Ask any artist, and they will tell you that the most enjoyable part of art is sketching. Sketching is a form of art generally used as an aid to finished drawings and paintings. Sketching, though, is a must in almost every branch of art whether it be drawing, painting, sculpture or modeling. Designers, engineers and inventors also need sketching in order to manufacture their products. Although sketching may seem rough and unweildly at most times, and may also look as if it were done without thinking, it is far from being just mindless scribbling. In fact sketching is done from the very spirit of the person that is doing the sketching and only use the hand and eye as vehicles to make images with pencil or pen on paper. There have been many books written on this subject over the years, some were good, some were not so good, and there were a few that were excellent. Such a book is " The Tao Of Sketching " by Qu Lei Lei. This award winning artist provides a new slant to the art of sketching for the artist, especially the western artist. This book gives the reader a hands on course on essential chinese techniques. From the very begining one is easily able to produce inspired sketches of faces and figures, birds,animals and the world of nature.Introducing the sketcher's art from the Chinese perspective, Lei Lei focuses on the sketch as personal fulfilment for the artist. The Oriental people see drawing and painting as a valued meditation in itself. The best thing that one can learn from this book is that the practice of sketching is a powerful means of self-development.The book is awash with many sketches by the author in a variety of mediums, sketched in different parts of the world, and are a joy to see. This is an essential book for anyones book shelf whether you are an artist, designer or other, but it is a must for anyone considering taking up sketching, which is the ultimate art.