Schlagwort: arc

review: Inking Florals: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Modern Florals in Ink and Watercolor

von Verena

Diese Rezension enthält Affiliate-Links. Wenn ihr das Buch über den Link kauft, erhalte ich eine kleine Provision.

Das Buch habe ich als Rezensionsexemplar von NetGalley erhalten, was aber in keiner Weise meine Rezension beeinflusst.

Illustration Studio: Inking Florals: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Modern Florals in Ink and Watercolor

Goodreads
Erscheinungsdatum: 16. Juni 2020

ISBN: 9781633228368

Seiten: 128

gekauft bei/erhalten von: NetGalley

auf Amazon kaufen*

Illustration Studio: Inking Florals features inking and watercolor tips and techniques, drawing basics, an overview of plant and flower structures, and step-by-step inking projects for a well-rounded, engaging introduction to multimedia botanical art geared toward artists of all skill levels.

You will love learning to work with ink, pencil, and watercolor as you create your own favorite plants and flowers. Step-by-step projects feature popular flowers, including poppies, peonies, roses, freesias, snapdragons, and more, for a wide variety of well-loved plants that many of us have in our own gardens and/or see while out and about. The Illustration Studio series features interactive exercises, creative prompts, and step-by-step exercises to educate and excite beginning and aspiring artists working in a variety of media and techniques, from manga and anime to illustration done in ink

Illustration Studio: Inking Florals opens with an introduction to plant structure. Essential tools and materials are covered as well, and then you can learn all about drawing basics, ink shading tips, and watercolor techniques so that you have some basic knowledge before getting started on the more than 15 step-by-step drawing projects that round out the book. The final project is a bouquet that incorporates all of the instructions and tips that you have learned throughout the book. Each project in the book makes a beautiful keepsake item or gift for a loved one.

With Illustration Studio: Inking Florals, you can learn to draw, ink, and add color to all your favorite botanicals!

weil ich das Rezensionsexemplar über die englischsprachige Seite von NetGalley erhalten habe, habe ich die Rezension auch auf Englisch geschrieben.

I never would have thought that I would enjoy drawing. But in recent years I learnt that I can draw, that I can create something with a pencil, a bit of colour and that I’m not that bad.

Flowers are my favourite things to draw. I may not be very good at it, but it’s fun. On Youtube and Skillshare there are a lot videos on how to draw flowers and of course there are a lot of books, too. One book I discovered on NetGalley and requested an advanced reader’s copy (arc).

Back to the book itself. „Inking Florals: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Modern Florals in Ink and Watercolor*“ is by Isa Down, an artist and teacher on Skillshare. You can also follow her on Instagram.

The first pages are about the materials you need to start drawing (e.g. ink pens) and there is a colour chart with primary and secondary colours (something we all learnt back in school but I was never that interested).

Isa Down talks also about finding inspiration, like going for walks and taking photos. That’s something I often do myself. Photography is a hobby of mine since quite a few years and I always enjoy walking in the forest or through fields and meadows. Especially now in spring there is a lot to discover.

The reader learns also about watercolour techniques (like wet-on-wet), how to correct mistakes and if he or she should apply the watercolour first and than the ink or the other way round. Isa says that there are no right or wrong ways and I think that’s the beauty with art.

Before Isa takes us step by step through the process of drawing a flower, we learn some basics about flowers, the names of each part.

There are 18 step-by-step tutorials of flowers like snowdrop, anemone and red poppy. The step-by-step guides are very easy to follow because they include drawings belong-side the text.

I want to show you one of my drawings I did with the help of this book.

two anemone drawn with black ink and watercolour

„Inking Florals: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Modern Florals in Ink and Watercolor“ is a beautifully made book for beginner with a lot of helpful explanations on everything you need to know about drawing flowers.

Für meine deutschsprachigen Leser:

Ob es das Buch auf Deutsch geben wird, kann ich nicht sagen. Aber da das Buch auch selbsterklärende Zeichnungen enthält, sollte es auch kein Problem sein, es auf Englisch zu lesen.

review: A Murder For The Books by Victoria Gilbert

von Verena


While browsing the NetGalley website, I saw a cozy looking cover with a bookshelf and a table with a stack of books (oh, and a gun). The title said something with „books“. I got curious and clicked on the image to read what the book was about. „A Murder for the Books*“ doesn’t sound like my normal reading and although the book was in the category Mystery & Thrillers and was about a murderer, I requested the ebook.

My opinion

When I think about Mystery & Thrillers, I have other books in mind. Books I never read. Dark covers. „Gone Girl“ or something like that. But the description (see at the end of the article) of „A Murder for the Books“ sounds more like my usual romance/women’s fiction with a bit of suspension. The plot is also similar: a woman, working at a university library and who doesn’t look like a cover model, is cheated on by her boyfriend and moves to her aunt to look after her. A new life, new job at the local library and of course – this is where she meets a good looking man who, by coinsidence, moves at the house next door to her aunt’s. His new home has a bit of history and because of what happend in the past someone is killed. Amy and Richard investigate by using the library and archive for their research on the history and they find interesting things.

There was some cover-up in the past including water from the well in Richard’s garden and there are also some family secrets. It seemed more or less realistic to me.

What I find a bit… let’s say strange is the fact that Amy, who is only one or two years older than me, had a great-grandmother until she was 14 and her aunt is in her sixties and is described as an old woman. 65 is old?! What is my father now at 75? An old old man? I never knew my great-grandparents because they died when my parents where a child or at least young. I know that some children still have their great-grandparents, but until their youth?

All in all: it was a nice read (well, aside from the murderers and kidnapping). This book will be published on 12 december, so you have to wait a bit. There is a second book planned for next July.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced reader copy (arc).
article header graphic: © freebiesgallery

review: Escape to the Cotswolds (Natalie Kleinman)

von Verena


Don’t judge a book by its cover – why I didn’t enjoy reading this novel

When I first saw the cover of „Escape to the Cotswolds*“, a novel by Natalie Kleinman which will be published on 21 June, it reminded me of a novel I enjoyed reading. It’s similar to the cover of „Return to the Little French Guesthouse“ by Helen Pollard. But, as they say: don’t judge a book by its cover – and it really is true.

The cover is colourful, cosy looking and suggests a perfect read. But sadly, it was no perfect read at all. At least for me. I don’t know how you feel about that book, but I can only speak for myself. The description sounds promising. But while reading Natalie Kleinman’s novel, I couldn’t feel this „connection“ between me and the characters I feel most times when I’m reading. In my opinion, the characters weren’t well developed. They were okay, but that was it. I couldn’t see that Holly has feelings for Adam – or any men. She never really thinks about him and when she does, she tries to persuade herself for a short time that she has no interest and than she goes on with her life. Even when she and her friends learn who the art thief is, nobody seems shocked. Although Holly nearly slept with him! It’s just like that: Oh, Gordon is the thief. Okay. *shrug* No hard feelings, no arguments and no word about the fact that he has stolen from Holly, too!

Then the conversations. They aren’t really interesting or deep. On one point, the answer to a question doesn’t match.

„(…) How is Gordon, do you know?“ (…)

„No, we haven’t quite decided what to do yet. Who should go, or not.“

I didn’t feel like home while reading that book, you know what I mean? This book is an advanced reader’s copy and therefore I want to be honest. I’m really sorry that I have to give such a negative feedback but a review has to be honest, no matter if I got the book for free or not. Maybe you think differently about this book, but this is my opinion and I’m sorry to say that I didn’t enjoy this book at all.