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Indepenedent reviews:



DRAWING FROM LINE TO LIFE


by Mike Sibley

Helen South - Drawing/Sketching blog
Mike Sibley, best known for his canine portraits, is a talented teacher with a gift for breaking up the drawing process into fundamentals. In this comprehensive reference he takes the mystery out of the drawing process. 'Drawing from Line to Life' is a hefty book, 288 pages in a generous 9 by 12 inch format and packed with illustrations. If you're looking to develop your drawing skills, especially in photo-realism, read my review of Drawing from Line to Life

Lunacore.com
The problem with a lot of drawing books is that the author is often more concerned about showing his art than showing how he did it. In Drawing From Line to Life I never get that impression. Everything in the book is explained in great detail and pretty much all pages have at least 2 or 3 illustrations. The book starts with a friendly introduction by the author, after which he continues to explain in almost 20 pages which tools he uses. I think that's a great way to start a book. I'm one of those people who really believes that it's important to start with the proper tools and to know how to use them. This is something that one should focus on from the beginning and not at a later stage. It creates the right foundation to transfer your ideas onto paper or like in Photoshop to create a digital representation of what you have in mind.

Karen Phillips - Amazon.co.uk review
Superb book by a master with graphite pencil. Well worth the money! This large book is packed to the brim with drawing demonstrations, tips, techniques and the nitty gritty details of which materials to try and why. I've learned a lot from Mike's sound advice which I now apply almost daily as a professional wildlife artist.....Mike raises the bar for all artists working with graphite pencil. If you only buy one art book on how to draw credibly, make it this one. You won't be disappointed!....

Helen South - DrawSketch Guide at About.com
I recommend Mike Sibley's book 'Drawing from Line to Life' without reservation. If you are interested in realist drawing and serious about learning, this book has a wealth of information that you just won't find anywhere else. Beginners might need something a little lighter to complement it, such as 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain' - but that is about seeing. This book shows you how to make the marks on paper.

Gayle Mason - Fur In The Paint
I have to start with my absolute favourite 'Drawing from Line to Life'. This book is a complete guide to drawing realism in graphite. It covers materials, methods, techniques and three complete demonstrations, all by professional graphite artist Mike Sibley. It is divided into 24 chapters which start with, From Line to Life Explained and end with, Putting it all Together.

Gavin Banns - Amazon.co.uk review
The book is a really good size with a fair amount of weight. The step-by-step close-ups and instructions give a very intimate and personal look into techniques, and the book is logically laid out and very readable.....I really strongly recommend this to any budding artist wanting to learn how to draw realistically; you'd be hard pressed to find any better instructional book in this genre on the market today....

Luca Tedde - www.ilritratto.net
Mike Sibley ci dimostra come con delle semplici matite si possano creare delle vere e proprie opere d'arte. Specializzato nella rappresentazione realistica di animali e paesaggi, profondo conoscitore di tecniche sofisticate capaci di ingannare lo spettatore e fargli credere che nel disegno ci siano molti pił dettagli di quanti in realtą siano presenti...

David Barron - Mothblog.com
Mike Sibley is a well-known British graphite artist. His book, Drawing from Line to Life, was published last year. To his many fans, this was a long-awaited event, and it created a lot of excitement. The book even has its own Yahoo group. For anyone interested in graphite drawing, especially in a realistic style, this book will provide a feast of information. There is bound to be something new to learn for everyone as Sibley is a very experienced artist who has developed many tricks over the years. I have to admit that I don't particularly like his art, but one cannot fail to admire his technique. I can't recommend it highly enough.