The Artist's Guide to Sketching

A bold new edition of the groundbreaking book by two of America's most prominent visual artists, James Gurney (Dinotopia, Color and Light), and Thomas Kinkade, freshly updated with a new introduction, archival photographs, and illuminating text to guide a new generation of illustrators.



A bold new edition of the groundbreaking sketching guide by two of America's most prominent visual artists, James Gurney and Thomas Kinkade, freshly updated to help a new generation of illustrators confidently draw real-world scenes.

“If I could only have one drawing book on my shelf, it would be this one.” –Shari Blaukopf, author of the Urban Sketching Handbook: Working With Color

This classic art guide teaches readers how to translate what they see into expressive, confident drawings. In this updated edition, celebrated artists James Gurney ( Dinotopia, Color and Light) and Thomas Kinkade share the timeless techniques and artistic principles that have inspired generations of sketchers to draw from life.

This new edition restores the classic text with updated full-color visuals and a special section chronicling the book’s origins and the friendship between its authors, drawing on archives from Gurney and the Kinkade family estate. The Artist's Guide to Sketching remains an essential resource for anyone who wants to improve their drawing while experiencing the joy of creating art on location.

• An updated edition of the classic sketching guide to help artists master drawing real-world scenes like architecture, landscapes, city streets, and more
• Additional content includes remastered high-resolutions scans of drawings and a section of never-before-published art
• Combines technical instruction with artistic philosophy and creative inspiration to inspire creativity
• Valuable for beginners, hobby artists, urban sketchers, and professional illustrators alike
• Perfect resource for anyone who wants to fill sketchbooks with confident, expressive drawings