Friday, February 26, 2016

The Rebelution's Top 27

If you haven't been over to The Rebelution blog, head over there now!

Brett has just posted a new article titled "27 Books Christian Teens Should Read and Grownups Should Too." So head on over to get the full list by clicking here.


Now go change YOUR world!
~Annalysa

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

"Doodletopia: Cartoons" Book Review

Wait, let me read that again - 2 book reviews in one month?! How is that even possible???? (I have an ulterior motive, but motivation is good, right? ;) )

About a week ago, I got this book (Doodletopia: Cartoons) in the mail.


Let me just tell you, Christopher Hart is a genius! Can I say how much I enjoy this book???!!! (And I just found out he has more books....Amazon, here I come!)

First of all, Doodletopia: Cartoons is designed to help people enjoy drawing, and believe me, I've really enjoyed this book. It's different than a lot of other drawing books in that it doesn't just give examples of how to draw the character. Doodletopia has cartoons that are halfway done for you and you can finish them. Here's one I did of a panda:


Actually, I traced the half that was done in the book because I can't bear (no pun intented) to write in the book yet!!! (the left side was traced, the right side wasn't)

Another thing I liked about this book was that Christopher Hart doesn't limit you to just animals or people. In the last few pages of the book, there's a whole section titled "Draw Ridiculous Inventions" and it has inventions that you get to draw and add to. Another section is called "Write in Cartoon Calligraphy" and has all sorts of different fonts to try. I haven't gotten brave enough to do either of those yet, but we're going on a trip soon and I'm definitely taking this book along.

Here are a couple  of my drawings from the book: 





Okay, now for the ratings. Drumroll, please!!!!

Would I recommend this book to a friend?: ABSOLUTELY YES! This is a book that's great for all ages and it's not intimidating because you aren't staring at a blank page - you get to finish a drawing or add to a drawing, not start from scratch and pull your hair out trying to make your drawing look like the one in the book.

What would I rate this book? 5 stars, hands down! Like I said, it makes drawing super easy and fun, and for those of you who don't like to draw, this book will change your mind.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

If you want to get one of these great cartoon books for yourself, click here for more info. 

Thanks so much for reading! Be sure to follow through email or G+ and comment below with your favorite drawing included in this post!

Now go change the world!!

~Annalysa

P.S. Here's a bonus drawing that I did in art class a few weeks ago! 


Want to see more drawings? Let me know in the comments below!!!

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

"Freehand Figure Drawing for Illustrators" Book Review

Okay, first of all, I am not a great artist, so this book review might be a little short. :) I enjoy art (somewhat) but I wish I could draw better (believe me, I'm working on it!). I've actually started art classes with a fantastic art teacher (and I'm with friends and my sister so it's great!!!) so my sketches will hopefully improve with time.

Anyway, this book (Freehand Figure Drawing for Illustrators) caught my interest and I got it. I have yet to read it word for word, but I'm working on it. As a beginning artist, a lot of this stuff goes way over my head but it makes sense still.

I really appreciate all the example drawings that are throughout the book. Mr. Ross (the author) doesn't just tell you what to do, he explains it through his drawings. The book also progresses in difficulty, starting with describing how to draw different points of view by placing the vanishing points at different places and such. (This is about where I am in my art hobby - I'm actually supposed to do a drawing that contains vanishing points for my art class this week!) He then explains how to draw mannequins, how they are different, and what they should look like for different angles. (I can't wait to get to this point because it looks so interesting!)

Each part of the body (torso, muscle-type for each gender, how the torso and hips are connected, etc.) is explained and illustrated to show how a person would stand and what it would look like from each angle.

Later on in the book, head construction, including the eyes, nose, and ears, are explained in detail. There are great illustrations to refer to from different angles; for example, on pages 98 and 99, there are 7 different drawings of the ear, all from different angles. It's so cool and very, very helpful!

David Ross even gets into the human skeleton and how all the bones connect, which shows why the body looks and moves the way it does. If you are interested in how to draw the human body in ways that you never thought you could, this book is definitely one I would recommend.

*Note: For those of you who are uncomfortable looking at human bodies without clothes (it's not too detailed but detailed enough to make some (including me) uncomfortable at times, you might want to flip through the book before you buy it to make sure it's something you are okay with. Honestly, I don't really appreciate all the female models in sports bras, halter tops, and really-short shorts but I do like the helpful tips and instructions contained in the book.

What would I rate this book?
4 stars - the drawings are very well done and the explanations aren't overly confusing, which is great for me. The only part I didn't really like was the immodesty (noted above) but that's a personal conviction that I realize not everyone has.

Would I recommend this book to a friend?
Maybe, if they are really interested in art.

I received this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks so much for reading! Be sure to follow through email or G+ and comment below what your favorite things are to draw!

Now go change the world!

~Annalysa