Author Maggie Rosier provides insight into the skill of drawing 8 different robots illustrated by Steve Porter.

The beginner should start by drawing from a picture before drawing from their imagination. Basic supplies include drawing pencils with both soft (B) and hard (H) lead, in addition to colored pencils, paper, eraser, and black ink pen.

Drawing each robot is broken down into 5 steps beginning with the rudimentary basic key shapes, secondary shapes / appendages,  robot specific appendages/ gadgets,  fine detail, and finally shading and coloring.

Each robot is introduced with a mini-bio description of its different skills, abilities, attributes, and how body follows function.

Along the way, insets provide tips: go from light to dark, highlights, break it down to basic shapes, and test color combinations before coloring actual drawing.

Includes: glossary, index, and www.factsurfer.com.

These fairy tales are not too long, not too short, they’re just right! Seven fairy tales are retold and illustrated by London born and Liverpool School of Art trained Tony Ross. Ross’ pencil and paint strokes are simple, if not crude, yet the movement and emotions are well defined!

Of Ross’  seven favourite  fairy tales, I was only familiar* with three of them: The Hedley Kow, The Musicians of Bremen*, Sweet Porridge, Rumpelstiltskin*, Prince Hyacinth and the Dear Little Princess, Fairy Gifts, and Beauty and the Beast*. The stories’ length averages 10-14 pages long with the ratio of picture to text often 1:1 or greater.

I particularly enjoyed the characters not retelling their story numerous times by the narrative stating “the girl explained”.