The thing you notice about cartooning books after a while is that they’re never written by people you’ve heard of. A little thought and you realise that this is because the best-known names are too busy actually drawing to write a book. And then you realise that it’s also a blessing in disguise because you won’t land up emulating a style everyone else recognises as well. In reality, you probably have seen work by Franklin Bishop (and other writers of cartooning books), but you don’t realise it because he/they are more of a chameleon, drawing to suit the style of the commission than to represent themselves.
Anything that calls itself “everything you need to know” is giving a hostage to fortune, but the truth is that this is an excellent little primer in the art of cartooning and is packed with ideas and practical advice that you get you started and well on the road.
Artbookreview.net 