I enjoyed this book. I am an amateur drawer. I found the instructions clear, and my finished product was better than I expected. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

This is a very straightforward book with projects that are nice for beginners. I do feel that parts of it rushed a few steps but overall I enjoyed seeing the examples and will be using this for future projects of my own. The different sections were formatted well and the writing was clear for the instructions.

A great reference and practice book, with step by step guides and even including a section on digital art.

Lots of blank spaces are available for practicing in the book itself.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of the book for review.

If I saw this book in a shop, I would be immediately enamored by the cover! As a person who has enjoyed artistic endeavors since an early age, I enjoy collecting books on different art techniques as I believe these particular skills need to be honed through vigorous practice and study. This is an idea the book seems to convey, given the "Practice Here" spaces present at the end of each section.

The book begins by introducing the audience to appropriate tools and colors required for basic line drawing. It is followed by a detailed presentation of all the different ways something as simple as a pencil can be used, through variations in pressure and lead quality, to play with outlines and textures in any illustration. Once you master these techniques, you can progress to the major sections of the book which elaborate drawing different subjects such as plants, animals, architecture and, most enjoyable of all in my opinion, banners and lettering. The knowledge from the artist combined with a persons doodling habits could do wonders of improvement for even the most basic drawings, I believe, as the instructions are simple and flexible, but highlight the role of adding dimension and shading to enhance the professional outlook of any illustration.

The most incredible parts of the book however, provided the current interest in digital graphics, are the two sections which detail how you can upload hand drawn designs into illustration software and modify them through digital tweaking and coloring to achieve a polished end result. I have been on the look out for something like this for a while and online tutorials haven't even come as close to cutting it as this book does!

Would definitely recommend this to young and aspiring artists or really anyone looking to work on their basic illustrative style and then some.

This book starts out pretty basic, but comprehensively covers all of the necessary techniques for you to experiment and find the one that works best for you - this also includes digital media, which many art books don't cover.

The chapters carefully lead even the most shy/unconfident of wanna-be artists and guides them through. The first chapter is on banners, and this is a simple method that could be used to embellish notebooks and journals. It shows that bringing art into your life doesn't have to be the big enterprise of getting out a sketchbook, setting up an easel, retrieving the paint box and filling a jam jar with water, but is fairly simple to bring into everyday objects with something as simple as a biro. It is a great way to build confidence. I can quite easily see this book being used as inspiration, and being able to flick through a journal and see the skill and confidence develop through the weeks and months.

I particularly like the flower and plant section, which goes through plants by name (not just generic trees and flowers), making it really useful, and the buildings section is exceptional.

Art Starts with a Line by Erin McMannes

This is a book I want for my library. As I looked at some of the feathering and borders I was reminded of visiting my grandfather and doing similar artistic things with the 90 year old mother-in-law living with him at the time. Yep, definitely want to find and buy this book!

The book includes information on tools and materials suggested for projects, shading and stippling, borders and banners, lettering, botanicals, architecture, signage, animals and insects, everyday life and then how to use the ideas presented in planners or illustrations or whatever your heart desires.

I loved the idea that lines are what one uses to create images and look forward to using some of the ideas soon for fun or perhaps with my watercolor painting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing – Walter Foster ~ This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I want to start by saying the author of this book seems like a talented artist. I am not sure if she is not as good at teaching or I am simply very bad at this. I managed to get as far as banners, corner artwork, banners and simple things that would look good in a bullet journal. When the book got to more complicated drawings, such as animals, nature, buildings, everyday life objects etc., I felt the book started to lack in explanatory steps. It was showing simple guiding shapes that got very complex already in the 2 out of 3 steps provided. The descriptions didn't help very much either, but they rather gave a few hints such as where to start from or what aspects to pay particular attention to. I feel like I could accomplish more if I actually had the book in my hands and a lot more time to devote to learning how to draw in the different categories, but alas - my e-book galley is expiring and I have to say goodbye to it. I think the book was trying to teach too many different types of line drawing in a limited space and for me - that's where it failed: not focusing enough on actually teaching. Simply showing a few tricks and guiding points is not all it is needed for most people who would seek guidance in a book such as this. Thank you Net Galley for the e-arc copy.

