Basic Portrait Techniques

Library Journal

North Light Books, one of the foremost publishers of art instruction material, has put together what at first glance seems redundant. Editor Wolf has compiled the published work of eight artists in a field that doesn't lack for publications. Roberta Carter Clark's How To Paint Living Portraits ( LJ 9/1/90) is among the best, covering portraiture in charcoal, oil, and watercolors. Wolf's compendium, however, is more than the sum of its parts. It goes beyond Clark by exploring the media of oil, watercolor, pastel, colored pencil, and pen and ink. Moreover, it presents the art of portraiture through the methods of eight contributing artists, thus broadening the possibilities for developing technique. The book is smoothly edited into sections on materials and color, basic facial structure, age groupings of models, and methods of painting from both live models and photographs. Highly recommended for all art instruction collections.-- Daniel J. Lombardo, Jones Lib., Amherst, Mass.