Portrait Painting Atelier: Old Master Techniques and Contemporary Applications

by Suzanne Brooker, Domenic Cretara (Foreword)

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 to achieve the luminous color and subtle tonalities so characteristic of their work, this knowledge has been preserved in hundreds of small traditional painting ateliers that persevered in the old ways in this country and throughout the world.

Coming out of this dedicated movement, Portrait Painting Atelier is an essential resource for an art community still recovering from a time when solid instruction in art technique was unavailable in our schools. Of particular value here is a demonstration of the Old Masters’ technique of layering paint over a toned-ground surface, a process that builds from the transparent dark areas to the more densely painted lights. This method unifies the entire painting, creating a beautiful glow that illuminates skin tones and softly blends all the color tones. Readers will also find valuable instruction in paint mediums from classic oil-based to alkyd-based, the interactive principles of composition and photograph-based composition, and the anatomy of the human face and the key relationships among its features.

Richly illustrated with the work of preeminent masters such as Millet, Géricault, and van Gogh, as well as some of today’s leading portrait artists—and featuring seven detailed step-by-step portrait demonstrations—Portrait Painting Atelier is the first book in many years to so comprehensively cover the concepts and techniques of traditional portraiture.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Reference

210 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Mya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like it. The cover isn't drawn by the author and the majority of art examples in here aren't, either. She goes into theory but there are much better books on this subject, like James Guerney's for example. There is no advice here that is special or revolutionary to be worth the hassle. A rather disappointing read all in all.

[David Braly · Rating 5 out of 5]

"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 to achieve the luminous color and subtle tonalities so characteristic of their work, this knowledge has been preserved in hundreds of small traditional painting ateliers that persevered in the old ways in this country and throughout the world."

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've reread this a few times over the past few years, but each time I feel the same: it's informative, but not enjoyable.

The author describes her audience as mid-experienced, which is a painfully narrow category. You're either going to a bored, reading what you already know; or overwhelmed with no point of reference for what she's talking about. Either way, the writing comes off as condescending.

I don't mind that she uses other artists' work- I think you'd have to show a range of examples. Unfortunately a lot of the portrait examples she uses are proficient, but not attractive as something to aspire to.

[Alyssa Greatbanks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this one was going to be the best of the bunch, but it turned out to be less than that. The directions were very complicated and it provided few useful techniques.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4
This book is a nice departure from the thousands of guides aimed at beginners. The step by step project discussions enable critical engagement with the process.

I did notice that the author limited many topics just to how she did it without at least mentioning alternatives. Some of her claims, such as that one should start with premade, commercial paint mediums, are contentious. I have heard other artists say the opposite.

The main reason I had picked up this book was to learn something about creating luminosity through paint layering. This book showed me the techniques for the opposite: many of the examples at the end are based on vibrant, inspiring photos, but the resultant paintings are dull and muted thanks to the underpaint colours the author chose, and the proportions aren't always well achieved.

[Tara Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some good information in here on colour and grisaille techniques, however don't be fooled by the exemplary portraits on the front and back covers. The examples inside are clearly not by the same artist and aren't that great. That was disappointing. It's useful for reminders if you are studying at ateliers but as an introduction, it would be too complicated without actually seeing what the author is writing about.

[Luciana · Rating 2 out of 5]

A guide to painting portraits in oil. There were some good informations/tips, useful for beginners.
As others pointed out, the paintings in the step by step weren’t very nice, and not even close to the amazing portrait in the cover, what made me feel kind of mislead.
To tell the truth, there are better books and nowadays you can get better instructions in the internet. It was worth taking a look, but I don’t think you can get very much of this book.

[Maryam Salem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of a kind. Great selection of paintings and thorough explanations, even of the basics: tools, color palettes, techniques and facial anatomy.

One of the few art books where the featured artists are actually skilled enough to learn from or even copy.

Would definitely recommend for intermediate artists.

[Michaell Cavllaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT RESOURCE FOR BEGINNERS

As much as I've learned from reading this book, I've come the conclusion that no matter how many books you read about drawing and painting, unless you start to draw and paint you're really going to learn much. In other words, there is no substitute for experience no matter how many good books you read.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The info presented in this book is very useful, there is just a lot of information to absorb. I think to really get the most out of the book one would need to actually spend some time practicing the things learnt to really make them stick. Probably to much info to retain by just reading alone without putting into practice what is read.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always loved the way Barbara Kingsolver turns to nature to find the perfect metaphor for the situation her characters are facing. In this case it's flight behavior, obviously, driven by the combined effects of global warming, poverty, and an unsatisfying marriage. This novel is one of her best.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as great on portrait painting as I would have liked-the examples of portraits and the how-tos were not my favorite, or that masterfully done, but as an oil painting reference book it was great. It answered many questions about mediums, supports and technical stuff in a clear and updated way. Great to have in one volume.

[Simon Yoong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good instructional book on portrait painting. Covers all the important areas, emphasises on glazing and building up tones. However, there a sharp difference in quality of the author's portraits and that of the others shown in the book.

[Péter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is truly amazing.
It's full of fascinating little tricks and written in such an elegant and neat style that some sentences I just read over and over again.
Obviously not a how-to-paint guidebook but the title refers already to that.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent information, especially of technique and tools. Now to put it to use.

[Richard Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent resource