Brush Pen Illustration is a new tutorial/step-by-step DIY manual from artist designer Sho Ito, published by Quarry Books - Quarto due out 26th June 2018. Originally published in Japanese in 2011 as "Fude Pen Illust Renshucho (Boutique Mooc #958)" it's been reformatted and translated for the re-release. It is 106 pages and contains specific tips and tricks for rendering hundreds of animals, plants, foods, shells and many other items from daily life. Many of these are deceptively simple and all are fun. The book is mostly printed in full color and includes a goodly proportion of clear photographs, especially in a useful inspiration gallery showing ways to use the art the reader produces.

The aesthetic (see cover) is definitely Asian in feel. The tutorial items will all be recognizable to western readers as well. The designs are spare and elegantly simple.

The book begins with an intro and materials chapter including pens, paper, and general techniques (circa 15% of the content count). The author does include a short resources list with e-tailers who carry the brush pens and types of paper which are best to use with these projects. After the intro, the lion's share of the book is given over to specific tutorials grouped by subject (animals, foods, plants, Asian art, black and white illustrations etc).

There are a number of really interesting lessons in this book concerning the use of space and movement.
One of the things that many artists struggle with is the use of negative space. Ito's simple step by step tutorials brilliantly utilize negative space to illustrate 3D shapes and volume (see the sheep on page 55 for example).

There are many many such takeaways from this very enjoyable book.

Well worth a look.

Four stars

This book focuses solely on illustrations using brush pens. After explaining different brush pen types and different paper types, a vast collection of illustrations shows fruit and vegetables, animals, trees and many more examples of brush pen drawings. Step by step instructions make recreating the art easy.

What a delightful manual. If you've ever wanted to use a brush pen, this beginner book is for you. Every page is full of colorful instructions and demonstrations. It's a pleasure to browse or to follow the demos step-by-step.

If you're looking for a guide to painting quick sketches for your journal, illustrating notes, or drawing for children, you'll have so much fun with this. The simplicity of line, of how-tos, and ideas will make you smile, and - even for that alone - I'd recommend it.

Brush pens are becoming more common and easier to find with the popularity of hand lettering. This book explores how they can be used for illustrations as well. In general, it's a great book for American readers who may only be familiar with brush pens for writing. Different techniques are explained and illustrated and the beginner can dive right in. But the supplies aren't going to be quick or easy to find. I was able to find all the pens online. The tools all have brief descriptions that are probably enough for someone to use to find comparable items in stores but the brands aren't ones that are in most stores in the US. So it's not as beginner friendly as it could be. But overall, the techniques are worth a look.