Product Description

Artists constantly tell us that they need guidance for rendering skin tones in their portraiture. This book helps them overcome this elusive challenge by providing a clear set of easy-to-follow principles for painting a variety of skin tones in three major mediums--oil, pastel and watercolor. The first chapter is rooted in the basics, showing artists how to recognize and use the five major elements of painting: drawing, value, color, composition and edges. From there, artists learn how to work with light, shadow and color to effectively capture the beautiful skin tones of various ethnic groups, including Caucasian, Asian, African-American and Hispanic. Next, artists discover how to execute the principles learned, using detailed instruction for color selection, mixing and application. Four mini-demos, three long demos and many examples illustrate the lessons. Artists will benefit from advice on shooting and choosing photographs to paint, how to edit their compositions and work past their limitations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20063 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 128 pages

From Library Journal
A generation ago, books on portrait painting focused almost exclusively on Caucasians. James Horton was one of the first popular writers to explore the full range of color differences in his How To Paint Skin Tones (LJ 3/15/96). Saper here presents a similar volume that does not markedly improve on Horton's. Like Horton, Saper, whose portraits are held in private and corporate collections, sets out principles for painting a full variety of skin tones in several media, including oil, pastel, and watercolor. Both authors give advice on shooting and choosing photographs as references. Libraries that already have Horton's volume on the shelves can pass on this. For those that don't, Saper's book is an essential purchase.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Chris Saper's portraits are currently held in private and corporate collections throughout the US and Canada. Her award-winning work has been featured in several books, including The Best of Portrait Painting. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

Customer Reviews

Quite useful and innovative book
The explanation texts associated with photos and paintings are technically accurate and clearly comprehensive in such a way very few authors are used to doing. Subject performs diversified approaches covering watercolor, pastel and oil with in depth analyses and subtle interpretations on the alternative effects in skin paintings.The systematic organization of the matters allow every artist to follow the indicated trajetory to improve his knowledge and practice or test whatever is presented.

Found the way
Great work for painters...

The book was ordered to find out what I did wrong in painting portraits in oil. Clearly instructed by the book I now improved my skills dramatically, especially painting eyes... with the look of love.

Not as useful as I had hoped
I happen to think the pictures in this book are beautiful. I wish I could achieve the same level of competence with color. By buying the book, I hoped to improve my ability to quickly make sound color choices, but try as I have, I just can't get the needed information from this book. I have purchased quite a few books on painting, and some have really helped me. The really frustrating thing is that it's obvious she knows what she's doing, but equally obvious she has a hard time communicating it.

If you already understood the topic, I'm sure you would get some comforting reassurance from seeing that which you have grasped reaffirmed. If you are not already a good artist, it's pure misery to try and figure out what she is saying. I have read every word and studied every picture in some cases 3 to 5 times, and I have taken little away.

I'm sure that if she were watching me paint, I would eventually understand what she is teaching, but I was not able to get much from the book. I did enjoy looking at the pictures, but the text is pure torture.