A really lovely book which would be an ideal gift for young adult / teen artists or creatives. Really enjoyed it

I purchased this book before i even finished it on net galley i thought I'd left a review already? Fabulous book have since given there copy i purchased to my 11 year niece who loves it too

I liked this book. Some parts, I liked a lot, in fact. Some parts...not so much.

Let me tell you what I liked:

The art style here is inspirational. McManness' use of color and line is beautiful, and makes me wish my own work was cleaner. I loved how she went into detail (with tech help for those of us who still can't figure out how to mask anything) for scanning and cleaning up sketches digitally, and all the help with coloring.

I also liked most of what she picked for subject matter, and it's organized into sections for people who may not want to draw, say, botanicals -- they can skip right on to city buildings or animals instead.

But the problem for me with this presentation is that I'm left wondering who this book is *for*, exactly. It dives in with information that's probably not for the rank beginner, but then has step-outs for super simple lettering and flowers, both of which would suggest a novice. But turn the page, and there are representational/detailed architectural drawings with literally three steps in the step-outs. (A rough, a finished sketch that looks better than most of us could do, and a final piece that's far beyond a beginner's skillset.)

It ends up being confusing. The simple bits would confuse someone with experience; the highly detailed drawings with little instruction would overwhelm someone without it. It's almost as if the audience was supposed to be "everyone", but ended up not really being for anyone, in specific.

Despite this, I still liked this book. The inspiration factor alone is worth keeping it around, and I'll definitely be referring back to it for the section on digital manipulation. I'd love to see more from this artist/author, too, in the future.

Art Starts with a Line was a good book to help me get back into art and creating again. It helped me start drawing for fun again and also assisted with giving me a refresh on drawing techniques I was rusty with. I do think that a few more step by step tutorials would have been good for the beginner artist.

As someone who has never really experimented with line drawing, this started off as a way to decorate my planner. This book had the best tutorials and techniques for everything I was looking to do.

This is a good, well-written introduction to the fundamentals of line drawing. It is well-illustrated and shows the progression from beginning sketch to finished drawing with the right amount of detail in between. While it's not targeted to children, it really is great for all ages. I can see my teenage niece as well as my young son enjoying this. And it's very timely for today -- there's a good section on banners and borders, lots of nature including cacti and succulents, as well as a nice bit of popular architecture.

Art Starts with a Line is the best book I have read/used about learning to draw. I have never been able to draw. I mean, really, ever able to draw. This is the first time I have been able to make animals, people, etc and it actually resembles the picture. I also feel freer and open and don't automatically freeze when I see a blank page. While I am reviewing this for NetGalley and have it in Kindle I ordered the actual book so I could use it again and again. I don't often do that.

Art starts with a Line is a beautiful book. It is playful, colorful and accessible. I highly recommend Art Starts with a Line. It's a wonderful find.

Thank you to NetGalley and Walter Foster Publishing for the opportunity to review this book and give my honest opinion.

This is a really nice and pretty book about line drawing. It gives some basics on using pencils and pens, and how to use color - with watercolors, coloring pencils and acrylics. Then there is a chapter on how to scan your drawing into Photoshop and do some basic manipulation with it. Then off you go to do some drawing.
First, they explore elements like borders and corners, and banners, then they go to using lettering. Then there are several chapters on flowers, buildings, everyday objects and such. There are basic step by step instructions for examples gives. Some are black and white, and some has colors.
I really liked the author's artistic style. There are a lot of interesting ideas in the book. The interactive part of the book is that some of the examples in the beginning include empty space for you to try to do it yourself.
I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley

Great book with the basics of drawing, without being stuffy. A very modern approach and accessible. Made me believe I really could become good at drawing.

I truly learned to draw with this book. In just the short amount of time I was able to view Art Starts with a Line by Erin McManness as a reviewer, I was drawing straight line borders and simple drawings. What a boost to my non-artistic confidence! I could actually follow and understand the directions and since the supply list explained what could be used, I found some of the items in my supply horde so I could jump right in. This is one of those books that you could pass along once you mastered the concept because it will have value to most everyone who want to learn to draw and create.
Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.

Excellent! I thoroughly enjoyed using this book to explore drawing and it has been a helpful resource for adding to my journal with the banners and other skills learnt. Even a beginner would benefit from working through the book. Well laid out with clear instructions. With thanks to Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to review.

I like the title because it reminds us that anything, no matter how big or complex, starts from something simple. If you enjoy drawing or doodling this book is a friendly and simple guide with step by step lessons. You can learn to draw borders, banners, letters, botanicals, architecture, animals, insects and everyday life. If you keep a bullet journal and like adding tiny drawings or banners, you are going to love this.

You don’t need to know how to draw, these are simple yet neat looking line drawings. If you want to create more than just a drawing of a single object, each section includes a “creative exercise” where you can go one step further and apply all the info you just learned. Simple yet effective way to get you started drawing something you can feel proud of. *I read this book as an eARC*

A fabulous starter's guide on line drawing! The book is broken down into several categories, like Leaves, Buildings, Flowers, Supplies Needed, etc., and includes a section where she takes you step-by-step through the process of transferring your hand-drawn art to the digital format. There are also pages where you can try your own hand at drawing line art.

Of course, in art, you have to practice freely and copiously to warm up to it. This guide is like how maths is best learnt, you learn the methods and the limits of your tools and the rest is up to your prerogative. That way, you can apply those techniques on any scenarios and inject your own flair, as there are no cookie-cutter ways to art!

(Blog review on phantompaper.wordpress.com will be up in 1-2 days after posting NG's review.)

Thank you, NetGalley for the preview of this digital ARC.

This is my new favourite book. Line drawing is my most used method of drawing Since it requires minimal tools and the end results are most satisfying. Erin McManness explains this beautifully with his detailed step by step instructions. My favourite topics are Banners and Architecture.

Art Starts with a Line is one of the most practical art/drawing book I have ever come across. The author has done a very wonderful job.

Brilliant and fun book for all the family to follow!!
Myself and my children loved copying some of the drawings in our BuJo's. Great for beginners and more advanced drawers

This book has simple designs that will make even first-time doodlers look good! It is divided into 5 parts (Borders, Banners, and Letters; Botanicals; Architecture and City Life; Animals & Insects; and Everyday Life) and each is a small treasure trove of illustrations.

I liked this book! I’m a huge fan of art books overall and this one really worked for me. I can’t say my skills are much better (I’m really bad at stuff like this) but it was helpful all the same! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ears!

This is a lovely inspiring book for anyone wanting to begin drawing or adding illustrations and colour to anything. It is especially good for journaling as it includes borders, lettering and banners. My favourite section was the architecture, mainly because I loved the cover and wanted to produce something like that.. Overall a brilliant creative book that is easy to follow and allows a beginner to produce something really good very quickly. My only wish was that there were more subjects and themes included. Thank you.

I enjoyed this book. I am an amateur drawer. I found the instructions clear, and my finished product was better than I expected. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

This is a very straightforward book with projects that are nice for beginners. I do feel that parts of it rushed a few steps but overall I enjoyed seeing the examples and will be using this for future projects of my own. The different sections were formatted well and the writing was clear for the instructions.