Favorite Art Books 11

Long ago I recall reading an article wherein a renowned astronomer was asked about his occupation. "I am a student of astronomy," was his reply, despite the fact that he was well into his eighties and a distinguished professor. For me, that's a telling statement of a curious, intelligent man. Being a lifelong student is said to be critical in all sorts of occupations and pursuits, from the sciences to politics, and it is no less so for an artist.

Learning new methods, revisiting old ones, studying new materials, represent ways to stay fresh and keep the flow of creativity. Learning is one of my chief delights in art. You can always learn something new and useful. These days we have podcasts, videos, online coaching and teaching, and all kinds of digital ways to add to our fund of information. But even so perhaps the most important activity is reading new art books. Art books are as valuable today as ever, existing as they do in tangible, printed formats rather than digital formats. And while videos certainly fill the gaps between personal instruction and printed matter, they can't replace books. You can open a book to an image and spend all the time you need, regardless.

The urban sketching movement has been around for about a decade, starting in Seattle and spreading from there. Today many sketch daily, capturing the life of the city around them. There are quite a few books available about sketching, and quite a number of them deal with the urban setting. But to date, my favorite of the sub-genre is Urban Sketching, by Thomas Thorspecken, subtitled The Complete Guide to Techniques. Published in 2014, the book provides a comprehensive introduction to sketching in the city.

Mr. Thorspecken is the proprietor of a blog, Analog Artist Digital World, a site he began in 2009 vowing to do a sketch a day. Mr. Thorspecken is a highly experienced artist and illustrator, having working as a freelance illustrator and later for Disney Feature Animation.
He began sketching in and around his home in central Florida as a way to become part of it, to "finally put down roots," as he puts it on the blog.

Typical page from "Urban Sketching,"

In this volume, Mr. Thorspecken has done a wonderful job of describing why, how, when and where of urban sketching. As is always needful, he devotes substantial space to the tools for sketching and how he uses them. His first chapter also deals with contour drawing, line, value, color, and considerably more. But it is in subsequent chapters where his passion for outdoor, urban sketching really begins to show. The second chapter is devoted to getting out of the studio and getting the most out of it and more complicated material such as perspective, outdoor and indoor space, composition, and various techniques for on-the-spot drawing. Perhaps the most enjoyable chapters are those Mr. Thorspecken devotes to people and to choosing one's subject matter. In the final chapter he discusses all sorts of opportunities--parks, transportation, performances, bars and restaurants, celebrations, and simple street life. Anything is fodder for the sketcher.

The text is loaded with colored and monochrome sketches from not only the author but others, showing the variety and quality of work one can achieve with devotion and practice.

To anyone interested in sketching in the city, particularly in the various venues available to the artist, this book is recommended as a resource. For the more advanced artist it provides encouragement and new ideas. For the beginner, it provides a good, systematic approach to any sketch work.

From "Urban Sketching," overlapping crowds

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Previous Posts in this series:
Favorite Art Books Part 10
Favorite Art Books Part 9
Favorite Art Books Part 8
Favorite Art Books Part 7
Favorite Art Books Part 6
Favorite Art Books Part 5
Favorite Art Books Part 4
Favorite Art Books Part 3
Favorite Art Books Part 2
Favorite Art Books Part 1