---
product_id: 13645532
title: "How to Draw Cool Stuff: Shading, Textures and Optical Illusions"
price: "1111295₫"
currency: VND
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.vn/products/13645532-how-to-draw-cool-stuff-shading-textures-and-optical-illusions
store_origin: VN
region: Vietnam
---

# How to Draw Cool Stuff: Shading, Textures and Optical Illusions

**Price:** 1111295₫
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** How to Draw Cool Stuff: Shading, Textures and Optical Illusions
- **How much does it cost?** 1111295₫ with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vn](https://www.desertcart.vn/products/13645532-how-to-draw-cool-stuff-shading-textures-and-optical-illusions)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

How to Draw Cool Stuff: Shading, Textures and Optical Illusions [Holmes, Catherine] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. How to Draw Cool Stuff: Shading, Textures and Optical Illusions

Review: An enjoyable and "cool" sequel to the first How to Draw Cool Stuff book by Holmes - If you liked Catherine Holmes' first book, How to Draw Cool Stuff: A Drawing Guide for Teachers and Students, then you'll like this sequel as much. Once again, Holmes opens with similar encouragement and general tips for students, slightly reworded (and some saved/elaborated upon for an ending in this book rather than ending abruptly with a lesson). The teacher specific instructions aren't as extensive; personally I think inserting the same instructions verbatim from the first book would be fine for continuity and a refresher. This book includes a table of contents (hooray!) whereas the first didn't. This book is structured like the first with each lesson containing the know, understand, do and vocabulary prior to actually drawing. I think this works great for teachers and students alike. If students understand the principles behind the lesson, they are more prepared for the actual mechanics of drawing. Many will probably produce better, more skilled artwork with this background knowledge. This book, as the title suggests, covers shading, textures and optical illusions. Lessons are new and not repetitive from the first book. Shading lessons include flowers, ribbon, a pear, and a portrait. Then some lessons are broken down into a line art drawing (studies simple shapes, curves, etc.) and their counterpart shaded version. Other lessons include the skeleton, mandalas (I especially like the personalized mandala), a dreamcatcher, Zen Doodles, optical illusions, and "impossible objects" ( MC Escher-esque geometrics). Zen Doodles are basically zentangles, but covered briefly from a beginner standpoint. The "cool stuff" section includes a chain link heart lock, hourglass, baseball cap, koi fish, t-Rex dino, self portrait with text, Rube Goldberg machine, sugar skulls and a human heart. Some students might not find some of these to be "cool," but most should enjoy at least some of them. The basics of the human head portrait are repeated, but not the detailed features like eyes and lips as in book one. One thing I would've like to seen: -- an illustration showing how the placement of shading changes with the position of the light source The book wraps up with encouraging tips such as the uniqueness of your own art and the rewards of creativity. How to Draw Cool Stuff: Shading, Texture, Pattern and Optical Illusions is a worthy sequel and Holmes fans will enjoy it.
Review: Probably one of the best drawing books ever written - This review is for the Kindle version. I am always cynical when I buy drawing books because most start with ellaborate drawing exercises the author tells you to do daily. Which if that is not part of your daily drawing routine you are short changing yourself. When I was in the military there was a saying train as you fight and I have always practiced that motto which has paid dividends with this book. The book starts out simple to complex, which any logical drawing book should. The first chapter is is about more efficient ways of drawing proportional basic 3D geometry. This has made my basic shape practice vastly efficient, I am not filling whole pages just to get the proportions correct. As you get further into the book things start to get more complex with proper shading techniques and which pencils should be used in which ways. Then into mandalas which are extremely complex but the way Catherine lays them out the process is easy. I will definitely pickup her other books due to her method of instruction that out the complex drawing theories and makes them easy to digest. One thing I would like to add her other book some reviewers have bashed because of the content. As a beginning artist you want maximum exposure to everything. This will directly tie into whatever discipline you choose to draw and will make you more well rounded regardless of your beliefs. If you serious about drawing progression I would highly recommend this book. It has opened my eyes to the other diluted drawing books I own.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #74,385 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #35 in Illustration and Graphic Design #93 in Pencil Drawing |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (4,168) |
| Dimensions  | 8 x 0.54 x 10 inches |
| Edition  | 1st |
| ISBN-10  | 0692382518 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0692382516 |
| Item Weight  | 1.02 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Part of series  | How to Draw Cool Stuff |
| Print length  | 239 pages |
| Publication date  | March 7, 2015 |
| Publisher  | Library Tales Publishing, Incorporated |

