Beautifully illustrated guide offers 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.

Aspiring oil painters can take a journey with four accomplished oil artists as they follow along with step-by-step demonstrations that feature a variety of techniques and a range of subject matter. Artists of all skill levels will appreciate the appeal of each approach as they learn to paint tropical seascapes, pastoral landscapes, dynamic still lifes, captivating animal portraits, and more. Oil Painting Step by Step walks you through concepts and techniques including underpainting, composition, plein air, and special effects, assuring you a solid foundation in this wonderful art form.

"Traditional Oil Painting is that rare sourcebook that comprehensively covers the most advanced techniques and concepts of oil painting"--P. [2] of cover.

Bestselling artist and writer Hazel Soan delivers a concise and approachable guide to portrait painting, with simple exercises and step-by-step demonstrations. Whether you are using watercolour, oils or acrylic, Learn to Paint Portraits Quickly explains the key elements of catching a likeness in portrait painting in a mixture of mediums. The book is filled with easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step exercises that can be digested in a short period of time, and written in an accessible way for all artists to learn about portraiture. The key elements of portraiture covered in this concise book include: Finding the likeness Creating form – the light and shade The facial features Painting the hair Skin tone and colouring The body, clothing and background Illustrated with Hazel's magnificent, colourful paintings, and with practical advice and demonstrations throughout, this book is the perfect tool to help beginners master portrait painting – quickly.

Easy techniques for true-to-life portraits! If you think all portrait-painting books are the same, think again. This book will inspire you to approach your canvas with renewed (or newly discovered) enthusiasm and confidence. Using modern-day techniques, Luana Luconi Winner shows you how to capture not only a physical likeness, but also the personality and unique, natural expression of your subject. Her direct, relaxed teaching style takes the intimidation out of painting portraits, empowering artists of any skill level and medium to turn ordinary people into exceptional works of art. • Time-tested, easy-to-follow techniques for achieving accurate facial shapes and proportions. • 10 quick-reference color charts make it easy to mix skin tones and hair colors for a full range of complexions and ethnicities. • Mini-demonstrations show how to use a variety of mediums--graphite, charcoal, pastels, watercolor and oils--to create sketches and preliminary studies. • Tips on using a digital camera to generate reference material and troubleshoot your compositions. • Three start-to-finish painting demonstrations in oils and pastels illustrate the particulars of painting males and females, adults and children. Destined to become a classic in its own right, Painting Classic Portraits covers every step in the process--from selecting clothes, backgrounds and props that tell a story, to using design elements to stir emotion in your viewers. It's everything you need to know to create timeless portraits and great paintings.

An inspiring, direct guide to painting beautiful portraits alla prima. Rob Wareing has built a formidable international reputation as a portrait artist. This is his first book, and here he draws on over forty years' experience to provide a complete guide to painting portraits in oils. In Rob's view, the most effective way to capture character is by working from life rather than photographs, and to follow the alla prima method to create a painting in one sitting. Starting with a fascinating overview of the subject, Rob then guides you through the materials he uses, how to pose and light the sitter, and how to prepare your work area before you start painting. This is followed by detailed coverage of design and composition, the importance of proportions, and the painting process itself - from colour mixing through to finishing a painting without over-working. With clear, step-by-step demonstrations and numerous examples of the author's work throughout, this book provides both an expert guide to portrait painting and a unique insight into the working methods of one of the world's leading portrait painters.

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.