Expressive Portraits: Creative Methods for Painting People [Hardcover]

Jean Pederson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2007

Paint beautiful and expressive portraits by combining watercolor with other mediums!

What makes an eye-popping, eye-stopping portrait? It's all about contrast and the play of opposites, round shape against square, light against dark, transparent with opaque. Combining mediums allows you to push the inherent properties of each for a lively play of opposites. You'll be able to paint glorious lights, richer darks, intriguing texture and mysterious passages that create mood and a strong sense of place, space and character. Jean Pederson gives you all the advice and instruction you need to paint beautiful, expressive portraits filled with life and spirit. Let your portraits speak to the world!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jean Pederson is a contributing editor for The Artist's Magazine and has written for Watercolor Magic as well. Her work has won several awards and in addition to appearing in F+W magazines, her work has appeared in International Artist and Splash 8 and Splash 9. She is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, the Canadian Institute of Portrait Artists, Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour and other professional organizations. She has a background in education and teaches workshops around the globe. She lives in Calgary, Alberta Canada. www.jeanpederson.com

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books (November 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581809530
• ISBN-13: 978-1581809534
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Arts & Photography > Painting > Portraits

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expressive Portraits Creative Methods for Painting People, July 21, 2009

By 

Claire Hall - See all my reviews

This review is from: Expressive Portraits: Creative Methods for Painting People (Hardcover)

EXPRESSIVE PORTRAITS
By Jean Pederson

Jean Pederson's book, Expressive Portraits, is a must for every artist's library and, particularly, for the portrait artist. Artists at any level will find Jean's book both innovative and instructive. This well-written and pictorially illustrated book of 125 pages divided into five 5 chapters packs a wealth of knowledge from choosing one's materials to innovative methods of using mixed media in painting the portrait. Along with reviews of the body's proportions and a guide to drawing and painting the facial features and proportions, Jean reviews the principles and elements of design and instructs how to use these elements in planning one's composition. Next, she explains and illustrates the actual painting of the portrait including color strategy and layering paint. Finally, through demonstration, she incorporates creative methods of using various water media within the portrait and background that brings the painting to an exciting completion. The reader will find Expressive Portraits easy to read, enjoyable, and informative.

Review by Claire Hall, GWS
June 12, 2009

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic! But had hoped the mediums were different..., February 13, 2008

By 

Romeocar (Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Expressive Portraits: Creative Methods for Painting People (Hardcover)

What an amazing artist. I love her contemporary take on portraiture. I'm hoping to adapt her techniques to acrylics or oils on board and/or canvas, rather than watercolor and gouache on paper. She does use some acrylics however, and overall I give this a thumbs-up. Very inspiring!

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring!, February 6, 2008

By 

L Guiot ":O)" (The Woodlands, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Expressive Portraits: Creative Methods for Painting People (Hardcover)

This is a nice inspiring book. I just don't give it 5 stars because i was expecting to find skin color recipes and the step by step demonstrations are not too specific to follow them.