Portrait painting atelier : old master techniques and contemporary applications

390 Pages·2010·18.77 MB·English

by  Suzanne Brooker

TITLE PAGE: Will Wilson, Fancy, 2000, oil on linen, 8¾ × 6¾ inches (22.2 × 17.1 cm)
Copyright © 2010 by Suzanne Brooker All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by WatsonGuptill Publications, an imprint of the
Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.watsonguptill.com
WATSONGUPTILL is a registered trademark and the WG and Horse designs are
trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brooker, Suzanne.
Portrait painting atelier : old master techniques and contemporary applications /
Suzanne Brooker.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-82300835-3
1. Portrait painting--Technique. I. Title. II. Title: Old master techniques and
contemporary applications.
ND1302.B76 2010
751.45’42--dc22
2009009647
v3.1
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book was made possible by the generous support of friends, family, students, and
colleagues, with special thanks to James Maloney. To Ron Dalton, for his patience as my
photographer. Many thanks are also due to the Gage Academy of Art, whose encouragement
in my role as an instructor over the last decade is greatly appreciated. To all the artists who
so graciously donated their paintings to this book project, thank you. And most of all, to all
my teachers, who inspired me with your own books and patient teaching, your insight and
guidance should appear on these pages.
Suzanne Brooker, Portraits of Men, Metaphors of Wood: Revelation, 2003, oil on canvas, 22 × 32 inches
(55.9 × 81.3 cm) A portrait can take on the quality of a metaphor when it is combined with an object on a
field of abstracted space. The gesture of the model is further heightened by its cropping and placement within
the canvas, creating a dynamic tension between the model and the background.
To students who strive with passion and persistence to master the art of painting
CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgments
FOREWORD | by Domenic Cretara
INTRODUCTION | Thinking as a Painter
CHAPTER ONE | Studio Practices
Using Your Materials Safely
Caring for Your Brushes
Preparing Your Paint Surface
Organizing Your Palette
Evaluating the Nature of Pigments
CHAPTER TWO | Color Strategies and Color Mixing
Maximizing Your Use of Color Contrasts
Exercise: Focusing on Value, Temperature, and Neutrals
Exercise: Focusing on Flesh Tones
Exercise: Focusing on Toned Grounds
CHAPTER THREE | Essential Techniques
Getting the Most out of Paint Mediums
Internalizing the Paint Application Techniques
CHAPTER FOUR | Facial Anatomy
Analyzing the Basic Structure of the Skull
Learning to See Planar Structures and Values
Shading the Curving Form of the Head
Studying the Three Axes of the Head
Mastering Perspective
Mapping the Key Relationships of the Features
Capturing Gesture and Expression
Examining and Executing Facial Features
CHAPTER FIVE | The Painting Process
Selecting a Toned Ground
Blocking in the Image
Establishing the Underpainting
Building the Painting from Dark to Light
CHAPTER SIX | Demonstration Paintings
Keeping the Process in Focus
Bryson with Kite
Cederic
Cheryl
Sarah
Marion
Pigeon
Michael
AFTERWORD | Troubleshooting Common Problems
Index
Details of Will Wilson’s paintings (from left to right): Roy, Pablo, and Valencia. The full images
can be seen on this page, this page, and this page, respectively.