07/04/2016
This instructional book offers thorough and practical lessons in drawing. The instruction is solid, covering proportion, shading, loose sketching, self-criticism, drawing shadows, and negative space. Each chapter features a drawing assignment. But the narrative framing the lessons is odd: David, a kid, approaches Becky, an artist, in a park and demands drawing lessons from her. Becky obliges, but David becomes insistent for more lessons and slowly infiltrates all aspects of her life to make these lessons happen. Becky protests and makes clear that David is crossing boundaries, but she eventually relents. This creates a sometimes antagonistic dynamic between the characters that seems at odds with what the book is trying to accomplish, not to mention the message of male privilege. The ending attempts to displace the gender concerns but feels creepy. Aside from how to draw, the ultimate lesson might be that kids shouldn’t chat up strangers in a park. (July)
2017 Eisner Award Nominee
2017-2018 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award List
2019 Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominee
"[H]eartfelt and quite moving...An artful balance of character and technique, of observed human moments and carefully pitched instruction, that will appeal to students with artistic aspirations. Gr 4 + Up"
—School Library Journal
"Engaging...A pleasant diversion for a long summer afternoon, The Drawing Lesson is likely to result in lots of ambitious sketching among readers ages 7 to 14."
—Wall Street Journal
"The narrative is often funny and unexpectedly poignant, while the tutorials are impressively clear and easy for readers to implement...A great pick for juveniles and young teens looking to learn the craft of drawing."
—Library Journal
"Proportion, negative space, perspective, lighting, and other drawing basics are covered concisely and informatively, so a student could easily follow the clear drawings to benefit from Becky’s lessons. Crilley develops his characters fully, making this a true novel and not simply a narrated drawing lesson. An original and accessible way to learn to draw. (Graphic nonfiction. 10-14)"
—Kirkus Reviews
"Offers thorough and practical lessons in drawing. The instruction is solid, covering proportion, shading, loose sketching, self-criticism, drawing shadows, and negative space."
—Publishers Weekly
"You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you might even discover a hidden talent. What’s not to love?"
—Girls' Life Magazine
"A great book for young artists and their parents, sure to encourage artistry while building confidence and fundamental drawing skills."
—Book Riot
"Everyone has looked at a piece of art, whether it is a comic book or classical painting, and thought I wish I could do that…Mark Crilley’s latest drawing manual, ‘The Drawing Lesson: A Graphic Novel That Teaches You How to Draw,’ turns that wish into an absolution."
—GeekChicElite
"The book doesn’t just show you the right way to do things but also common, fixable mistakes. Then it shows you what to do in order to make things right."
—Nerdophiles
"This book tackles all the topics they covered in my High School AP Art Class...An excellent book to give to a young person (tween to teen) if they’re interested in learning about the technical aspects of art."
—What'cha Reading
"Illustration inspiration."
—The Children's Book Review
"The Drawing Lesson is a truly innovative way to learn art. I can’t wait to get this book for every kid on my gift buying list. Whatever your age, The Drawing Lesson is an essential primer on how to draw what you see."
—Gene Ha, artist for Alan Moore’s Top 10, Fables, and Action Comics, creator of Mae, and four-time Eisner Award winner
★ 11/01/2016
Gr 4 Up—David is awed by an older student who can draw cars, and he wants to be able to do the same. When he asks Becky, an artist drawing in the park, for a quick lesson, the small request turns into an entire summer of progressive tutorials that readers are encouraged to emulate and practice. What could have been a series of instructions enhanced with dialogue and humor instead features a full story that's heartfelt and quite moving. The book contains illustrations rendered in shaded, sepia-tone pencil overlaid with crisp, computer-created dialogue balloons, and as Becky talks about framing and realism, negative space, and lighting, readers start to notice the intriguing choices Crilley has made in his storytelling. The focus is on drawing, not graphic narrative, but as readers see and analyze the way Becky—and, by extension, Crilley—is encouraging them, the balance between cartooning and realism begins to leap out. The dynamic between David's impetuous enthusiasm and Becky's caustic reserve pays off in a way that might be surprising, considering Crilley's frequent use of caricature. This title supports rereading and careful examination of the author's impeccable technique and the implied storytelling lessons he doesn't make explicit. VERDICT An artful balance of character and technique, of observed human moments and carefully pitched instruction, that will appeal to students with artistic aspirations.—Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH
2016-04-13
This 144-page book delivers exactly what it promises: a graphic novel that teaches readers to draw.It is indeed a novel, in that it tells the story in pictures of David, a blond, white boy around 12 who's seized with a strong desire to learn to draw, and a young dark-haired, light-skinned artist, Becky, whom he meets on a park bench and persuades to give him drawing lessons. After some badgering, she agrees to teach him—with limits and with honest critiques of his early attempts. It becomes clear that beyond just teaching him technique, she is teaching him life lessons. He has to be satisfied with slow progress, learning discipline, and constant self-evaluation. "Seeing what's wrong with your drawing is 90 percent of the battle. If you can't see what's wrong, you can't fix it." Once David has learned to respect Becky's boundaries and she becomes more engaged with her enthusiastic student, they make great progress. They take sketching trips to the museum, the park, and the beach, and David's drawing continues to improve. Proportion, negative space, perspective, lighting, and other drawing basics are covered concisely and informatively, so a student could easily follow the clear drawings to benefit from Becky's lessons. Crilley develops his characters fully, making this a true novel and not simply a narrated drawing lesson.An original and accessible way to learn to draw. (Graphic nonfiction. 10-14)