Pen & Ink Drawing: A Simple Guide

Alphonso Dunn is an excellent teacher. From the very first page onwards, he makes the student so comfortable and at ease to approach the basics of drawing. And, after a few pages, one is all set and ready to apply the knowledge that is laid out in a logical and step-by-step format. The narrative of the author and the kind and empathetic approach towards teaching the student is so palpable that one is in awe and full of gratitude and all praises for the author. Whatever your medium of drawing, be in pen & ink or pencil drawing , the book is a gem for students or artists of all levels. For amateurs, is a lighthouse to embark on their journey of drawing and for intermediates or advanced level artists, it can always serve as a valuable revision resource or a refresher course for brushing up on their already acquired knowledge, and feel inspired once again ! Some people might find the price a bit on the higher side, but the level of knowledge and skill one develops from the instruction in this book, it is a worth buy. Thanks for reading !

topics are laid out in a very simple way. the aproch is logical and easy to understand. will definitely improve your skills if you understand the material well and do it right.

Amazing book it is worth a try for anyone who wants to start as a beginner illustrator artist or graphic artist.

good book to learn ink and pen sketching, detailed illustrations regarding shading and sketching..worth the money, can learn even more by watching the authors youtube videos.

Got this book a few months ago and must say....It's has loads of information and easy to follow instructions. Alphonso Dunn is a great teacher and anyone remotely interested in sketching must get this book. Just remember to let your creativity to flow.

I was lead to this book from the you-tube channel and I find the tutorials from Alphonso Dunn are always well thought out and every video had a purpose and is a teaching moment that gives you a lesson that you can take as an exercise an knowledge. His book is well thought out to combine his book with his you tube channel is a perfect combination. Go for the book and watch him break down things on his channel and enjoy the wealth of knowledge

I bought this book after watching the author's YouTube channel. The book is small and a little overpriced, but has lots of information for artists.

I think you should go for the book, it's made for people coming from all skill levels and the fact that it'll instantly with very little effort take your drawing to the level you want it to be in the very first few pages. Everything is really clear Plus the Author has a Youtube Channel incase there's something you want to listen and Understand through a Demo.

I have recently retired and needed something to do with my free time, so I took up photography and adult coloring books. I had wanted to learn to draw for a long time, but there was nothing that I could find for a truly beginner, I did a lot of research on YouTube on learning how to draw and came across Mr. Dunn's channel. After watching more videos than I probably should have at one sitting, I purchased Pen & Ink Drawing, A Simple Guide.. I have had this book for about 2 weeks now and feel I can give an honest and thorough review. Pen & Ink Drawing - The book This 165 page book is easy to understand with clear explanations and examples that you are encouraged to do yourself. The chapters covered are supplies, strokes, shading,simulating texture, sketch booking, stages of a finished drawing, and secret of line balance. Each chapter goes into specific detail and is well organized. There is an extensive chapter on shading which, to me, is the most important chapter in the book, because without shading, your drawings will not look realistic, There are a lot of drawing books on the market, but they are filled with pictures and examples that you can copy. Mr. Dunn has taken that to another level explaining the "why" behind each stroke, simple forms, etc., which is what sold me (I'm the type of person that needs to know why I'm doing something and the reason behind it - maybe a little OCD going on). For example In the chapter, "Lines of Balance," he explains what the line of balance is and examples of how to draw animals, portraits, nature, hair, the human figure, discusses rhythm and a lot of other things you would never think about that goes into drawing. Throughout the book he gives a "why" to whatever he is doing. You can tell Mr. Dunn put a lot of effort into his book, not only showing you, but explaining the "why" behind it.- very well done! To supplement this book, I would highly recommend you watch his YouTube videos where he covers some things in the book in more detail and you can also draw along with him as he takes you step by step, There is a video that tells you about basic lines (which I would have like to have seen a brief chapter in the book about). Watching his videos is like sitting in an art class with an instructor who knows what he is doing and what he is talking about. In the videos he goes into great detail about simple forms, how to pay attention to structure and proportions and too many others to list here. In addition,he has video series on landscapes, etc. - just too many to mention - Just check them out and have your pen ready to take notes. You won't be disappointed! The most important thing that stuck with me while watching the videos is to not just look but observe as well. When you observe, you can see simple forms (cubes, cylinders, spheres, triangles) in everything you look at. You have to adjust your thinking and think about everything before you put your pen to paper. (this too is covered in the videos), so now I literally don't look at things the same :) What I would change - The order of some of the chapters. After the supplies chapter and before the stroke chapter, I would have included a small section from the Youtube video, the 7 basic lines of drawing. I thought this was really important to explain vertical, horizontal, parallel and perpendicular lines. Another thing, which is totally personal preference, I would have put a table of contents in the front rather than an index in the back, or maybe both (I was looking for a table of contents). Other than these, two issues, there is absolutely nothing I would change. Conclusion - This book is for the beginner as well as the seasoned artist. I had no experience in drawing and wanted to learn and now I feel very confident that I can do this (though haven't started using a pen yet, but I'm working on it). My sketch book is full of practice pages and everyday I look forward to and am excited to work on something..One thing I would recommend is to make a chart of the basic type of strokes (page 24 so you can have it handy when you ink your masterpiece. The key to a fantastic ink drawing, sketching or anything is practice, practice, and practice some more. Everyday I get better and better, but most of all, with my photography and now my pen and ink drawings, I am having fun!! Thank you, Mr. Dunn, for your generosity in sharing your knowledge. I look forward to whatever you have in store next! On a side note, I also purchased "How to Sketch: A Beginner's Guide to Sketching Techniques" by Liron Yanconsky.

Duidelijk en handig boek voor een beginnend tekenaar.

Perfect for anyone who would like to learn pen and ink drawing, but also for those who have some basic knowledge. There's plenty of advice, and the techniques are clearly explained. Together with the workbook, this is a great book for artists. Highly recommend!

Alphonso Dunn is a talented artist and a good teacher, or I should say a great artist and a very good teacher, he delivers in a simple and clear style without showing off. The book explain basic and more advanced pen and ink techniques giving solid foundation, but above all the drawings use various styles and are also very inspirational. Highly recommended. Be sure to check the author Youtube channel. Chapters: Supplies, Stokes, Shading, Textures, Sketchbooking, "Secret Line of Balance".

Fantastic guide for the beginner! Very comprehensive teaching! Highly recommended!