Mindful Sketching: How to Develop a Drawing Practice and Embrace the Art of Imperfection

by Peggy Dean

Slow down, connect with your artistic side, and unleash your innate creativity with this unique guide that’s one part mindfulness practice and one part drawing instruction.

“[Dean's] joyful approach to embracing imperfections throughout the process is a breath of fresh air… Thanks to her inclusive style, beginners and pros alike can feel confident in their creativity.” —Brit + Co

Let beloved art teacher Peggy Dean (IG: @thepigeonletters) show you how powerful it is to create something! Discover the pleasure of expressing yourself through sketching—even if you think you can’t draw. 

Peggy’s got tips on the materials you’ll need, easy techniques you can use right away, and methods for approaching any subject or location. She offers step-by-step exercises to help you relax into the drawing process, and gives you ways to tackle tricky beginner problems like “what should I sketch?” 

Learn how to stay with the small moments as you work, draw what you see around you, and embrace the results.

Grab your sketchbook and experience how relaxing, rewarding, and life-changing a drawing practice can be.

• ISBN10: 1632174197
• ISBN13: 9781632174192
• Publish Date: 17 May 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Sasquatch Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 176
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781632174192

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Mindful Sketching is a technique and philosophy guide with prompts for developing and maintaining a drawing habit written by Peggy Dean. Due out 22nd May 2022 from Penguin Random House on their Spruce Books imprint, it's 176 pages and will be available in paperback format.

This is an encouraging and gently written book which will hopefully help readers develop confidence and support a drawing habit. The emphasis is very much on embracing imperfection and serendipity in the process and concentrating on the journey and not necessarily only the product.

The author has an inviting and calm style of writing. She explains some of her own background and reasons for starting with mindfulness in her drawing, and she invites the reader to find the methods and inspirations which work for them. This is much more of a philosophical treatment of the subject rather than straight drawing tutorials. It includes a lot more examining feelings and thoughts than advice on shading and rendering different subjects. The book is full of self-examination and prompts for drawing, but light on actual technique instruction.

The author has also included a number of small gallery illustrations from artists with varied styles for inspiration and reference. This is a very pretty book with a lot of useful information and tips for self examination and some drawing

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.