How to Paint Skin Tones [Hardcover]

James Horton (Author), Hazel Harrison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995

Problem solving instruction and practical color mixing charts help artists in all mediums master one of painting's most basic and troublesome elements.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Painting skin color in any realistic way is one of the most subtle and difficult tasks for any beginning artist. The traditional study of the early masters of portraiture limits the student, for the most part, to European Caucasians. Horton explores the full range of color differences among races and within races, from the smoothest young skin to the wrinkled marks of age. This book uses comprehensive charts and photographs to ground the student in mixing color in oils, acrylics, watercolors, and pastels. Subtleties of reflected color, hair color, and differences in exterior and interior lighting are all considered. Horton rounds out his very successful manual with examples of several artists' approaches to this daunting subject. This book should be in every art collection.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 143 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books; First Edition edition (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891346708
• ISBN-13: 978-0891346708
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #985,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book For All Artists!, October 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Paint Skin Tones (Hardcover)

I found this book to be very helpful. Not only did it go in depth about tecniques for creating realistic paintings and portraits, but it also had a complete color guide for creating specific skin tones! I also enjoyed the step by step demonstrations, which again proved useful. I'd recommend this book to artists of all media, whether you work with oils, watercolors, acrylics, gouache, or pastel, this book will be a valuble resource.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I like it, but, June 3, 2006

By 

Wyota - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Paint Skin Tones (Hardcover)

I like this book. It's not the greatest, but it's not bad. If you're starting out painting and need some basic guidance for general skin colors it's probably ok. Where it's lacking is in most anything beyond the basic color of skin. There's no discussion of skin color in shadow, in the halftones where the skin turns away from the light, or where the skin blends into the hairline. Little about the affect of light, surroundings, or location (cheek, chin, forehead, etc.) on skin color either. Those things make or break portraits and some (me) just can't seem to mix the right colors to go with the basic skin tone of the model. I wish that had been addressed in this book... that would make it worth 5 stars (and maybe what people are asking for it these days).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars especially good for beginners, July 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Paint Skin Tones (Hardcover)

This book, with its charts of sample mixes and color tones in various media, is a great asset if you are just begining to paint portraits or people. It will give you a good basic understanding of color mixing for skin tones. ( no need to buy premixed colors! Be able to paint the nuance of people, not reduce everyone to the same "skin tones.") In addition, it discussed the effects of shadow and reflected color. Nice illustrations, photos and color charts.