I am no artist, but this book makes this technique quite simple to begin to master.  With detailed instructions and tons of illustrations, I was able to get started immediately.  This technique is just as relaxing as coloring!

A great book for practising mindfulness and art. This should appeal to lovers of Zentangle and even the spirograph toys we loved in the 90s, or on the phone doodlers.
The book has in depth instructions for how to get started and make increasingly complicated spiral drawings.. You can choose your own shapes or take inspiration from those in the book. Every step is illustrated and explained. Once you get the idea you can go spiralling off on your own!
Great book to keep kids and adults busy!


Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Many people love to doodle. If you look at any of my lists or scrap paper, you'll know I do.

When I found The Art of Spiral Drawing: Learn to create spiral art and geometric drawings using pencil, pen, and more by Jonathan Stephen Harris I just had to try it especially when I read it "offers a modern take on the Spirogragh". As a kid, I spent hours playing with Spirograph.

The Art of Spiral Drawing is written so a beginner could follow the directions but without insulting more advanced drawers. I learned right away I can not draw a straight line. My lines are not anywhere close to being straight. That being said, I had a lot of fun drawing the art and added the art to my doodle repertoire.

I used a ruler to help with my lines. This helped immensely. However, I do not recommend using one at work. Many people will notice it and stop to ask what you are doing. Leave the ruler at home.

Harris also wrote The Art of Drawing Optical Illusions which appears to be similar to The Art of Spiral Drawing and was added to my "want to read" list.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 5/25/20.

Spiral Drawing can be done without the plastic childhood toy
When I read the title "The Art of Spiral Drawing. Learn to create spiral art and geometric drawings using pencil, pen, and more" I was taken back to my own childhood. Jonathan Stephen Harris' book was published by Quarto Publishing Group - Walter Foster Publishing. Harris wants to offer a fresh, modern take on Spiral Drawing. Harris' wish is that readers "will use the techniques shown in this book to create countless drawings" of their own (p.7).
After a brief introduction Harris gives basic information about perspective, tools , and adding color. In the following chapters he presents the two basic elements (triangle and square) before moving on to more complex forms (e.g. heart, sail boat, rose). He uses a step-by-step approach for every single design which he presents from the basic outline, drawn with a pencil, to the finished colored drawing. In the gallery at the end of the book he presents a few more complex drawings which can serve as inspirations.
I highly recommend this book for artists who want to draw something completely different. The book has a great design, pictures, and illustrations. The book is inspirational, easy to follow, and useful for artist of all skill-levels. As such it makes also a great present. Spiral drawing is basically an inexpensive art since the artists only need a pencil, eraser, sharpie or other felt pen, crayola or other markers for coloring (and I think crayons would also work for the coloring), and heavy-duty paper.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#TheArtOfSpiralDrawing #NetGalley

The Art of Spiral Drawing is a tutorial and technique guide for drawing/doodling geometric illusions by Jonathan Stephen Harris. Released 14th April 2020 by Quarto on their Walter Foster imprint, it's 128 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

The layout follows the familiar Walter Foster book formula. An introduction covers tools and supplies and is followed by a short and easily accessible general technique tutorial and an introduction to perspective. There's a good subchapter on techniques for different geometric shapes as well as a short intro on how to compose a drawing and developing forms from simple line drawings (sailboat, tree, cupcake, butterfly, etc).

This is a very basic book but full of good techniques and will provide some useful takeaways for the majority of readers/artists.The techniques here would be great for bullet journals, notebooks, wall art, fabric drawing, painting canvas for needlepoint, counted thread/canvas embroidery, leatherworking, and more. This would also be a great resource book for anyone wanting to up their drawing-with-young-family-members game.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for approving my request to review this book.

This is a great book for all ages. Like the description states, this kind of art is reminiscent of the Spirograph I had as a child, and that I still have to this day.
I was first drawn in by the cover. I love to doodle, and this book shows you how to use basic shapes to create beautiful, interesting art. The author was thoughtful with the format and instruction. it is easy to understand and follow. There is a section that covers tools and materials to use, how to use color, shading, and perspective to add interest to your spiral drawings.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys creating art with shapes and optical illusions. The aArt of Spiral Drawing is perfect for artists of all skill levels.

.This is a really cool book on creating spiral drawings and patterns. The pictures and artwork are mesmerizing I loved just looking at the illustrations. I never knew how they were created so seeing how the optical illusion is created using straight and curved lines was super interesting.
The book has fantastic easy to follow step by step instructions and pictures to guide you as you get started beginning with simpler designs and moving into more advanced techniques.
I just loved it! This is a fantastic resource for artists.

