BESTSELLERS IN THIS CATEGORY!
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Portraits from Life in 29 Steps by John
Howard Sanden, Elizabeth Sanden – Hardcover,
144 pages (August 1999) North Light Books
Creating a likeness of a person is one of the greatest
challenges an artist can face. In this book, John Howard
Sanden makes the challenge much more achievable by breaking
it down into 29 logical steps. Working in the exciting
premier coup tradition, you will learn to execute a finished
portrait in a single sitting, starting with your very
first stroke. Perfected by Sanden over three decades of
painting and teaching, this 29-step method will help you
create convincing, lively portraits every time.
Painting Beautiful Skin Tones With Color & Light in
Oil, Pastel and Watercolor by
Chris Saper Hardcover: 127 pages Publisher:
North Light Books (August 2001)
Written by Stroke of Genius artist Chris
Saper. Artists constantly tell us that they
need guidance for rendering skin tones in their portraiture.
This book helps them overcome this elusive challenge by
providing a clear set of easy-to-follow principles for
painting a variety of skin tones in three major mediums--oil,
pastel and watercolor. The first chapter is rooted in
the basics, showing artists how to recognize and use the
five major elements of painting: drawing, value, color,
composition and edges. From there, artists learn how to
work with light, shadow and color to effectively capture
the beautiful skin tones of various ethnic groups, including
Caucasian, Asian, African-American and Hispanic. Next,
artists discover how to execute the principles learned,
using detailed instruction for color selection, mixing
and application. Four mini-demos, three long demos and
many examples illustrate the lessons. Artists will benefit
from advice on shooting and choosing photographs to paint,
how to edit their compositions and work past their limitations.
Painting Portraits by Everett
Raymond Kinstler, Susan E. Meyer – Hardcover,
144 pages, Revised edition (November 1987) Watson-Guptill
Pubns
 Figure
Painting in Oil by Douglas R. Graves – Paperback,
156 pages (November 1996) Dover Pubns
Handy, well-written guide shows how to paint the nude
figure in an easy-to-follow series of 24 fully illustrated
projects. Materials and equipment; anatomy, proportion;
utilization of hues, tones and values; plus how to paint
major parts of body: head, arms, hands, legs, feet and
torso from front and back. Over 190 illustrations, 33
in full color.
 Portraits
in Oil the Van Wyk Way by Helen Van Wyk –
Paperback, 126 pages (February 2001) North Light Books
Helen Van Wyk mastered the art of portraiture by using
color, shadow and artistic expression to capture the personalities
of her subjects. In her inspiring instructional style,
she teaches artists of all abilities to paint portraits
successfully. |
Light for the Artist
by Ted Seth Jacobs Hardcover: 144 pages Publisher: Watson-Guptill
Pubns (June 1988)
I was unable to find any kind of description for this book,
so it was difficult to know where to place it. It seems to be
relevant to all mediums. I suspect that it also addresses natural
light, so it would not be appropriate under photography. However,
since oil portraiture and the lighting of one's subject is a
large and important topic, I've decided to place it in this
category. —Cynthia Daniel, Owner
Painting the Head in Oil by
John Howard Sanden – Hardcover: 152 pages
Publisher: Watson-Guptill Pubns (March 1976)
 Painting
Portraits
by Everett
Raymond Kinstler, Susan E. Meyer Kinstler – Paperback
Publisher: Watson Guptill Publications; First Printing, 1978
edition (1978)
The Art of Painting Portraits and Features (A Grumbacher Art Library book)
by Joe Maniscalco – Unknown Binding: 30 pages Publisher: Grumbacher (1974)
Joe Maniscalco is father of Robert Maniscalco, who is listed
on this site.
