Sketching the Countryside How to Draw the Vanishing Rural Landscape

by Lohan, Frank J.

• ISBN13: 9780486478876
• ISBN10: 0486478874
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-11-18
• Publisher: Dover Publications

Summary

Both experienced and aspiring artists can benefit from this practical guide, which shows how to portray rustic settings from rural England to the American Southwest. Recalling the style of Eric Sloane, more than 400 detailed illustrations trace the steps from composition drawings to final sketches. Includes fundamentals for drawing trees, rocks, buildings, mountains, lakes, and other scenic elements.

Author Biography

A Detroit-based industrial electronics engineer, Frank Lohan turned his lifelong interest in sketching and painting into a career in teaching adult classes in art.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Tools and Materials

   Basic Tools and Materials

   Pens and Inks

   Pencils

   Erasers

   Papers

   Working area

2. Techniques

   Basic Guidelines

   Pencil Techniques

   Pen Techniques

   Copying, Enlarging, or Reducing Using a Grid Overlay

   Transferring Your Drawing

3. Perspective Shortcuts

   About Perspective

   The Horizon

   One-point Perspective

   Two-point Perspective

   Adjusting the Vanishing Points

4. Backgrounds, Composition, and Drawing techniques

   Background and Middle Grounds

   Pairing Subjects with Backgrounds

   Creating a Center of Interest

   When to Stop Drawing

   Different Techniques: Practice Exercises

5. Drawing Rocks and Stone Walls

   Basic Structures

   The Shapes of Rocks

   On-the-Spot Sketches

   A Stone Quarry

   Foreground and Background Rocks

   Drawing Stone and Brick Walls

   Underground Stone Chamber

6. Drawing Wood and Wooden Things

   Basic Structure

   Drawing Rough-barked Trees

   Drawing Smooth-barked Trees

   Drawing a Pine Close Up

   Drawing Light Barns and Dark Barns

   Drawing Board and Batten Siding

   Drawing a Wooden Door from Different Distances

   A Stylized Approach to Drawing a Wooden Barn

7. Drawing Lakes, Streams, and Waterfalls

   Basic Structure

   Drawing a Rocky River

   Ocean Waves

   Reflections in Water

   Waterfall

   Tying it All Together in One Study

8. Sketching in the Southwestern U.S.

   Basic Structures

   Sketching an Adobe Building

   Sketching Large Rock Formations

   A Pima Indian Dwelling

   An Old Mission

   Texas Aqueduct

   Using Photographs

   The Alamo

   Abandoned Mine Railway

   An Old Arizona Farm Wagon

   Pencil Vignettes

9. Sketching Mountain Countrysides

   Basic Structures

   A Four-Tone Snowy Mountain Scene

   The Rocky Mountains Near Aspen

   Vignettes

   A Mountain Rain Forest Scene

   A Mountain Barn

   Three Studies of an Idaho Cabin

   Echo Rock, Mount Rainier

10. Sketching Rural North America

   Basic Structures

   Homestead at Cades Cove

   The Bales Place Near Gatlinburg

   The Mill at Glades Creek

   A Covered Crib at Cades Cove

   A Pennsylvania Barn

   Old Wooden Barn

   An Old Manure Spreader

   A Farmland Stream

   A Covered Bridge

   A Unique Barn

   A Wooden Mill Wheel

11. Sketching the English Countryside

   Basic Structures

   Sketching English Gardens

   Sketching English Country Churches

   Sketching Castles

   Sketching Stone Circles

   Sketching at Lee Bay

   Sketching Thatched Roofs

12. A Parting Word

Bibliography

Index