Drawing Basics and Beyond: Transform Observation Into Imagination

Take your sketching practice to the next level with this practical and inspiring guide to drawing what you see...and beyond.

Sketching from life is critical to learning how to draw. It’s also an invaluable source of creative inspiration. In Drawing Basics and Beyond, artist and popular instructor Sorie Kim breaks down her compelling approach to drawing from direct observation to make it fun and easy for artists of all levels.

Sorie guides you through the why and how of sketching from life, including different approaches and the eight elements of sketching. She then shares pages from her sketchbooks captured at a variety of locations as a jumping-off point for sharing innovative tips and techniques. Finally, Sorie provides guidance to take the information gathered from and inspired by sketching to create original, imaginative art.

This informative and entertaining guide reveals:

• The benefits of sketching from life and how it impacts your artwork.
• Sorie’s seven favorite types of sketchbooks, including the ＂ugly sketchbook,＂ and when to use them.
• Strategies for sketching in any location, from parks, to cities, to zoos, to museums, and more.
• An inside look at Sorie’s fascinating sketchbooks and how she uses them in a wide variety of locations.
• Approaches to adding imagination to your sketches through experimenting with mediums, pushing boundaries, abstraction, and doodling.

No matter your chosen art medium, style, or subject matter, sketching will improve your drawing skills and observation abilities and increase your creativity. Drawing Basics and Beyond is the inspirational and encouraging guide that will help you on that path, whether you’re just getting started or want to step up your sketching game.

Sorie Kim is an illustrator and instructor based in Los Angeles. She has created programs and workshops for Domestika, Dreamworks Animation, Class101, Warrior Art Camp, and Covenant House and CreateNow, where she works with homeless and at-risk youth and adults. Sorie has created designs for television and merchandise, and her work has been shown in exhibitions by Giant Robot, Gallery Nucleus, and Wowxwow.

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YouTube: @soriekimdesign
Pinterest: @soriekim