A sketchbook is an essential tool for the growth of any aspiring artist, but its blank pages can be daunting to even the most motivated. Obsessed with perfection, many wind up treating their sketchbooks more like portfolios than playgrounds. In Drawing Is Magic, author John Hendrix teaches aspiring and advanced artists to find their unique visual voices and become creative daredevils. Through his freeing, offbeat exercises, drawers learn a sophisticated philosophy of creative thinking—in a way that is totally accessible and fun.

Also by John Hendrix: Miracle Man

“Drawing is Magic is like a workbook created by Willy Wonka . . . Hendrix is so entertaining and encouraging in his instructions that budding artists of any age will want to take the book to a nearby corner, pull out a favorite pen and start sketching.”

John Hendrix is a New York Times–bestselling illustrator and author of many children’s books, including Shooting at the Stars, Miracle Man, and his latest, The Faithful Spy. He is chair of design in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.