This book gives detailed, step by step instructions for aspiring vartists while teaching basic principles of drawing. The tutorials are well organized, easy to understand and the tips and techniques are excellent. Which makes this book helpful in learning the different types of shading and texture covered in these examples. I had a lot of fun learning from this book and this is such a great drawing book that I recommend for all artists either starting or advanced!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this e-arc.

Very cool book on drawing. I think this book would help quite a lot of people to improve their drawing skills. Easy to follow, and interesting concepts.

Like with the other book in the series, this one brings with it tons of value to the reader: in terms of instruction, basics of drawing (here for shading and texturing more specifically), and allows readers/student artists to work on cool optical illusions!!
Lesson formats are similar but not repetitive, and the drawings are also not repetitive within this book and even if we consider the first book in the series. From flowers and fruits to portraits and line drawings, from mandalas and doodles to my favorite type of optical illusions (the MC Escher type!), this book has all this and so much more for teachers and students alike to explore..
Disclaimer: I got a digital review copy of this books from Netgalley originally and these are my honest opinions of the book. Please note that the review is based on a more recent reading of the book (library/personal copy)

This book gives detailed, step by step instructions for aspiring visual artists while teaching basic principles of drawing. I would say that the content is more geared towards teens and adults as opposed to young children. But it is a great companion for whoever wishes to develop their drawing skills at their own pace.

This book is filled with drawing ideas for people of any age with step-by-step instructions. Great reference guide

This book i found extremely helpful for myself as I enjoy drawing and it has taught me alot of different techniques and ways to use these skills. I like how it's a step to step guide and draws upon a variety of context and subject.

This book has really come in handy with the art class I teach. There are so many great ideas in here and wonderful tips and advice. Highly recommend!

As an artist this books is an amazing inspiration. I have reviewed two books, How to Draw Cool Stuff: A Drawing Guide for Teachers and Students and How to Draw Cool Stuff: Shading, Textures and Optical Illusions. The artist has shared materials with perfect techniques for sketches. Each and every step is mentioned thoroughly. Definitely, I would like to give 5 stars to the book. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an opportunity to read and review the book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I shared it with my 14 year old daughter who is a budding artist. She absolutely loved it and it helped her work out the kinks in drawing certain images. I plan to purchase this as a reference for her.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love this book and the other one I was sent of the same name. I have fun doing some of the drawings and I plan to continue trying to do some of the techniques. I think this is a great book for all ages.

My son loves drawing and absolutely loves any book that will teach him how to draw different things. He really liked this book and wants a physical copy.

A great book for anyone looking to level up their drawing skills!

Easy to follow instructions and done in a simplistic way allowing a wide audience the opportunity to learn. Shading, textures, patterns, optical illusions, this was a great “How To” book.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Library Tales Publishing for providing me an advanced copy of “How to Draw Cool Stuff” in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily.

How to Draw Cool Stuff is the second book in this series that focusses on shading, textures and optical illusions. The tutorials are easy to follow and aimed at teaching a specific technique. The selection of projects is good and lots of tips are included to help you improve your work. Perfect for young artists, or beginners just starting out.

I like that the basics are stressed and reinforced throughout the lessons in this book. The lessons are step-by-step and accessible to the dedicated learner. I liked the end result drawings as well.

This is the second book by this author I have had the please of reading. The tutorials are well organized and explained and the tips and techniques are excellent. I highly recommend this book to artists new to drawing and this would maje an excellent gift to young artists. I loved the sea horse and regular horse tutorials and so much more. The book is very useful fir understanding light, Shading and basic shapes. Very well written.

Very cool! Not for advanced or experienced artists at all, but great for youngsters looking to hone a few skills or considering a future in graphics.

3.5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for my ARC.

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this book. It's a handy guide that would be useful for teachers, and some of the optical illusions are really interesting. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

This is an excellent companion to the How to Draw Cool Stuff: Drawing Guide For Teachers and Students. It again uses simple and easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions for drawing a wide variety of subjects but this time includes detailed information on shading and texture.

I am always a bit hesitant about shading my drawings, but now I feel equipped to attempt it. I am definitely eager to pull out my sketchbook.

This book has a bit more written instruction and description, which is helpful in learning the different types of shading and texture covered in these examples.

Again I would recommend this to everyone from beginner to advanced artist, although I do recommend starting with the Drawing Guide in order to become comfortable with breaking down objects into shapes before getting into the more complicated shading.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Library Tales Publishing for providing an e-arc for review.

How to Draw Cool Stuff is a series of simple tutorial lesson books for learning drawing, written by Catherine V. Holmes. Originally published in 2015, this reformat and re-release from Library Tales is 239 pages and is available in hardcover format in this edition, other formats are available in other editions. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free, (as are the companion books in the series).

This volume presents concepts and lessons in shading, texture, pattern, and realism/optical illusions. Although firmly outside the target audience (young students and their facilitators), I found quite a lot of useful information here. The book has an accessible and direct style with information presented in an easy to understand format. Most of the lessons are divided into concepts (know), information (understand), and tutorials (do). Vocabulary and ancillary information are provided in each tutorial segment under their own headings.

The concepts are very simple and the tutorial lessons include blank areas on each page for students to practice and master specific techniques. The tutorials are grouped into thematic chapters: basic elements of design, shading, texture & pattern, optical illusions, and a sort of synergistic chapter combining the rest of the tutorials into lessons for drawing "cool stuff" (t-rex, animals, self-portrait, and a bunch of others).

The book is laid out as, and would work very well as, lesson plan hand-outs for workshop, classroom, or homeschool use. This would also be a good choice for adults who spend time with young kids to improve their "draw with me" skills.

Four and a half stars. Very simple but useful for classroom and home use.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This is a very helpful art instruction book that would make a great homeschool curriculum. There are assignments to teach you various art basics like shading, perspective, etc. There's quite a lot of content and there are lots of examples and illustrations. Recommended.

I read a digital ARC of this book for review.