Sketch

 

About The Book:  An inspirational manual for integrating sketching into daily life for artists and non-artists alike. Urban sketching--the process of sketching on the go as a regular practice--is a hot trend in the drawing world. In this aspirational guide, French artist France Belleville-Van Stone offers motivation to move beyond the comfort zone, as well as instruction on turning rough sketches into finished work. By sharing her own creative process, which includes sketching by hand and digitally, Belleville-Van Stone emboldens readers to craft a method of their own and devote more time to art, even if it's just 10 minutes a day. Sketch will inspire artists both established and aspiring to rethink their daily practice, sketch for the pure joy of it, and document their lives and the world around them.
About The Author:  France Belleville-Van Stone is best known in the little community of Mount Olive, NJ, for being the high school French teacher who sketches during meetings.
She was born in north-eastern France, and moved to the United States after finishing her Master's degree in English from the Université de Strasbourg.  In 2006, Belleville-Van Stone started her blog wagonized (www.wagonized.com, a reference to her love for old Volvo wagons) and has been posting about drawing on trains, drawing when there is no time to draw, drawing at work, drawing at night, drawing on any support, drawing first thing in the morning, drawing without any formal training, drawing while nursing a new-born, drawing standing up and drawing with a cat on your lap. Belleville-Van Stone has turned her main handicap (being untaught) into a strength: "I don't know what I am doing so let me show you how". Her work was published in Danny Gregory's An Illustrated Life in 2008. She has joined the Fakulty of Sketchbook Skool for the Spring 2015 semester.  Belleville-Van Stone lives in New Jersey with her husband, daughter, and cat. She is the proud owner of a 1993 5-speed Volvo 240 wagon Classic. 
My Thoughts On This Book:  I feel as if Belleville-Van Stone are one and the same.  I am a high school Spanish teacher who sketches during meetings.  I love to draw and should have persued some art training.  This book was amazing.  I have sketched non-stop since I got the book in the mail.  Her instructions are clear an dyou do not have to be an artist to produce something that is worthy of being called art.  This is a must if you are a dabbler or lover of sketching. 
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Blogging for Books  as part of their Book Review Blogger Programs. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!