tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post2675136473243247312..comments2023-06-13T08:29:39.914+00:00Comments on MAKING A MARK: Which are the best books about Portraiture?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-73730129787428467912013-05-16T13:10:48.659+00:002013-05-16T13:10:48.659+00:00I can recommend "Expressive Portraits" b...I can recommend "Expressive Portraits" by Jean Pederson, published by North Light Books. Not only has this book enabled me to achieve reasonable watercolor portraits it has resulted in an improvement in my portraiture in other mediums. My signature picture is a self portrait painted using Jean's methods.<br /><br />My favorite portrait artists are John Singer Sargent and David Hockney.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17484020476553746746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-24119700393579888972013-05-15T10:47:19.584+00:002013-05-15T10:47:19.584+00:00This is a tricky one. I am not one for art instruc...This is a tricky one. I am not one for art instruction books, I prefer either artists monographs or exhibition catalogues. And I cannot say that a particular book has helped me to draw or paint portraits. I am very doubtful there are any books like that, although there are plenty of books on how to draw heads and faces. Painting portraits is like painting anything else.....you paint/draw what you see. Shapes, values, tones, edges...all the painting advice applies to portraits as well as figures, still lives etc etc. So the best books for me were the books that other subjects use: Richard Schmid, Linda Cateura. Catalogues like Dutch Portraits (Ekkart), or books on the pre-raphaelites. But then we come to the areae of personal taste and preference and whether your study Freud or Rembrandt is up to you....Sophiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10305269093118541197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-52846431202058134992013-05-15T06:05:04.025+00:002013-05-15T06:05:04.025+00:00This is a tough one since I don't consider mys...This is a tough one since I don't consider myself a portrait artist.<br />I found myself actually looking forward to what others had to recommend on this subject thus prompting me to take a look at those.<br /><br />However I am going to try to get the ball rolling here.<br /><br />After all the books on drawing/painting the head, of which there are many great ones, what would the portrait artist need?<br /><br />I am going to suggest books relating to the mechanics of the head, specifically 'how it works'.<br />The muscles, how they work and how they make facial expressions and maybe the how that relates to psychological aspect of the portrait.<br />I would think understanding that would be really important to any portrait artist in the same way the mechanics of the body are important to the figure artist, even if doing 'static' poses.<br /><br />The only one I own is <br />The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression<br />by Gary Faigin<br /><br />Another I have seen but do not own is <br />Atlas of Facial Expression<br />by Stephen Rodgers Peck<br /><br />I would give either at least an 8 out of 10.<br /><br />Next I would think books offering insight on portrait making, beyond art technique, would be important<br />I don't know of any specifically but am sure they are out there.<br /><br />So..... c'mon portrait artists... help the rest of us out.David Teterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16747334525619423349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-19022194222548117012013-05-14T07:50:05.244+00:002013-05-14T07:50:05.244+00:00Oops, I inadvertently misplaced my above comment.
...Oops, I inadvertently misplaced my above comment.<br />Was supposed to be previous post.David Teterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16747334525619423349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-83244995512926771632013-05-14T04:39:22.251+00:002013-05-14T04:39:22.251+00:00I'm surprised by the few responses too, especi...I'm surprised by the few responses too, especially since this was an easy involvement post.<br />I would agree portraits being the most difficult since they are subject to more than a mere figurative depiction.<br /><br />Especially true if doing a portrait of family or a well known person. Remember the recent controversial portrait of Kate Middleton?David Teterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16747334525619423349noreply@blogger.com