Although not so obvious from the title, Pencil Sketchingis really about sketching landscapes and architecture. It’s a pretty great book with so many great sketches that it makes you want to get out there and draw nothing but buildings!

In this book, Wang gives a solid overview of pencil use, the strokes produced by various kinds of pencils and different grips and hand/arm movements for sketching. What I really liked was the samples and exercises of strokes that are useful for sketching landscapes and buildings. Some might find this overly simplistic, but as a beginner, I thought it was useful!

There are many pages dedicated to sketching landscapes, especially features that typically surround buildings. I especially like his examples and tips for drawing trees as it’s one thing I struggle with! There is also a section on landforms (hills and valleys) and water. Another chapter covers composition — what to emphasize and what to discard, and how to provide balance to a sketch. And for those who don’t necessarily want to draw on location, Wang also has great tips for sketching from memory, in particular for establishing a framework with the right scale.

In general, the book has quite little text but lots of sketches. Most of the important lessons in the book are explained through sketches, for examples, how to shade to create contrast and give the impression of depth. In fact, the whole last chapter (all 20 pages of it) only has examples of Wang’s sketches. However, even without text, the book has a lot of useful lessons. If you hate reading, this is definitely a good book for you! I, on the other hand, LOVE reading so I wish this book had more pages for me to read!

You can have a look at many more sample pages of Pencil Sketching on Amazon, as well as other reader reviews.

As a fan of architecture sketches and location sketching, Pencil Sketchingis definitely a book I would like to have in my library (The copy I am reviewing is from the library of my university’s Architecture department). I admire Wang’s sketching style and clean lines, so the whole book is eye candy! However, I do crave more content and will continue searching for a better book on sketching architecture.

Pencil Sketching, 2nd edition, is available from most online stores, including Amazon US, Amazon UK, and the Book Depository. If you’re thinking of buying any books from these stores, do consider getting them via my links… I get a commission that will go towards buying more books to review. Thanks!