Other editions of book Sketching Outdoors in Spring

Early in March, Jim Arnosky, sketchbook in hand, set out to discover the arrival of spring in his Vermont countryside. He had imagined many times just what he would find, and was fascinated to discover that the beginnings of spring were very different from his winterbound expectations.The weather was cold and raw. Most of his sketching was done with gloved hands. The first signal he perceived of resurging wildlife was the call of wood frogs. Early spring wildflowers thrived, but they were in difficult, hart-to-reach places. Everything was in barely perceptible motion. On March 31 he commented, "I am slowly beginning to be surrounded by the things I want to draw."The pictures in this book were drawn from life during one season--spring. Some were sketched in a flash. Others, more detailed, were made when I could sit and look and carefully draw what I was seeing. All the pictures on these pages have been reproduced actual size so you can see them exactly the way they looked to me as I sketched them. As I drew, thoughts occurred to me about the nature of the seasonable subjects I had chosen and ways to capture them on paper. These "drawing thoughts" are included, set apart from the main text.This book is the fulfillment of one spring season spent sketching by the artist and naturalist who created Drawing from Nature and Drawing Life in Motion. As in his earlier books, Arnosky reveals his sure knowledge of drawing the natural world through sincere, down-to-earth commentary and spontaneous, informative illustration. At the very heart of this remarkable work is his sharing of the keen pleasure that can be had sketching outdoors in spring and bringing it all back home.Jim Arnosky encourages "...each and every artist to spend some time each season sketching outdoors. You will find working in the open air refreshing. Weather, fair or foul, somehow invigorates your drawing lines. And each day afield you will produce pictures that you might not otherwise have imagined."