Sketching for the Absolute Beginner

Peter Cronin loves the natural world. The pull of the outdoors and the fall of sunlight across the landscape inspires his work, and he can be found exploring the world around him in all seasons and weathers. Through his teaching, workshops and demonstrations he seeks to encourage, equip and help all who love art.A Member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA), the Royal Watercolour Society of Wales and the Pure Watercolour Society, Peter has been a professional artist for more than 15 years. Completely self-taught, he has gained an enviable reputation for his watercolour and oils; both of which rely on Peter's clarity of sight and the economy of line in his underlying drawings. In 2022, Peter brought his expertize to Channel 5's popular TV series, Watercolour Challenge, appearing as a guest judge.Peter lives in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK. To learn more about Peter and his work visit his website www.petercronin.org

• Introduction 6Materials 8The eye, the hand and the heart 18Making a start 22Farm in Sunlight – step-by-step 28Seeing the world 30Harbour Scene – step-by-step 46S.E.T. in action 48Churchyard Scene – step-by-step 56Types of sketch 60Beyond the pencil 64Composition 84Fixing the Farm – step-by-step 92Handling complex subject matter 98Boat Sheds – step-by-step 138Afterword 142Index 144

This is one of the very best books on sketching I have seen. Starting from the basics, Peter introduces techniques, styles, subjects and media and the whole thing is as close to a complete course as you're likely to get. There's a very good chance you'll finish it and feel you don't need any further guides and are ready to strike out on your own. after a brief survey of materials and equipment and some thoughts on what to look for and how to see, you're straight into some reassuringly simple guidance that opens with How to Hold a Pencil and some simple scribbles. This quickly develops into line work and exercises in simple outlines based on real landscapes rather than asbtract shapes - in fact, if you fear pages of circles, rectangles and cones, you won't find them here, and hooray for that. As you progress, you'll be exploring pencil, ink, charcoal, watercolour and a refreshing amount of line & wash. You'll find subjects that include landscapes, buildings, trees, animals, boats and water, as well as different seasons and weather conditions. Techniques includes line work, shading and hatching, giving you an impressive armoury to work with. Everything is accompanied by examples, exercises and demonstrations and the book is every bit as practical as you could hope. The illustrations are clear and excellently reproduced and the while thing has an open and welcoming feel to it.