Artist Toolbox: Drawing Tools & Materials, A New Reference Book for Artists

When you’re beginning a new creative undertaking like drawing, choosing your supplies can be overwhelming. You want to be sure you’re spending your money on the right equipment for your skill level to help you achieve your desired results. Well, Walter Foster Publishing is here to help, with the release of a new book in their Artist Toolbox series, Drawing Tools & Materials: A Practical Guide to Graphite, Charcoal, Colored Pencil, and More.

* Complimentary book received for review. This post contains affiliate links.

Seven different artists have collaborated to author this book, each with his or her own expertise on the topic. Together, they cover all aspects of the tools and materials used in drawing, such as graphite and colored pencils, charcoal, pastels, and ink pens, as well as erasers, sharpeners, and blending tools. There is a brief discussion of surfaces and supports (e.g., papers) and accessories (e.g., protractors), but the emphasis in this book is on the tools and how to use them.

For each type of tool, there are recommendations for suitable supports, tips for using the tool, and examples of techniques for using it to produce different results. Where appropriate, there are discussions about how to hold and use the tool or the various types and forms the tool may come in. All of this information is presented in an easy-to-understand way, with pictures and illustrations to help make it all very clear.

But this handy little book goes beyond tools and materials, providing some great lessons and examples of drawing concepts, too, including topics such as shape and volume, perspective, light and shadow, and composition. And if that’s not enough to get you drawing, there’s a full chapter devoted to demonstrations, with six different examples utilizing different drawing media and techniques, complete with step-by-step instructions and illustrations. The demonstrations range from beautiful to fun subjects like landscapes, a ballet dancer, and cat portraits.

Concurrently with the release of Drawing Tools & Materials, another book in the Artist Toolbox series, Surfaces & Supports, is also being released. We’ll be reviewing that book here at The Classy Chics soon, so be sure to watch for it.

The Artist Toolbox series is published by Walter Foster (an imprint of Quarto, who describes the series as “useful, practical reference guides designed for beginning artists and art hobbyists interested in fully understanding the focus and function of essential art tools of the trade.” Walter Foster specializes in books on art instruction, so if you enjoy creating your own artwork, you’ll enjoy browsing through their many books about drawing, sketching, painting, lettering, illustration, and so on.

* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!

Giveaway: One lucky winner is going to win their own copy of Artist Toolbox: Drawing Tools & Materials, thanks to the generosity of the publisher. Good luck!

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US ONLY age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on March 29th, 2019 at 11:59 pm EST time. No purchase necessary to enter or win.

Disclaimer: A. Bailey received a complimentary product for review purposes & feature on The Classy Chics blog. No monetary compensation was received. A. Bailey’s thoughts, opinions and words are 100% her own. Your thoughts may differ. Please read the blog’s terms of service policy before entering any giveaways. The Classy Chics are NOT responsible for prize fulfillment or shipping of any items won from this blog. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through an affiliate link, we may or may not make a small commission which helps to support this website. Thank you!!!