This is a charming and whimsical drawing book. I had a wonderful time reading through it and trying out many of the different techniques.

That said, if you are looking for something for an aspiring artist, this might not be your cup of tea. I think it will depend on what your end goal is. I like to doodle and enjoy drawing books that offer very basic instructions and suggestions in a non-intimidating way. This book is very approachable, yet there is discussion of things like shading and perspective and different supplies you may want to consider.

I liked the content because it included borders and lettering, along with landscapes and plants and other more typical things you might find in a basic learn-to-draw book. This would be a great resources for someone who enjoys bullet journaling or scrapbooking and wants to be more creative.

For me, it was ideal. More than enough instruction and ideas to keep me going for some time. I'll be purchasing a print copy that will likely see lots of use.

A delightful, educational, inactive learn how to draw book! I had a blast with this book! Thank you for allowing me to review this title, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I learned some new things from the book. I thank the author for publishing this book that actually helps me with basic art and drawing. The techniques are important to start drawing something decent for me.

The book has spaces for practice, and the increasing in difficulty. But still very much a book that is for starters like me. If you want to learn how to decorate journals and scrapbooks, this is great

As a self taught mixed media artist, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my technique, as well as inspiration for future artwork. This book went beyond my expectations. Creative exercises are also included which make for great sketchbook prompts.

I highly recommend this book for every artist,.

I actually loved this book so much that I bought it to have a great reference book for developing my drawing skills. It's a step by step tutorial to show you how to look at things and how to put them on paper but not only it has also some introduction to photoshop so that you could make them digital. I really recommend it!

I loved this so much!

The instructions were so easy to follow and learn! It's exactly what I needed. I've been wanting to find something informational yet does not require much reading and this is exactly it!


Thank you so much! My study notes will look better now.

Downloaded this to take away on our wifi free holiday with my kids. Perfect for sleep-free fiestas and an opportunity for us to sit down together, while away some time and all feel pleased with the results.
Would also be excellent for registration at school where there is such limited time in the day for children to explore their artistic flair or simply develop precision with a pencil.

This was a light, informative guide to creating botanical and urban art. Each section begins with the simplest version of the flower, etc., and then grows more complex in shape, and adds additional media. The demonstration of each piece is clear, and I love the author's encouaging tone, and the included practice space.

Obviously that is only of benefit in the paper version, and I would have liked to be able to trace some of the more complex shapes.

Even a beginner like me finds a lot of value in the simple forms of each exercise, though the more complex instructions were beyond my skill. All in all, I had fun, and would recommend the book to the casual urban sketcher.

This small book is a treasure for any artist or craft person. It explores the use of pencil, pen and ink, watercolor, acrylics, colored pencils and even use of computers for designing. The illustrations are plentiful and the book is designed with space to practice drawing after the author gives instructions.
This book would be a reference for sketching and drawing flowers, buildings, and even common household items.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Great book if you are looking for something to give you indepth and step by steo instructions for drawing and doodling. It is colorful and beautifuly designed, which only makes it more enjoyable read. Definitely recommend it for anyone who is interested in trying something to do with drawing and expressing yourself through art

This book seems like a good place to start if you want to jump into drawing. I especially like how there is space next to the examples to try on your own. Being able to compare the original next to yours is definitely helpful when you are learning. It is also nice to see the different mediums and have some tips for each. The step by step guide for every day objects and the animals are super helpful too...I would have put the buildings in the last section since they seem to be a bit harder.

I received a digital copy of this book in return for a review, all opinions are my own.

I truly enjoyed this book. It's a great way to learn how to draw. I loved the challenges, and I liked seeing what I can do with each and every one of them. Each technique was explained in detail and I found the steps easy to follow.

I really enjoyed this book. It really brought my bullet journal decorations up to the next level. I will definitely use it as a reference.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.