Figure painting in oil, [Paperback]

Douglas R Graves (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1973

Handy, well-written guide shows how to paint the nude figure in an easy-to-follow series of 24 fully illustrated projects. Materials and equipment; anatomy, proportion; utilization of hues, tones and values; plus how to paint major parts of body: head, arms, hands, legs, feet and torso from front and back. Over 190 illus., 33 in full color. Introduction. Suggested Reading.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 158 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications; 1St Edition edition (1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823017028
• ISBN-13: 978-0823017027
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,807,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough guide to painting the figure, November 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Figure Painting in Oil (Paperback)

There are quite a few books on drawing the figure, but unless you find an OOP Walter Foster guide to painting the nude, or want to fork over $ 100 for the Richard Schmid classic, there are very few on painting the figure. This book fills that gap nicely. Covers drawing, skin tones, the difference between color tones for a blonde and a redhead, selecting a model. Everything you need to accomplish the hardest task facing an artist - painting the female nude. The Gnat says buy it!

35 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a treat! Please do not touch!, August 9, 2001

By 

The Artist "The Artist" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Figure Painting in Oil (Paperback)

I first read this book and tried out some projects from it (out of a total of 24) in 1993 and only purchased a copy for myself as a reference recently.

What a treat! Please do not touch (what you see)!

With only 155+ pages, the author thoroughly covered materials (paints, brushes, knives, canvases, mediums), techniques (stretching canvases, brushworks), basic figure proportions (from head to toe), and full figure painting; working in black and white paints; then moved on to colors.

Twenty four projects, working from separate body parts to full figures, going from black and white to colors, are discussed in-length. Different color schemes (based on complexions, such as blonds, red heads, and based on ethnic groups, including western and oriental).

For readers who consider buying this book: The author's techniques involve painting dark-to-light, covering shadow and background in early stages (block-in), then adjusting local colors to achieve appropriate hues and values, finally, going for little details to finish the painting.

If you have actually done some life figure painting in oil, you will appreciate very much the author's analysis on color temperature, light, and shadow. The author's expertise is surely shown in his paintings; these beautiful models have come to live right in front of your eyes.

HAVE YOU NOT BEEN WARNED NOT TO TOUCH!

My final notes, however, are that to most benefit this book, the readers:

- should have a good drawing skill to achieve likeness from a life model. This book does not help if you don't have it

- should read the book and try out some projects

- should apply the guidelines discussed in the book AND paint from REAL MODELS. Only until then will you have a chance to understand the subtleness and beauty of light, color temperature, shadow, as well as techniques presented in the book.

Subconciously, information presented in the book always comes back to me when I am doing life figure painting, to say the least.

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Figure Painting, September 1, 2006

By 

Charlie Vogel (Omaha, Nebraska United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Figure Painting in Oil (Paperback)

I am an amateur in painting and this book is very helpful in determining which colors to use for flesh tones and the anatomy illustrated is a excellent resource for the basic design of the figure. It's a good reference to use for each oil painting project.