You Can Draw Cute Animals - Yasmina Mattson

AUTHOR: Yasmina Mattson

GENRE: Nonfiction, Art.

RATING: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: Quite simple and helpful methods on drawing cute animals. The focus isn’t just on a few animals but on overall techniques as well.

The purpose of the book is very clear from the title: “You Can Draw Cute Animals”. I love how the title isn’t framed in the form of a question such as “How to Draw Cute Animals”. Instead, the assertion makes the task sound achievable and easy.

The author, Yasmina Mattson, is a self-taught artist. As such, there is a freshness to her teaching techniques. I am sure she is imparting the methods that have practically worked for her in her artistic journey rather than what she might have been taught in some professional art class.

The book begins with a detailed informative segment on the specific artistic tools you can use for paper-based creations such as alcohol markers, paintbrushes, paper, color pencils, and so on. The author also reveals her preferred brands and mentions whether they are expensive or not without going into actual prices. (I appreciate such practical additions.) For every tip, there is an accompanying image that makes the point very clear.

Next come the drawing techniques, beginning with a detailed note on “The Science of Cute”. i.e. What makes cute ‘cute”? I have never read any analysis on cuteness before and found this informative and helpful. Finally, she has a step-by-step demonstration of the drawing process for thirty varied creatures, with many tips interspersed randomly. What I appreciated is her emphasis on clarifying the general techniques for “cute” drawings before going into examples. This way, her method can be extrapolated to any drawing and not just the thirty animals included in the book.

I had grabbed this for my daughter who adores drawing. She skipped through most of the initial content, saying that there was “too much to read” (*eye roll*) and jumped straight to the sketching section. That, she enjoyed thoroughly!

In short, a well-written, detailed, and practical guidebook on ways to incorporate cuteness in your art work. Definitely recommended to anyone interested in this topic. The book isn’t aimed at any particular age, and by virtue of its content, it will be useful to artists of all ages, and to all levels as well, including beginners who are just learning to draw.

My thanks to Quarry Books and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “You Can Draw Cute Animals : A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing and Coloring Adorable Creatures”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.