Drawing Is... Your Guide to Scribbled Adventures

As the title’s ellipsis hints, Haidle (Christo and Jeanne-Claude Wrap the World) takes an expansive approach to drawing that covers much more than the mechanics of putting pencil to paper. Calling the act “two-dimensional traveling,” exploratory text strikes an intimate chord that should immediately put any audience at ease, extending into ideas about consciousness and self-discovery, and aligning the act with everything from “focusing” to “growing” to “magic.” Hand-written invitations (“Can you find at least a corner of your brain that is comfortable with not-knowing?”) and affirming declarations (“A drawing is evidence... that you are alive, you exist!”) urge readers to approach the empty page with curiosity. Brief interstitials offer concrete instruction on fundamentals including scale, contrast, texture, and pattern, and suggested practices draw on inspiration from artists including Lynda Barry, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Hokusai, Yayoi Kusama, and the surrealists. Executed in pencil, ink, gouache, and graphite powder, with strategic bursts of digital color brightening the grayscale palette, the book itself is a work of art that reflects the thoughtfulness, spontaneity, and discipline championed throughout its pages. It’s like having a series of conversations with a cool, totally nonjudgmental, knows- the-ropes friend. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Repeatable exercises conclude. Ages 8–12. (May)