If the artists in this book have one thing in common, it is their ability to capture the elusive human spirit with their respective mediums - oil, watercolor, pastel, colored pencil, gouache and acrylic. By their example, you'll discover ways to: convey personality with expression or attitude, enhance your subject with color, communicate a certain mood or emotion, portray meaning with symbolism, use light to define your subject, describe your subject with a pose or gesture, tell a story with setting or props, and "set the stage" with design and composition. You'll also get insight on using photos, working from life, composing a multiple subject portrait and more.
"Traditional Oil Painting is that rare sourcebook that comprehensively covers the most advanced techniques and concepts of oil painting"--P. [2] of cover.
The art of portraiture approached its apex during the sixteenth century in Europe with the discovery of oil painting when the old masters developed and refined techniques that remain unsurpassed to this day. The ascendance of nonrepresentational art in the middle of the twentieth century displaced these venerable skills, especially in academic art circles. Fortunately for aspiring artists today who wish to learn the methods that allowed the Old Masters to achieve the luminous color and subtle tonalities so characteristic of their work, this knowledge has been preserved in hundreds of small traditional painting ateliers that persevered in the old ways in this country and throughout the world. Coming out of this dedicated movement, Portrait Painting Atelier is an essential resource for an art community still recovering from a time when solid instruction in art technique was unavailable in our schools. Of particular value here is a demonstration of the Old Masters’ technique of layering paint over a toned-ground surface, a process that builds from the transparent dark areas to the more densely painted lights. This method unifies the entire painting, creating a beautiful glow that illuminates skin tones and softly blends all the color tones. Readers will also find valuable instruction in paint mediums from classic oil-based to alkyd-based, the interactive principles of composition and photograph-based composition, and the anatomy of the human face and the key relationships among its features. Richly illustrated with the work of preeminent masters such as Millet, Géricault, and van Gogh, as well as some of today’s leading portrait artists—and featuring seven detailed step-by-step portrait demonstrations—Portrait Painting Atelier is the first book in many years to so comprehensively cover the concepts and techniques of traditional portraiture.
7th Edition, 8th printing of the original 1941 publication, many added color plates and addenda by Evelyn Payne Hatcher, the artist/author's daughter. A must for art collectors, artists, teachers and art dealers.
How to paint oil portraits like the Old Masters Mona Lisa. Girl with a Pearl Earring. Madame X. The infinite variety and beauty of humankind--like the mysteries behind sparkling eyes, a sly smile or an averted gaze--has captivated artists since the beginning of time. This expanded edition of Chris Saper's best-selling guide, Classic Portrait Painting in Oils, reveals keys for mastering how to paint beautiful portraits in oil to create soulful works of art. Through easy-to-follow lessons and expert oil painting tips and techniques, you'll find secrets for working from life, using reference photos and more to create rich, realistic portraits imbued with timeless character. • 14 step-by-step demonstrations teach how to paint 7 diverse subjects of varying skin tones from life and from photographic reference • Additional exercises reveal expert oil painting techniques for defining facial details, like eyes, mouths, wrinkles, facial hair and eyeglasses • Professional tips for working from life, including ideal session times, posing, seeing and mixing color and even how to work with children • The basics of using natural, artificial, creative and "Rembrandt" lighting to light your subject and convey a mood • Expanded key concepts of "perfect practice," the importance of regularly painting subjects in real time and an insistence on excellent photographic reference material, including a checklist for how to take--and self-edit--your own quality photos • New material on how to approach and execute paid commissions, including step-by-step demonstrations for painting both corporate and family subjects Through Saper's universal techniques, painters of all skill levels will learn to render more realistic portraits of every subject they paint, with predictable and joyful results.
Inspired to paint or enthralled by the world of portraiture A Little Book of Portraits: Beyond the Canvas accompanies the celebrated Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year series and includes sixty-four of the finest portraits painted during the competition with illuminating commentary from the three series judges: Tai Shan Schierenberg, Kathleen Soriano and Kate Bryan. The paintings featured in this book, include portraits of famous sitters, such as Juliet Stevenson and John Humphrys, self-portraits of the artists themselves and commissioned paintings of Hilary Mantel and Sophie Dahl. The judges approach each painting from a different angle and with a unique voice, reflecting their differing specialities within the art world. Between them they uncover the approach, style and effectiveness of each portrait whilst discussing the techniques critical to the success of the painter's brushwork, likeness and perspective. With a wide range of different mediums from oil to charcoal or even soil, the book takes us behind the finished portrait and into the myriad of processes that creates one great work of art. A Little Book of Portraits reveals the skills behind the artist's brush that makes timeless and inventive portraiture.
"This book represents a selection of the artist's portfolio of works throughout his career. Over the past 30 years, Igor Babailov has painted more than 2,000 portraits and hundreds of other works of art, including half of which are in distinguished public, private, corporate and museum collections around the world"--Page 15.