## Images

![How to Draw Cool Stuff: Shading, Textures and Optical Illusions - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81QRyGM+qPL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An enjoyable and "cool" sequel to the first How to Draw Cool Stuff book by Holmes
*by B***H on March 16, 2015*

If you liked Catherine Holmes' first book, How to Draw Cool Stuff: A Drawing Guide for Teachers and Students, then you'll like this sequel as much. Once again, Holmes opens with similar encouragement and general tips for students, slightly reworded (and some saved/elaborated upon for an ending in this book rather than ending abruptly with a lesson). The teacher specific instructions aren't as extensive; personally I think inserting the same instructions verbatim from the first book would be fine for continuity and a refresher. This book includes a table of contents (hooray!) whereas the first didn't. This book is structured like the first with each lesson containing the know, understand, do and vocabulary prior to actually drawing. I think this works great for teachers and students alike. If students understand the principles behind the lesson, they are more prepared for the actual mechanics of drawing. Many will probably produce better, more skilled artwork with this background knowledge. This book, as the title suggests, covers shading, textures and optical illusions. Lessons are new and not repetitive from the first book. Shading lessons include flowers, ribbon, a pear, and a portrait. Then some lessons are broken down into a line art drawing (studies simple shapes, curves, etc.) and their counterpart shaded version. Other lessons include the skeleton, mandalas (I especially like the personalized mandala), a dreamcatcher, Zen Doodles, optical illusions, and "impossible objects" ( MC Escher-esque geometrics). Zen Doodles are basically zentangles, but covered briefly from a beginner standpoint. The "cool stuff" section includes a chain link heart lock, hourglass, baseball cap, koi fish, t-Rex dino, self portrait with text, Rube Goldberg machine, sugar skulls and a human heart. Some students might not find some of these to be "cool," but most should enjoy at least some of them. The basics of the human head portrait are repeated, but not the detailed features like eyes and lips as in book one. One thing I would've like to seen: -- an illustration showing how the placement of shading changes with the position of the light source The book wraps up with encouraging tips such as the uniqueness of your own art and the rewards of creativity. How to Draw Cool Stuff: Shading, Texture, Pattern and Optical Illusions is a worthy sequel and Holmes fans will enjoy it.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Probably one of the best drawing books ever written
*by K***F on May 3, 2020*

This review is for the Kindle version. I am always cynical when I buy drawing books because most start with ellaborate drawing exercises the author tells you to do daily. Which if that is not part of your daily drawing routine you are short changing yourself. When I was in the military there was a saying train as you fight and I have always practiced that motto which has paid dividends with this book. The book starts out simple to complex, which any logical drawing book should. The first chapter is is about more efficient ways of drawing proportional basic 3D geometry. This has made my basic shape practice vastly efficient, I am not filling whole pages just to get the proportions correct. As you get further into the book things start to get more complex with proper shading techniques and which pencils should be used in which ways. Then into mandalas which are extremely complex but the way Catherine lays them out the process is easy. I will definitely pickup her other books due to her method of instruction that out the complex drawing theories and makes them easy to digest. One thing I would like to add her other book some reviewers have bashed because of the content. As a beginning artist you want maximum exposure to everything. This will directly tie into whatever discipline you choose to draw and will make you more well rounded regardless of your beliefs. If you serious about drawing progression I would highly recommend this book. It has opened my eyes to the other diluted drawing books I own.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Nice layout and details for drawing, understandable for middle schoolers
*by R***S on November 10, 2025*

Looks like a great gift for our granddaughter! thanks!

## Frequently Bought Together

- How to Draw Cool Stuff: Shading, Textures and Optical Illusions
- How to Draw Cool Stuff: A Drawing Guide for Teachers and Students
- How to Draw Awesome Stuff: Chilling Creations: A Drawing Guide for Artists, Teachers and Students (How to Draw Cool Stuff)

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vn/products/13645532-how-to-draw-cool-stuff-shading-textures-and-optical-illusions](https://www.desertcart.vn/products/13645532-how-to-draw-cool-stuff-shading-textures-and-optical-illusions)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Vietnam*
*Store origin: VN*
*Last updated: 2026-02-23*