I received this book from NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for an honest review.
#NetGalley
#TheArtofSpiralDrawing

This was a great step by step book that was easy to follow. As you progress through the book the skill level gets harder so you don't have to worry about not having something to do. I really loved doing these on my iPad.

This was so much fun to participate in this book! Never would I have imagined that I could create something along these lines! I'm delighted with my results after reading and following the instructions! Easy 5 stars!

The book was very easy to follow and learn how to create spiral drawing. It had great illustration and short instructions to guide even a new artist on how to create a variety of 3D looking drawings with lots of depth and optical illusions. Colouring suggestions give the artist ideas on how to make the image really pop.

Spectacular. I think with this spiral drawing technique, Jonathan Stephen Harris will introduce many to the fun of making art. The methods are so organic, you start with line sand they begin to become curves. Adding color is another dimension. Yous tart with geometric shapes first and then move to animals. Very mind calming. I have seen other works by the author, where he is made the words like fish, pizza, cake to those very things in drawing. Great way to get everyone excited about drawing.

The Art of Spiral Drawing really catches and holds your eye. The spiral and geometric drawings on its' cover and within its' pages are actually hard to look away from!

As a child and teen, I loved to draw and sketch. Actually, in the spirit of honesty, I should say I enjoyed attempting to draw and sketch! Anyway, I still admire those who are creative and talented enough to be artists. It can be very difficult for an artistic person to break their work down into logical sequential steps that can be followed by a non-artist to recreate something resembling their work. Jonathan Stephen Harris does an excellent job of this, and I applaud him both for his drawings, and his ability to share his techniques.

Though my talent hasn't improved over the years, I still enjoy and am fascinated by my attempts! With its' wide variety of shapes to reproduce, this book will be a hit for anyone who enjoys art.

My thanks to NetGalley and Walter Foster Publishing for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

This is a great introduction with examples of spiral art..
There are step by step instructions with color ideas.
This book is a great introduction to gain new ideas for your art.
Or to doodle when you are bored.

This is a good book for anyone who is a beginner to this style of drawing, or even a complete beginner to all drawing. It starts with a few sections introducing the style, tools, techniques, and adding color. The rest of the book is illustrated step-by-step instructions, starting with basic shapes and building up to more complex drawings. The example pictures and step descriptions are comprehensive enough to fully explain the process, and there are some examples of how the images can be colored. The book ends with a gallery of more complex variations of the techniques from the book, which provide readers with good inspiration and ideas for next steps after mastering the techniques.

Thank you #NetGalley for the review copy of #TheArtofSpiralDrawing

I’m addicted! This was not something I expected to become obsessive about, and yet here we are with my journal full of practice spiral art, trying over and over to get it just right. None of mine look as good as the examples (I really am someone who needs a straightedge/ruler), but this fun book breaks down spiral art in such a way that anyone can do it.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is a really cool book about creating your own spiral drawings and patterns. I never realised that they were created using straight lines but give the optical illusion of curved lines until I read this book.
The book has fantastic easy to follow step by step instructions and pictures to guide you aswell.
The patterns start off as easy ones and build up to more detailed and complex patterns.
I'm really looking forward at having a go at afew using this guide very soon.

Ooo this will be a great one for the doodle crazy teens in my library. It will be very easy to translate this into a low-key program. Well laid out with clear steps. I wish it had a little more detail on the shading and coloring.

When I saw the cover of this book, I couldn't stop staring at the unique and 3-dimensional looking drawings. This book breaks this style into very simple components and shows you how to make some of those much more complicated art pieces on the cover.

I'd never heard of Spiral Drawing but it's super-cool looking and relatively simple to do. It reminds me of zentangles and once I've practiced enough I have no doubt it will be just as calming. If these intrigue you as much as they did me, I am sure you will love this book.

with gratitude to netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Drawing your own spiral drawing is meditative, once you have figured out how it works. This is where this book comes in handy. The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and the skill level is slowly advancing from simple geometrical shapes to more complicated ones (an elephant, for example).

This is a fun book for anyone who likes to doodle. Easy to follow and the result is really effective. I like the optical illusion feel of the drawings and it gives you plenty of ideas for creating your own spirals on different shapes. It is perfect for beginners or for any artist who fancies a change of scene ! There is no long list of materials, just pick up a pen and paper and away you go. It is almost meditative in its effect once you get going, so is a great tool for focussing the mind and taking a break.