Draw Your World: How to Sketch and Paint Your Remarkable Life

About a year ago I purchased Samantha Dion Baker's first book, Draw Your Day. Sometimes books appear at "the right time", and this was one of them. I've spent decades expressing myself in a handwritten journal, which was very therapeutic. However, I wasn't needing to write nearly as often. Much of my external stress had ended, such as work (employment) and twenty-four years of parental caregiving. I've long wanted to begin an art practice, but my father was a trained watercolorist and earned his living and raised 6 children with art; his paintings have always adorned the family walls. It is impossible for me to not compare my efforts with dad's. It's also easy to forget that dad was a graduate of a well-known art school. And, he would be as intimidated by writing as I am by drawing and painting. And so, while not regular by any means, I began small moments of drawing and doodling. I thought about it a lot. I observed the external world more, having spent a lot of time until then focusing on my interior world. My eyes and ears perked up when I learned that Sam's next book, Draw Your World, would be released. I was following on IG a small art business called Art Toolkit, and the owner, Maria Coryell-Martin had a couple of interviews with Baker on YouTube. I began following Sam on IG, loving her posts and her demos on her IG TV (They are awesome!) . I began to learn a lot. I also followed the hashtags #DrawYourDay and #DrawYourWorld, learning how people around the world were inspired by Sam and how they approached subjects such as trees, mountains, people, buildings, etc. I realized that while my world at present is pretty small, that doesn't matter. It's MY world, and actually, I know it's best for me to start small. My dad started small - and when I see some of his early art I see the growth between it and his work of 50 years later. After each "painting" of mine, I also see growth, and I also learn what I could have done differently. Draw Your World has more teaching than Draw Your Day. It will take me longer to get through, allowing me time to savor the lessons. I've always had art supplies, and have purchased more. Learning how to best use them is great fun! But, starting with pencil and paper costs little. Adding crayons or colored pencils for color is inexpensive. A small box of watercolors is also inexpensive. One doesn't need much. Take these tools to your window, front porch, or local park. Draw a leaf or piece of tree bark. Draw a dandelion, or, a teacup. If you follow someone on Instagram, check out who they follow and view those feeds. Follow them if you like what you see. Inspiration is everywhere! Learn from and be inspired by Draw Your World, and view on IG the results of those who have also been inspired by Sam! I admire the vulnerability and courage it takes for people to publicly share their work on social media, and so I occasionally do the same. At the moment I don't "art" every day, but I draw and paint several times per week. If one is interested in beginning an art practice, begin where you are. Work with who you are. Do what you can. If you are intimidated, think of something you do well which other people are intimidated by. All takes practice. Concert pianists practice scales every day. I have a 7-year-old great niece (her birthday is today!) who is an amazing artist. She intuitively understands perspective. She inspires me. She takes joy in her art. I want to be Bridget when I grow up. Finally, none of us is too old to begin. Grandma Moses, a famous folk artist, began painting when she was 78! I have a head start on her.

"Draw Your World" is a lovely work of art in itself. This book is very well written, beautifully illustrated, and full of technical art skills for drawing and painting. Also, there are practice challenges to develop the skills demonstrated in this amazing art book. "Draw Your World" inspires you to train your eyes to see the world around you in so many different ways. Whether it is drawing/painting in nature, an urban setting, while traveling, or just your everyday life; Samantha teaches you how to put your own spin on the process of making art. There is so much packed into this beautiful book. She gives many resources for tools and materials that she uses that you may find helpful to use in your artwork. If you don't have Samantha's first book "Draw Your Day", by all means get that one, too. "Draw Your World" is a great resource for drawing/painting and inspiration for artists at any level. I really love this book!

Love this book. It is a joy to read and encouraging to try the techniques the painter/author is describing and showing. This is how a watercolor book should be! Thank You!

This is an excellent book and most people will really enjoy it, especially if they are just learning to draw and paint. I loved her first book "Draw Your Day" and pre-ordered this one thinking it would be much like the first one with lots of her illustrations and sketchbook instructions. But the first half of the book is devoted to teaching elementary drawing/painting tips, which as an experienced artist, was wasted on me. I look forward to future books but won't pre-order again, but wait to see what the book includes first. The four stars is for the second half, although I wish there were more of her unique illustrations.

My daughter purchased Samantha's first book as a gift for me and I loved it. However, I hesitated buying her second one, Draw Your World, not knowing if it would be much different from her first book. Well I have say that I am so glad that I purchased it! Each of her books provide a unique journey into using art to document your days in a sketchbook. It is her unique artistic style that I love and how she explains what she does in such as way that makes you want to try it. In this book, I learned more about composition and how to set up my pages in various ways. In the second part, it helps to motivate and inspire you. After my sketchbook had sat almost empty for 2 years, the pages are almost completely filled now after buying this book.

This is the 3rd book I have bought from this author. She has a lot of good suggestions and prompts to help you get started. I enjoy her personal examples

Expanding on Draw Your Day, Draw Your World lays out all of the steps to starting a daily drawing practice. Written without pretense, Baker guides the reader first through technical lessons (perspective, shading, color, composition, etc.) and then through inspirational prompts to help get the creative juices flowing. The illustrations throughout the book are beautiful. Written equally for seasoned artists and people with no drawing background, the book (170 pages) has something for everyone. Incredibly inspiring, and so needed in this age of screen/social media overloads and global anxieties.

I’m thankful to Samantha Dion Baker for inspiring me to get back to drawing. This is the second book I’ve read of hers. I’ve been doing more drawing lately because of her books. I can’t wait for her next book, Draw Your Adventures. I’ve pre-ordered my copy already. I’ll be receiving her Draw Your Day sketchbook today for extra inspiration. Thank you for inspiring me to draw more, Samantha.

Great inspiration to encourage drawing. Love the ideas.

كتب هالرسامه جميلين

The way perspective is explained in this book, is just awesome. The starting part can be skipped i.e the materials. Best book for quick learning.

This book is a fresh approach to everyday art! What an inspiration! It’s practical and fun. This is exactly what I needed to get the courage to start drawing and painting again. All the artworks used as illustrations are well thought out, creative and cover a nice range of possibilities. And all of that without depriving the readers of the freedom to explore their own creativity. It’s almost therapy through drawing! Thanks Samantha!

Perfect little book to get you started in drawimg or inspire you to do something new or different!