It is very difficult to define 'sketching'. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as 'a drawing made very quickly and not including much detail. This however excludes sketches where tonal or other minute details are rendered. Leslie Perry, a Western artist, is nearer the truth when he calls it a fine blend of form. proportions, colour, tones and texture.
Although the exact meaning is elusive, sketching certainly calls forth all the skills that an artist can summon. Only with continuous practice can one hope to master the technique. Unfortunately the Art School curricula have consistently failed to give it due importance.
Renowned artists like Andrew Loomis, George Bridgeman, John Vanderpoel, Victor Ambrus and John Raynes have produced excellent books on Anatomy and Sketching. These, however, feature Western men and women. This book is a humble attempt to high-light various aspects of sketching and figure drawing, keeping Indian culture, history and anatomical peculiarities in mind.
A rudimentary knowledge of anatomy is obviously essential to mas-ter the human figure, and I have tried to show it in different poses and angles. I have deliberately included many illustrations depicting people engaged in various daily chores. The few books that were available in our country have dealt with sketching and figure draw-ing rather superficially. So, though they are good, their utility is limited only to guiding primary or secondary school students, leav-ing nothing for the serious student of art. With this book, I hope to fill this lacuna. Apart from figure drawing, I have also included sec-tions on Nature, outdoor sketching and drawing from a live model. Composition, story-illustration and comic strip drawing are also included.
While it is impossible to thank every person whose help I received, a few names deserve special mention.
My son Milind, an artist in his own right, has given innumerable suggestions to make the book more useful and comprehensive. Mrs. Suniti Halasgikar, Mrs. Suchitra Gokhale, Mrs. Umatai Dhavale, Miss. Alkagauri Joshi, Mr. Ankush Lokhande and Mr. Antesh Tenkale have all spared their valuable time to sit as models. My grandson Satej too has sat patiently! Equally, if not more important, has been the wholehearted support of my beloved wife Anjali and daughter-in-law Kirti.
A word of thanks to Mr. Rahul Deshpande who made available some rare books.
My desire to share my experiences and experiments as an artist would perhaps have never seen the light of day had it not been for Mr. Milind Paranjape of Jyotsna Prakashan. It was he who persuaded me to write this book and turn it into reality. This happy outcome is the result of our long discussions and deliberations.
Not only has my dream been realised of such a book appearing in Marathi and English simultaneously, but I have had the fortune of seeing nine reprints of the first edition in a short span of time.
This second English edition has been revised and rewritten and will hopefully be even more useful for students and artists alike. I thank my artist-friend, Dr. Ajey Hardeekar for the same.
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