Fangirl Gets the Artist’s Guide

 

The new (left) and original versions of a seminal book on urban sketching

Way back in July, I mentioned that I was reading the newly republished version of the long out-of-print book, The Artist’s Guide to Sketching. Written by James Gurney and Thomas Kinkaid in 1982, the book captures both the philosophy and practice of what we all now think of as urban sketching. My review has finally been published in On the Spot, Gabi Campanario’s online ‘zine of graphic journalism.

A long-time follower of Gurney’s YouTube channel, I was delighted by how closely his and Kinkade’s approach to urban sketching aligned with my own. Although I could never see myself at any age doing what they did, I admired and envied their sheer joy of drawing that led them to hop freight trains across the country just to sketch. Theirs was the ultimate urban sketching adventure!

After thoroughly enjoying the rereleased version, I became curious about how hard it would be to obtain a copy of the original edition. Even as my commitment to downsizing has kept me from purchasing most hard copy books, it felt important to me to own the original. I had heard that copies sell on eBay for a hundred bucks, but with only a bit of searching, I found a used copy online for about $30 (the same price as the new edition).

I took my fangirling one step further: I emailed Gurney and told him of my intention to purchase a copy of the new version directly from his website. I asked whether he would be willing to autograph the original edition I had purchased, along with the rereleased copy. He graciously agreed, so I shipped the old book to him. Then he returned it along with the new copy I had purchased – both delightfully autographed!

The new edition is definitely an improvement. All the original images have been reproduced in color and of higher quality, and the new book includes drawings of that era that were not included in the original edition. Still, it’s fun to know that the original was the outcome of two young men sketching across the country, selling portraits in bars at night to make a buck. And it’s inspiring that 43 years later, their words still resonate with modern urban sketchers (at least this one).