s nothing wrong with sitting at your desk drawing from photos. In the studio, I test new pens and inking
techniques. I draw portraits of inspirational artists, writers, and musicians (shown on pages 95-100). I draw from
images found on the internet. I keep a daily journal of diary comics based on memories, plans, and dreams. It’s a
relaxing, private, introspective activity that I’ve kept up for forty years. But come down from the ivory tower and mix
with the masses and it’s a different experience. Observe the world on location. Draw from observation. Be part of the
action. Let the real world intrude and jostle your elbow and let the marks be a record of your experience.
Getting Comfortable
If you have yet to venture out, drawing on location can be intimidating. You may be nervous about being observed in
case your drawing goes poorly. But once you get used to it, you’ll find your fears are mostly unfounded. Here are some
strategies I’ve used at different times:
· Start slowly. Getting out of the comfort zone of your own house can be as simple as drawing at a friend’s house.
· Draw around supportive friends and family. Draw your parents in their living room, your partner at a café, or
your best friend in a booth at your favorite restaurant.
· Draw with a friend. Find a friend who also wants to start drawing on location, and when you’re ready to venture
out, go together. There’s safety in numbers!
· Wear earphones. People are less likely to interrupt if you appear off in your own private Idaho. Sketching is
the perfect rtunity to catch up on audiobooks and podcasts.
· Sit with your back to a wall. Indoors or out, it can be one less distraction to know that no one is looking over
your shoulder.
· Join a crowd. If you sit in a popular café with pen in hand, you’re just another student doing homework or
studying. People will be too busy doing their own thing to notice you sketching in the corner.
It’s hard to justify a day without drawing if you have access to a café or diner. With a little time and a few dollars,
you can get a cup of coffee or slice of pie and draw whatever is in front of you without worrying about the weather or
attracting attention. Restaurants and cafés have so much clutter and detail that you can draw in the same place several
times and not repeat a drawing.
...
