Dragons & Fantasy (Drawing Made Easy)

Gr 7 Up–Each book is written by an artist and includes an introduction and closing that add a personal touch to the lessons found inside. Organization is typical of art-instruction guides where tools and techniques are explained first. All three titles begin with the idea that drawing freehand is one way to go, but tracing and transferring are timesavers to be taken advantage of. While Dragons & Fantasy focuses on tracing with the use of a light box, the other titles also include information on how to use transfer paper and photocopies to get started. Colored Pencil is the only one in color. It provides clear, dark outlines of the compositions (tree frog, garden gnome, fruit bowl) intended for photocopying compared with the gray outlines in Lifelike Animals and the complicated sketches in Dragons & Fantasy. All three books devote several spreads to each lesson, allowing space for clear instructions paired with illustrations reflecting steps described. Lifelike Animals packs a lot of detail into lessons on drawing tigers, koalas, and meerkats, but Dragons is the most complex. In fact, the compact design of this series is a hindrance when it comes to the fabulous details of the dragons, fairies, and Minotaur. Completed fantasy drawings fill the page, but step-by-step illustrations are rather small. Overall, these books have enough strengths and visual appeal to earn a spot on most shelves.–Lisa Glasscock, Columbine Public Library, Littleton, CO. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.