An Introduction to Painting Portraits

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 is exactly what Rosalind Cuthbert provides in An Introduction to Painting Portraits. From understanding proportion and developing fluency to selecting the right medium, all the basics are covered in her down-to-earth practical approach. The opening chapters discuss light and shade, foreshortening, composition and design and explain the importance of choosing a palette that will enable the mixing of colours to achieve skin tone values. Step-by-step demonstrations accompany the text, where different media are explained in detail, giving examples of what to use to create specific effects. Among those featured are acrylic, oil, watercolour and pastels. With a wealth of illustrative material from a host of contributors, An Introduction to Painting Portraits offers an inspiring and energetic approach to this very personal art.