Customer Reviews

Painting Watercolor Portraits

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Indeed, this is the ONLY book I decided to have a copy of my own on painting watercolor portraits. I purchased this book several years ago, read it, applied it, and found it a real gem. Although my current interest is mostly painting in oil, I still remember vividly my pleasant experiences using the book:

- The author thoroughly presents the topics in the book, from improving your drawing skills, lighting models, to using colors, etc...

- His style is what that is referred as "painterly". The finished paintings are enlightening, artistic, and simply beautiful. I love and treasure the works created by this author, as well as those representing great craftmanship and expressions.

Buy this book if you still can find a copy of it. To fully benefit it, may I suggest:

- First and foremost, focus on your drawing skills. With a tranparent medium like watercolor, drawing skills are more than ever the most crucial requirement for a great final painting.

- Practice, practice, and practice, using advices from the book.

Thank you, Mr. Stine, for a great book!

I don't really use the how-to portions of books like these although I'm sure many artists do. What I like doing instead is looking at the pictures and see what they in and of themselves can teach me. What struck me about this book when I bought it was that if one wanted to make one's portraits a lot freer, more fluid, flowing and looser, this book shows that very well. I would especially encourage any of us working in colored pencils or pastels to consider incorporating watercolor in a mixed media approach towards portraiture. Stine definitely shows more Impressionistic results in portraiture than realistic. However, these are hardly Abstract Expressionist portraits! You can't mix this with oil, of course, so if you are looking at this work compared to your own in oil, you would be contemplating doing a complete 180 degree switch. It certainly would save you an enormous amount of drying time to make the switch from oil to watercolor. The brush work seems as if it would be a lot faster as well. Every page in this book seems to have a full color watercolor portrait featured on it so it is a good value for the money as well.

This book is focusing on contour drawing and the use of water colors for portrait painting. As a matter of fact water colors are mostly used for natur painting and this may be the reason for the very few portrait books avaialble.

The author gives av very good instruction in what colors to use to develope various skin tones and how to paint shapes due to shadows and edges in the motive. This book has in many ways completed my large collection of book about water color painting.

The author, Al Stine is able to capture his subjects with a vibrancy and spirit that is alluring - while also teaching the techniques he uses. This book will serve the needs of those looking to improve their portraits.

This book is one of the best on watercolor portraiture. A must-have for an artist's reportoire.

Faboulous painter with feeling and love for what he is doing.