Half Hour of Pencil Power: Fast and Fun Drawing Lessons for the Whole Family!

by Mark Kistler

Jeffrey Bernstein (Foreword) and Jeffrey Bernstein, Ph.D. (Foreword)

In March 2020, Mark Kistler received a call that his son's school was going virtual for the remainder of the school year. He began holding daily livestreams, leading half hour drawing sessions for what became hundreds of thousands of kids over two months, giving families a much-needed break from the chaos of the pandemic. Now, Mark brings these stress-relieving, creative outlets to life in 25 original lessons, including:

- Space Kitty!
- Dino Ride
- Parachuting Penguin
- Singing Shark
- Ninja Banana-and more!

Harnessing the life inspiring and transformative power of the visual arts, Half Hour of Pencil Power brings together parents, educators, and the kids they care for with step-by-step drawing lessons, all of which can be done in a half hour or less. Drawing will help your kid have fun, decrease loneliness, build self-esteem, and increase creativity, and Pencil Power is accessible, imaginative, and oodles of fun for everyone.

"Mark Kistler has created a series of wonderful, rewarding and easy (even for me) drawing activities that can help children, teens, and families connect to their inner selves as well as to each other."
--from the Foreword by Jeffrey Bernstein, PhD, author of 10 Days to a Less Defiant Child

• ISBN10: 0306827247
• ISBN13: 9780306827242
• Publish Date: 15 September 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: INGRAM PUBLISHER SERVICES US
• Imprint: Da Capo Press Inc
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 176
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Half Hour of Pencil Power is a fun all ages book of drawing tutorials by Mark Kistler. Due out 30th Aug 2022 from Hachette, it's 176 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a collection of 25 simple and engaging tutorial lessons. They include step by step humorous directions between the progress pictures showing each new line as it's added. The language is simple and easy to understand and the finished drawings are cute and full of whimsy. They're deceptively simple but contain really useful techniques such as shading and light, reflection, and perspective.

The author has also included an introduction for each lesson with a bit of background about the drawings and how he came up with them. I loved getting glimpses into his process and inspirations.

Five stars. This would be an excellent choice for public or school library acquisition, makers' spaces, or for gift giving, possibly bundled with some drawing supplies. It would also make a great choice for adults who spend a significant amount of time with youngsters, and who are trying to learn some simple drawings to up their "draw-with-me game" for their young charges.

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