Review & Giveaway: Draw Star Wars - The Clone Wars

When I was growing up, some of my favorite 'books' were put out by Klutz. So when the opportunity arose to check out their new Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars, I was curious too see if the books were still top notch.

The Book

The book is filled with tips and tricks that aim to make you better at drawing. At first I was expecting a howto on drawing various Star Wars characters, however that is only part of what the book offers. There are built-in tracing pages that allow you to trace various characters, with the purpose of getting used to their lines. Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars also starts with the very basics... right down to stick figures and shapes.

One of the things that drew me to Klutz books as a kid were the included toys & tools, and with this book it's no different... included are 3 double-tipped pencils (think pencils with a different color on each end), a black marker, mechanical pencil, and eraser.

The Good

At the risk of sounding like the nerd my wife claims that I am, when it comes to drawing, I am a Padawan learner at best. It was nice that one of the first pages explained some basic dos and don'ts regarding sketches. Things like "don't hunch over," and "work loose, fast, and even messy."

• Tools - I mentioned it already, but the book comes with the drawing tools you need... and the eraser is a good one, not one of those cheap, worthless erasers that leave your paper in shambles.
  
• It starts with the basics - Since I function at a stick figure level, it was good to see that stick figures are the basis for everything.
• Repetitive Tasks - It pounds into your head the four steps for drawing characters (stick figure, shapes, basic details, detailed details).
• Nerd Factor - There is a whole section on the differences between the various Star Wars characters and their lightsabers.

The Bad

When I flipped to page 18 and saw Jar Jar Binks, I almost ripped the page out. Who in their right mind would want to draw Jar Jar Binks? Also, the one tool the book doesn't have is a pencil sharpener. In our house, we don't have a pencil sharpener, so in order to sharpen the colored pencils, I'd have to get out my knife and start whittling. Lastly, depending on the age of your child (or you), some of the repetitive tasks will either inspire you to perfection, or cause you to lose interest and flip to the next section.

Overall

If you or your child is in to drawing, or Star Wars, or both, this book would work for you. I'm a fan of Klutz books, and this one is no exception.

On another note, Klutz is also running a drawing challenge that could win you a signed illustration from the books' illustrator, Grant Gould.

The Giveaway

Over the next two weeks (11/12-11/26) you will have a chance to win a copy of Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars. There are 3 easy ways to get your name in the mix:

• Leave a comment on this post, and tell me what you would do with the book.
• Reply to me on twitter with the tag #dswtcw, and tell me how you'd use the book.
• Go to the Simple Father Facebook page and reply to the Star Wars post on my wall (again saying how you would use the book).

On the 26th I will randomly choose 4 winners (2 via comments, 1 via Twitter, and 1 via Facebook). Feel free to enter using all three options, but only once per option please. Also, this is open to United States mailing addresses only.