Book Review: The Artist’s Guide to Sketching by Gurney and Kinkade
James Gurney and Thomas Kinkade’s classic sketching guidebook is refreshed and expanded in the newest edition, coming to booksellers February 25.
Here’s my take on the expanded and remastered edition of The Artist’s Guide to Sketching by James Gurney and Thomas Kinkade—how the new edition revives an old classic, what sets it apart from the original—and whether or not I qualify to be a real hoister.
Rebirth of a classic sketch guide
If you enjoy sketching from life, painting en plein air, or urban sketching, you’ve likely heard of The Artist’s Guide to Sketching: A Handbook for Drawing On-the-Spot written and illustrated by James Gurney and Thomas Kinkade.
In 1980, the two friends quit art school and hopped onto a freight train in California to begin the adventure of a lifetime—sleeping in stacks of hay and on burnt-out piers in New York City—dodging the rail police—all for the sake of art—and writing this perennial guide to sketching in the process.
Used copies of the original hardcover now usually fetch somewhere between $65 and $250, and it seems like people have been asking for an affordable reprint forever. Well, that day is finally arriving!
If you’re familiar with the first edition, and/or thinking about getting yourself the new one, you’ll want to read my review. Some things have stayed the same in the new version, while others have changed.
Things that stayed the same
The artwork from the original edition is still there, but in higher resolution; the text has remained the same except for captions under photos of sketching supplies, which have been updated to reflect today’s availability.
Both versions of the book are broken into these chapters:
The experience of sketching
Materials
Achieving accuracy
Capturing motion
Creating mood
Using imagination
Studying nature
Sketching people
Exploring the man-made world
Sketching in your life
The first chapter covers things like sketching in different kinds of weather or in the presence of onlookers. The last chapter talks about how you can make sketches work for you, and what to do with them once you’ve finished. The rest of the chapters are pretty self-explanatory.
Things that changed
With the 2025 edition of The Artist’s Guide to Sketching in hand, I carefully compared it page-by-page to the original, 1982 edition. Here are some of the main differences.
New title, cover, intro, and publisher
The title has been simplified to The Artist’s Guide to Sketching (without the long subtitle, A Handbook for Drawing On-the-Spot). A new tagline is found on the cover: “The Classic Book about Making Art on Location.” The soft cover features a velvety matte finish with glossy accents.
A new, six-page introduction by James Gurney features previously unpublished photography and artwork and explains how The Artist’s Guide To Sketching came to be. (Thomas Kinkade unfortunately passed away in 2012 due to complications stemming from substance abuse.)
The original publisher was Watson-Guptill; the new one is Andrews McMeel (also publisher of James Gurney’s Color and Light and Imaginative Realism).
Original illustrations re-scanned
Whenever possible, the original illustrations by James Gurney and Thomas Kinkade were located and, with the cooperation of the Kinkade family, scanned at higher resolution and in full color for the 2025 edition (the old edition was in black and white). James Gurney says—
“Another publisher wanted to print the book, but they were going to just print it from the earlier edition, rather than from the original art. I'm glad we held out, even though it was a lot of work.”
The new scans are, by and large, sharper and better-looking than those in the 1982 edition. The artwork generally appears a bit darker in the newer version, and some subtlety can be lost in the darkest areas. Only one or two illustrations are actually softer (I’d guess the original art could not be located, and what we see are copies of copies).
Other drawings now show the patina of forty years in storage—offering a different perspective to when the art was new and the artists were still in their twenties. The new edition is not just a guide to sketching, but also a time capsule of the book, the art, and its history.
New artwork
Some previously unpublished artwork from the early 1980s and behind-the-scenes photos of Gurney and Kinkade at work appear in the new introduction.
Near the front is a collaborative sketch called Pittsburgh that does not appear in the original, either. This is a nice touch, as almost all artwork is credited to one artist or the other, but not both.
In the last pages, two illustrations have been added: Propeller by James Gurney, and on the very last page there is an untitled, uncredited sketch of a pair of well-worn work boots. Maybe the identity of the artist—Gurney or Kinkade—has been forgotten, mirroring the Pittsburgh sketch on which they both worked?
Updated art supplies
New photos have been taken of the sketch supplies—using mostly vintage items that are still in use today. Some have been replaced by newer versions, and useful tools like erasers or pencils with thicker lead have been added.
Formatting and art direction
Smart design choices were made in the formatting of pages, font selections, and heading styles, making the text easier to read and the layout more modern, consistent, and logical. Fonts designed by James Gurney are used for chapter titles and drop caps throughout the book.
Other changes
All artwork in the first book is represented in its new counterpart. Some artwork has been cropped or stacked in such a way that different parts are revealed or hidden. Handwritten notes are edited out of at least one sketch. Some smudges have been repaired—I’m guessing digitally.
A two-page spread of a mountain scene appears to have been forensically reconstructed (brushstrokes have disappeared, rocks re-shaped). My understanding is that the original went missing, and it had to be carefully replicated using transparencies. (My one quibble is, I wish that the caption acknowledged the alteration.)
Lastly, copy from the original hardcover dust jacket flaps is not part of the new softcover book.
Price
A used copy of the 1982 version can cost more than $250. The 2025 edition is available for pre-order on James Gurney’s website (signed and personalized, if you like) for US $29.99, plus tax.
Final thoughts
When my copy of the book arrived, James Gurney had thoughtfully thrown in a few extras for fun. There was a caricature of himself and Tom drawn on the title page in Sharpie, declaring that I, too, am a “true hoister” (their term for an adventuring sketch artist who travels by freight car, as they did).
There were a few stickers, and some postcards with reproductions of some of the book’s illustrations on one side and an old-fashioned postcard reverse.
The Artist’s Guide to Sketching—which was always a good artist’s handbook—has improved with new material, better formatting, and full-color illustrations. A youthful Gurney and Kinkade step off the pages into the present day, inviting us to join in their past adventure—recording everyday life in sketchbooks more than forty years ago.
The new edition published by Andrews McMeel has the exact same dimensions and cover stylization as Color and Light and Imaginative Realism (and presumably the upcoming Gouache in the Wild) by James Gurney, and it will sit handsomely alongside them on your book shelf.
Order The Artist’s Guide to Sketching—available everywhere February 25, 2025 (this is not an affiliate link, and not a paid review).
Listen: American Art Collective podcast where James Gurney speaks about the book.
Thanks for your detailed and thoughtful review! I received my package but haven't got around to looking inside -- I'm in a depression, perhaps from the weather. That's why I appreciate your taking the time to review the book, which encourages me to look into mine. Since your post is public, I'd like to share it with my friends on the Dinotopia Message Board if that's OK with you. Breathe deep, seek peace everyone!
Great review !! Thank you.