The Fine Art of Portraiture: An Academic Approach
by Frank Covino – Hardcover Publisher: Van Nostrand Reinhold (1970)
 Practical
Portrait Painting
by Frank Slater – Hardcover Publisher: Seeley Service (1949)
 Keys
to Painting Better Portraits
by Foster Caddell – Hardcover: 144 pages Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications
(September 1982)
Oil Painting Portraits (The Dk Art School) by Ray
Smith – First Edition, Hardcover, 72 pages, Dorling-Kindersley
 Richard
Schmid Paints the Figure: Advanced Techniques in Oil
by Richard Schmid – Hardcover: 142 pages Publisher: Watson-Guptill
Pubns (November 1973)
A highly desired and very collectible book and the price reflects
this.
Paint Expressive Portraits in Oils by Paul Leveille – Hardcover,
128 pages, North Light Books, 1997
 
Portraits: Lessons & Exercises to Develop Your Painting & Drawing Technique
(Seeing Things Simply) by Rosalind Cuthbert – Hardcover: 64 pages Publisher:
Book Sales (March 1994)
Portrait painting - the art of capturing a subject's likeness
- is not just a matter of getting the features right. You also
need to convey elements of personality and mood, and this skill
requires plenty of patience and practice. Portraits provides
the tools to help you improve your portraiture techniques. Beginning
with the basics - how to observe the head and shoulders and
the individual features of the face from all angles - it also
describes the differences between babies' faces and those of
older children and fully grown adults. Further information is
given on building up form, dealing with aspects like hair, eyeglasses,
makeup and skin tones, achieving facial expressions, and using
color and lighting to reflect a particular mood. Head and shoulders
portraits are covered, as well as full figure portraits and
groups. The book concludes with a complete step-by-step portrait
demonstration. Throughout, the emphasis of this concise new
guide is on practical advice, plus exercise: to enable you to
improve your powers of observation and build up your technique,
whatever medium you choose to work in. 64 pages. |
An Introduction to Painting Portraits
by Rosalind Cuthbert (Author), Geraldine Christy (Editor), Paul Forrester and Laura
Wickenden (Photographer) – Hardcover Publisher: Chartwell Books (2005)
The question of what makes a good likeness may be impossible
to answer. What you need to know as an artist, however, is how
to go about capturing it and that's exactly what Rosalind Cuthbert
provides. From understanding proportion and developing fluency
to selecting the right medium, all the basics are covered in
her down-to-earth practical approach. This edition is beautifully
illustrated throughout, in full color, with step-by-step demonstrations.
  An
Introduction to Painting Portraits by Rosalind Cuthbert – Paperback:
128 pages Publisher: Apple Press (September 24, 2004)
 Fabric
of Vision
by Anne Hollander Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: National Gallery London (July 1, 2002)
Note: Though this is not an instruction book, I've noticed
that the subject of folds and drapery is something that portrait
artists often have trouble rendering well. Perhaps a study of
how the old masters did it would be helpful. —Cynthia
Daniel, Owner
Accompanying an exhibition at London's National Gallery of Art
in summer 2002, this volume by fashion historian Hollander (Sex
and Suits) demonstrates how artists used garments and draperies
as an expressive means in their paintings. Covering Western
European art from the Renaissance to the 20th century, Hollander
shows how fabric in art reflected each era's social preoccupations,
fashions, and tastes. For example, in the 15th century, representations
of draperies demonstrated a respect for the properties of the
cloth itself, while in the 16th and 17th centuries, rich drapery
became used as an emotive, dramatic element. By the early 19th
century, dress reflected a new classical simplicity, and the
suit became the staple item for men. From then on, women's dress
would be more the focus of emotion and sexuality, until the
20th century, when clothing was subordinated altogether to color
and forms on a flat surface. The text is illustrated by more
than 140 beautiful full-color illustrations of works by such
artists as Tintoretto, Van Dyck, Delacroix, and Picasso. Throughout,
Hollander brings new insight into the fields of both art and
costume history. Recommended for libraries that collect books
on art and costume. —Sandra Rothenberg, Framingham State
Coll. Lib., MA Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
  Portrait
and Figure Painting Book by Wendon Blake – Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher:
Watson-Guptill Pubns (August 1980)
Reader review: This book is billed as a comprehensive
guide to painting male and female portraits, children's portraits,
and the nude figure in oil. It contains 400 illustrations with
over 250 color plates and includes 30 step-by-step demonstrations
in full color. The paintings are all by George Passantino.
