Paint Lively, Expressive Watercolor Portraits Ready to unlock the secrets of watercolor? With the masterful instruction of Carrie Stuart Parks and Rick Parks, success is within your reach. In this beginner-friendly guide, Carrie and Rick shares their 30-plus years of experience as artists and instructors to give you the tools and techniques for painting lively, realistic watercolor portraits you can be proud of. Detailed step-by-step demonstrations and lots of tips and sidebars help you avoid mistakes, stay loose and have fun. In addition to complete information on supplies and materials, each chapter focuses on a specific aspect of watercolor portrait painting, visually teaching you how to: Handle watercolors with confidence using washes, masking, underpainting and a "less-is-more" approach Map out great compositions by using grids, transferring the drawing, choosing colors and applying masking in the right places Convey light and dark values with precision and impact for striking, lifelike portraits Paint beautiful hair in all styles, colors and textures by building tones gradually Avoid common watercolor missteps (and learn to fix the ones you couldn't help) by following a whole chapter of advice just for those "oops" moments Gain the confidence to "step out of your comfort zone" and work to establish your own distinct and expressive painting style Leave your frustration and fear of watercolor in the past. With Carrie Stuart Parks and Rick Parks you have all the guidance you need to paint the faces you love with skill and style. Get started today! "I want you to have every secret, every tool, every technique, every shortcut, and every success in your painting. I want you to feel that you've found your true artistic style and expression with this medium." —bestselling author and artist, Carrie Stuart Parks

Draw amazingly accurate portraits starting today! Even if you're an absolute beginner, you can render strikingly realistic faces and self-portraits! Instructor and FBI-trained artist Carrie Stuart Parks makes it simple with foolproof step-by-step instructions that are fun and easy to follow. You'll quickly begin to: • Master proportions and map facial features accurately • Study shapes within a composition and draw them realistically • Use value, light and shading to add life and depth to any portrait • Render tricky details, including eyes, noses, mouths and hair Proven, hands-on exercises and before-and-after examples from Parks' students ensure instant success! It's all the guidance and inspiration you need to draw realistic faces with precision, confidence and style!

In the tradition of American painters such as Andrew Wyeth, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, and John Singer Sargent, Mario Andres Robinson shows us how to create beautiful, timeless, classical watercolor paintings through the use of simple, yet sophisticated, contemporary techniques every watercolorist needs to know. Many artists find watercolor difficult to control and are often disappointed with the results. The water meanders across the surface of the paper and, given the proper nuance by the artist’s brush, it will reluctantly settle. Robinson’s approach to the medium of watercolor is primarily traditional but his methods are unconventional. Robinson simplifies the process and teaches artists to layer colors from light to dark and to focus on the highlighted areas first. He teaches that the values should be established in the beginning stages of the painting, using a monochromatic block-in that allows you to glaze pure layers of color over a muted gray underpainting. The results produce more sophisticated, subtle paintings. Further, his “live in the moment” approach embraces watercolor’s unpredictability as part of the process, the end result being a painting with intensity, spontaneity, and beauty. Inspiring, concise, and practical, Mario Andres Robinson gives watercolorists of every skill level—from beginner to advanced to professional—encouraging advice and the must-have materials and techniques information they need to take their realistic painting to the next level, such as: Essential Studio Practices • Materials and Tools • Exploring Your Subject • The Importance of Drawing • Watercolor Techniques • Considering Value • Incorporating Color • Overcoming Watercolor Challenges • An Artist’s Life Richly illustrated, the book features over 100 of Robinson’s luminous, emotive watercolors; works by past and present watercolor masters, including John James Audubon, Henry Casselli, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Michael Lowery, John Singer Sargent, and Stephen Scott Young; 8 in-depth step-by-step painting demonstrations; color charts; product illustrations; and diagrams.

Draw amazingly accurate portraits starting today! Even if you're an absolute beginner, you can render strikingly realistic faces and self-portraits! Instructor and FBI-trained artist Carrie Stuart Parks makes it simple with foolproof step-by-step instructions that are fun and easy to follow. You'll quickly begin to: • Master proportions and map facial features accurately • Study shapes within a composition and draw them realistically • Use value, light and shading to add life and depth to any portrait • Render tricky details, including eyes, noses, mouths and hair Proven, hands-on exercises and before-and-after examples from Parks' students ensure instant success! It's all the guidance and inspiration you need to draw realistic faces with precision, confidence and style!

Popular artist Al Stine shares his secrets and techniques for creating portraits alive with emotion, expression and color. In this book, Stine shows artists how to paint fresh and colorful watercolor portraits that are as unique and alive as the subjects themselves. 210 illustrations.

Anyone can draw - including you! Learn to draw today, even if you've never drawn before! Carrie Stuart Parks and Rick Parks, FBI-trained composite artists and drawing instructors, have taught thousands of people of all ages and skill levels how to turn out impressive realistic drawings. Discover how to: • Train your brain to re-create what you see through observation • Accurately capture main shapes and important details • Make your drawings incredibly lifelike with shading and blending • Identify and fix the parts of a drawing that look inaccurate With concise, memorable lessons and foolproof step-by-step instruction, this book makes learning to draw easy - and fun! Before you know it, you'll be creating picture-perfect illustrations of animals, still-lifes, people, landscapes and more. So if you think you can't draw, think again. Surprise yourself and others with your own spectacular drawings today!"With concise, memorable lessons and foolproof step-by-step instruction, this book makes learning to draw easy - and fun! Before you know it, you'll be creating picture-perfect illustrations of animals, still-lifes, people, landscapes and more. So if you think you can't draw, think again. Surprise yourself and others with your own spectacular drawings today!

Take your work to a whole new dimension Whether you are painting sweeping vistas or intimate still lifes, it's the illusion of dimension that pulls viewers in and really makes your painting pop. Now you can learn the secrets to achieving a convincing sense of depth. Award-winning artist Laurie Humble shares five essential techniques for creating an engaging, push-and-pull dynamic that will enhance your center of interest and give your artwork a realistic, three-dimensional effect. Three lessons transcend style and medium, and can be applied to any painting - either from conception or as a way of rescuing a piece that has fallen flat - for results that really stand out. 12 exercises and mini-demonstrations illustrate the basics of achieving depth and realism 6 complete, step-by-step painting projects show techniques applied to a variety of subjects 6 before-and-after examples illustrate the dramatic difference these concepts can make in a painting