Very sweet yet useful. It's a short but effective introduction to all of the basics of drawing, right through to lines and lettering. Would definitely buy for someone looking to learn but there are practice slots, so it's really worth having a physical copy.

A great beginner drawing book. Short enough to finish through in one weekend (which is what I did). I am already artistically inclined but hesitate to draw buildings and other geometric objects due to the lack of knowledge on how to tackle the complexity of the details. The steps provided were just right enough for me to not feel overwhelmed. My favorite section was still flowers and trees although I appreciated the Painted Lady section.

A very delightful book perfect for beginners no matter the age. There's even a space for drawing and practicing what the author is teaching, with plenty of tips on pencils, shapes, and techniques. I may never be awesome at drawing, but this book will certainly help me learn. Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to read and review.

When You Do Not Have a Lot of Time to Draw
Full-time illustrator Erin McManness is presenting her book "15-Minute Drawing: Getting Started. From sketch to finished drawing in just 15 minutes!". It is one of the books in the "15-Minute Series" and was published by Quarto Publishing Group – Walter Foster. She states the goal of the book in the introduction: "15-Minute Drawing: Getting Started is for those who want to develop their drawing skills and style, while having fun, reflecting on meaningful moments and goals, and manifesting them through their art Think of this as a personal art journal: not only does it contain exercises to help you refine your drawing capabilities, it also contains prompts and projects that you can complete either inside the book or in your own sketchbook" (p. 5). The book starts with the basics (drawing and lettering techniques) and is then followed by 30 step-by-step projects (flowers, animals, buildings, everyday things). I especially appreciated the chapter "Creating Beautiful Layout" which is inspirational and helpful. Quick tips throughout the book are helpful for the artists and space for practice is an opportunity to put the studied topic at once into practice. I recommend this book for beginners who are interested in the basics of drawing.
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.
#15MinuteDrawingGettingStarted #Netgalley

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback. I think this is a really greatly done practical guide to drawing things that would actually be useful! Lots of really cute modern doodles, things that people love to see in art and designs. I loved the straightforward instructions and the layout of the guide. I think this would be a cool gift for someone, especially a budding artist and/or someone interested in calligraphy. I have used books like that before and got bored, this one looks much more interesting.

I read a lot of drawing books and I love any that promise to make it easy. This is a solid contribution but not one of my favorites. I appreciated the beginning section with recommendations for pencils and pen brands. The things to draw are typically in three stages and don't give a lot of instruction. There are some doodle books I like better because they show many more items, but this is a good primer for drawing things like shop fronts, rabbits, flowers, etc.

Three stars -- liked it.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

This was a great book for beginners or anyone who to wants to divert 15 minutes of their time to just relax, have fun, and create something artistic- whether its borders, lettering, an animal, or a detailed architectural building, to name a few. The author takes her readers from the initial useful drawing tools to the basics of drawing various items with guided techniques. There is also a blank page to practice.
I found the author’s instructions easy to follow and and a steppingstone to further expand my knowledge and creativity.

This is a short but surprisingly very comprehensive introduction to drawing and various elements associated with it. It also briefly tackles lettering, flourishes, and doodles. I wish I had this when I was starting out. This was so informative. And while it doesn’t give us incredibly detailed pictures of the step-by-step process it gives a general guide on how and where to start and which things to look out for. Erin makes drawing these elements look so easy. She breaks it down in such a way that makes it seamless to follow. It is a great introduction to a lot of different things and it was so informative. It is also one of the few books I’ve read that explains the difference between materials - the weight of pencils and their intended/potential use, for example. I recommend this to anyone who wants to get into drawing, doodling, and hand lettering, and maybe doesn’t know where to start.

If you are looking for a great book to help elevate your drawing and lettering in your journal, this is a book for you. The book is broken down into what I'm going to say as 2 sections. The first section is about drawing supplies, drawing techniques and then moves on to lettering technique ending with how to lay out your drawings. The next section goes over actual drawing of different items. Through out the book the author leaves space for you to practice the techniques and skills she is teaching turning this into more of an art journal.
There are several things that I hope to incorporate into my bullet journal especially because I don't always have more than 15 minutes in a day to update my BuJo.

Thank you Netgalley and Quatro for an ARC of this book in return for an unbiased review.

15-Minute Drawing: Getting Started is a beginner guide to get you started in a fun and easy way. It starts with the basics from pencil strokes, shading techniques and basic lettering. There are blank pages and prompts so you can practise. There are 30 projects to complete, each one building up your skills. A variety of themes are covered from animals to architecture so there is plenty of interest for everyone. It is a book that will teach you the basics of drawing in a fun way and it is suitable for adults and older children.

This is a short yet comprehensive introduction to line drawing. It covers all you need to know in order to create your own illustrations, including the tools you’ll need, shading techniques, different layout styles and guidance on creating commonly found motifs like leaves, flowers, animals and insects. There are also sections on architecture and everyday objects. Each chapter finishes with an exercise for you to do so you can use what you have learned to create your own illustration.

The drawing style of the author is accessible and her instruction is easy to follow. If you think you can’t draw, all you need to do is follow the steps in this book and you will produce an instagram-worthy piece. There is a short section on hand lettering which teaches enough to help you to complete the prompts later on in the book but the subject is only lightly touched upon - this is a book about drawing, after all. How to draw borders and banners is also covered in an easy to follow way.

I am reviewing the ebook version but if you think you may want to complete the prompts actually in the book, you may be better off buying the hard copy because there is space within the book to do your own drawings. I recommend this book for beginner artists and for people who have always thought they can’t draw but who have a dream to be able to create their own work. Everyone can draw, some just need to be shown how. This book will do that for you.

With thanks to Netgalley and Quarto-Walter Foster for providing an advance review copy. All opinions in this review are my own.

15 minute drawing is a book I think I will return to many times. It gives practical and achievable instructions for drawing numerous everyday objects in addition to lettering, borders and decorative details.
Comprehensive and specific materials suggestions are very useful and excellent for the beginner.
The techniques used in the step by step instructions can be applied to any drawing and are not limited to the projects in the book.
Thanks to Quarto publishing - William Foster and Netgalley for an ebook to review but I will definitely be buying my own to keep.

This book appears to be part of a series as I recently reviewed a similar title on watercolors. This book on drawing drew (sorry for the pun) me in. It made drawing seems possible and not just something for inherently talented artists.

I very much like that the first sentence of this book notes that drawing should be fun. There is then helpful information on techniques for both drawing and creating letters. Following are many projects that budding artists can try. These are organized by categories as, for example, Leaves & Flowers or Everyday Life. I can’t wait to try my hand at some of these, especially as I am interested in exploring something new and would like to be more proficient than my current doodling.

Note that this title also includes a number of prompts. It gently encourages drawing as a potential act of reflection and dreaming. There is also workbook space throughout.

This book has left me wanting to get my pencils out. I hope that will be the feeling that others have when they pick up this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto-Walter Foster Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.