The book starts with a few pointers on materials and some black
and white plates illustrating the painting of facial features.
From there it's straight into the 10 adult portrait demonstrations.
Each has from 7 to 11 color plates detailing the steps and each
plate includes discussion on colors used and features modified,
etc. This is followed by a discussion on composition, lighting,
drawing and sketching.
The next section, children's portraits, follows exactly the
same format with 10 children's portrait demonstrations and the
same discussion afterward.
The final section begins with a section on painting the torso,
arms and legs. It then goes through 10 nude figurative demonstrations.
All are female, different poses, and each is accompanied by
a similar number of color plates and discussion. This section
ends with a discussion on body proportions, lighting, and drawing.
The portrait and childrens demonstrations cover different sexes,
ages, and races. All told this book is a very nice set of portrait
and figure demonstrations. It's suited for the beginning or
intermediate artist. If you're familiar with any of the other
painting books by Wendon Blake this is the same format only
much larger.
 Oil
Portraits: Step by Step by Wendon Blake, George Passantino
– Paperback: 64 pages Publisher: Dover Publications (November
1, 1998)
Clearly written, beautifully illustrated guide offers students
and would-be portrait painters a wealth of detailed, practical
advice and valuable insights on how to handle oil paint. Discusses
drying time and basic techniques; planning, composing and lighting
the portrait; oil sketching and drawing with pencil, charcoal,
and chalk. Generously enhanced with over 120 illustrations (including
57 in full color) that act as step-by-step guides to painting
a variety of male and female subjects.
Oil: Portraits (HT238)
by Annette Adrian Hanna – Paperback Publisher: Walter Foster
Pub (May 1, 1992)
Note: Annette won first prize in the American Society of
Portrait Artists
portrait competiton in 1998.
Packed with practical information, helpful tips, and fundamental
techniques, the How to Draw and Paint series offers a complete
library of resources to which artists of all skill levels can
refer again and again.
• Different views to use for portraits
• How to light the subject; the difference between indoor
and outdoor lighting
• Step-by-step instructions for painting a portrait,
including composition, drawing, and color mixing
• How to use value and color effectively
• How to create an effective background for your portraits
• Tips on painting various skin tones and features
• Basic head proportions for children and adults
• How to paint a formal business portrait
Painting the Head in Oil by Margaret Carter Baumgaertner 
Note: "Peggy" Baumgaertner won Best of Show in the Portrait Society of America
2000 portrait competition.
Margaret Carter Baumgaertner's internationally successful DVD's have enriched the lives of portrait artists world wide. Her
DVDs take the artist from conception and drawing to the finished painting.
Each DVD series focuses on a particular area, such as Painting the Corporate Portrait, or Painting the Alma Prima Portrait.
The DVDs are a valuable supplement to Baumgaertner's workshops. The beauty of the DVD is that the artist can watch it over
and over again!
Learning how to interpret information from a photograph or a live model is critical to the success of a painting. Baumgaertner
teaches the portrait artist how to see and how to translate that information and apply it to the painting. Her DVDs are thorough.
Baumgaertner provides detailed information, describes painting techniques, and demonstrates them.
Painting the Corporate Portrait by Margaret Carter Baumgaertner
 Painting
the Ala Prima Portrait by Margaret Carter Baumgaertner
Drawing the Head in Sauce by Margaret Carter Baumgaertner
Oil Painting Videos with
Margaret Holland Sargent 
Six tapes
~ Getting Started in Oil Painting ~ Basic Oil Painting ~ Intermediate
Oil Painting: Floral Arrangement ~ Intermediate Oil Painting:
Metal, Glass & Wood ~ How to Succeed in Portraiture ~ Oil Portraits:
Painting the Head. Buy the set or any individual video.
Click here to contact the artist about ordering.
 
Complete Guide to Portrait Painting by Furman J Finck Hardcover: 207
pages Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications (1970)
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