Portrait Painting - The definitive Guide: Drawing, Watercolour, Oil, Pastel, Acrylic

Contents:
Anatomy, Proportions, Perspective, Form: all the rules you need to know
45 step-by-step demos to help you progress

Portrait basics:
- Getting the flesh tones right
- Painting with a live model
- Representing the ages of life
- Ethnic portraits- 60 hints and tips showing you the essentials needed to make great works of art, from our team of top art instructors.

Everything you need to know about:
- Realism and resemblance
- Successful portraits
- Facial expressions
- Group and intimate portraits
Some of the great artists of today invite you into their studios and reveal the secrets of their techniques.

A serene approach to the art of portrait painting

In the opinion of a very large number of artists, whichever techniques they may use, the portrait is one of the most complex and delicate genres in existence. More than a simple arrangement of shapes, a successful portrait must demonstrate sensitivity and expressiveness. It must go beyond mere resemblance in order to show the humanity of the model. Oscar Wilde once wrote that each portrait is in fact a self-portrait, as it reveals the soul of the artist who created it. Like a mirror, it says as much about the model as it does about the artist who painted it.
Whether it is the intensity of an intense gaze, the play of shadows on a child’s round head or the furrows on a face marked by time, portrait is a genre that lends itself to all the research and audacity of artists. In this second issue of The Art of Painting, you will find all the artists’ secrets that, we hope, will inspire you to tackle the genre yourself. The first part offers you the technical foundations of the genre, allowing you to learn all the tips and tricks and hone your skills, before you embark on your own achievements. A chapter is then devoted to each of your favourite artistic techniques: pastel, watercolour, oil, acrylic... without forgetting drawing, to which another complete chapter is also dedicated... Which colours should you choose for complexions? What about getting the shapes of the face right? Which proportions should you especially look out for? How can the background enhance the portrait? These are just some of the many questions that are answered in the following pages. We hope you will enjoy them!
Happy painting!