Donovan Bixley is a rock star equivalent in the publishing industry, having created a successful career out of creating more than 120 bestselling children's picture books. His illustrations are instantly recognisable and much enjoyed by young and old. His new book, Draw Some Awesome is something a little different – it's a guide for helping beginners and more experienced artists with all the tips they need to know to find their own drawing style.
It's an interactive book where he takes the reader through warm-up and imagination exercises before sharing all his tips for drawing animals, faces and characters. He goes into things like copying, perspective, thumbnails, shading, shadows and composition. Along the way, he is helped by Leonardo da Vinci, Edgar Degas and Wolfgang Mozart, and he includes numerous examples from his popular books.
I really love this book because Donovan breaks everything down to a level that children can understand, and all his tips are practical and doable for youngsters (and those who are older). There is a load of humour in the book and definitely an emphasis on just giving things a go and not trying to get a drawing perfect the first time around. Draw Some Awesome is also very inspirational, as it has drawings anyone would aspire to do. Who doesn't want to learn how to draw a dragon or dinosaur or unicorn? Who doesn't want to learn how to add expression to characters' faces or create perspective on the page? It's fabulous that Donovan has drawn himself into the book, too, a lovely touch!
Draw Some Awesome is a brilliant book, and every child (or budding artist) should have a copy! It's a book I wish I'd had when I was a child, and one I'll be purchasing to give to all the children in my life.
Reviewer: Karen McMillan
Upstart Press