- Drawing
- Dinosaurs
I know one such kid, so I was delighted to come across this book. With clear step-by-step instructions, the author/illustrator shows the process for drawing realistically proportioned dinosaurs of all kinds. There is plenty of amusing side comments interspersed in the illustrations. On top of all that, Mr. Silvani provides facts about the dinosaurs, including explanations of what things we know for sure and those we do not know for sure.
I loved that the author provided plenty of outlets for the child illustrator to take their own creativity into account. We don’t know what type of outer covering many of the dinosaurs had, so it would be fun to draw the dinosaurs with feathers, for example. He consistently puts the dinosaurs in motion by having them do silly non-dinosaur things. What a great way to remind kids that their illustrations can tell their own stories!
The book was organized by dinosaur type, for the most part. There is also a section giving tips on how to fine-tune one’s illustrations and the types of settings to draw. This is a book that does not shy away from challenging the young illustrator. I believe it is best suited for the child that already loves to draw and already loves dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are described with background understanding in mind, and the how-to-draw samples, while carefully explained, are definitely for someone with a stronger understanding of shapes and drawing than myself!
If I was artistic (and I am completely not!) this would be a fantastic book. Since I’m not artistic, I’ll have to make do with getting it for a certain kid I have in mind!
Note: I received a digital review copy of this book for review consideration.
