In a field that’s not widely covered, any book is welcome, and a good one doubly so. It’s therefore something of a relief to be able to report that this ticks all the boxes.
This media-related series from GMC is intended to be fairly elementary, but the variety of subjects covered here and the quality of the results – well-reproduced so that the individual marks are easy to distinguish – should satisfy more than just the raw beginner.
The nature of the book, both in terms of scope and extent, precludes any examination of anything other than fairly basic pencil types, but both dry and water-soluble ones get a look-in, which allows for a decent variety of styles to be considered. Subjects range from landscapes and skies to still lifes, people and animals. There are plenty of exercises and demonstrations as well as a pleasantly inclusive look at materials and techniques.
Although this is not intended to be an absolutely comprehensive look at the medium that would satisfy the most demanding specialist, it nevertheless goes a lot further than being merely a quick introductory guide and is a welcome addition to a fairly small body of literature.
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