San Antonio College Library

The portrait demonstrations are divided into three groups: how to handle individual variations in hair coloring and complexion; how to paint under various lighting conditions; and how to treat the specific problems such as beards or glasses of individual sitters.

Painting a convincing likeness is essential to a good portrait. It requires two elements: the reproducing of physical characteristics, and the suggesting of character, that elusive inner spirit behind the physical facade the sould of the sitter.

The art of portraiture approached its apex during the sixteenth century in Europe with the discovery of oil painting when the old masters developed and refined techniques that remain unsurpassed to this day. The ascendance of nonrepresentational art in the middle of the twentieth century displaced these venerable skills, especially in academic art circles. Fortunately for aspiring artists today who wish to learn the methods that allowed the Old Masters...

Step-by-step instruction to painting accurate, lively, and brilliantly colorful portraits.