Charley Harper masterfully portrayed a host of species using simple lines and shapes. This sketchbook gives you the opportunity to learn how Harper captured his subjects with the fewest possible visual elements. For each of the 28 birds featured herein, we’ve included a four-page presentation. On the first page, you will find line drawings that show a three-stage process for re-creating Harper’s image. The line drawings build on each other: the first one presents the most basic shapes, the second further develops the form of the bird, and the third completes the image with all the details. Following the line drawings are two uncoated sheets on which you can mimic these lines and shapes. Harper’s original full-color bird image completes each sequence. The sketchbook progresses from the simpler of Harper’s bird images to the more complex. In some cases, the line drawings present a slightly modified version of the original art. At the end of this book, you will find thirty pages for your continued sketching, be it using Harper’s style or your own bold and unique approach. Happy bird sketching!

Wire-O bound sketchbook
Introduction with instructions and brief essay about Charley Harper and his art
Full-color insert showing all the birds in the book
Three sequential line drawings that show how to draw each bird plus two blank, uncoated pages for drawing Harper's original image in full color.
At the end of the book: 30 blank, uncoated pages for further sketching

• Inspires closer engagement with nature
• High-quality paper is perfect for pencil and pen sketches
• Binding allows for lay-flat use

Size: 8.25 x 10.25 in.

ISBN 9780764965487

Charley Harper

Midcentury modernist Charley Harper (American, 1922–2007) portrayed the natural world with heart and humor. In vivid colors and simple shapes, his cardinals, ladybugs, and clever critters have become icons of wildlife art. His illustrations were published in magazines and books, notably Ford Times and The Giant Golden Book of Biology. A longtime conservationist, Harper created posters for more than 50 nature- and conservation-oriented organizations. His US National Park Service posters—massive, requiring a year each to paint—showcase delightful depictions of entire ecosystems in a style he defined as “minimal realism.” In his adopted hometown of Cincinnati, his public works are the legacy of an artist truly beguiled by the wild, one whose art was a quiet catalyst for ecological action.