Portrait Painting in Watercolor

by Charles Reid

Demonstrates wet-in-wet and drybrush techniques for painting the head form and hands of racially diverse children and adults

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Drawing

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1989

About the author

Charles Clark Reid

Reviews

[Linda Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saw this book at the SHAC where I'm taking watercolor lessons. Reid has a style I hope to get close to one day, although I have no desire to be a portrait painter. I wanted to read how he works light and dark, halftones and I learned that. The book is a step by step guide to painting a face in all light - front, side, backlit - without making the painting look overworked. Highlights need only be subtle, shadows same. Eyes are not all ovals and eyes are not the same on either side. Depending on what the painter is hoping to convey, it's not always necessary to have 2 eyes fully formed. Ears are important. Ditto noses. He includes panels of watercolor sketches he made quickly in class from live models, and that's the most helpful. He isn't bothered that not all his paintings look exactly like the subject. Reid begins the introduction by suggesting you forget about how expensive the material is and just play. Play. For the new watercolorist, trying to escape the rigidity and absoluteness of acrylic (or Illustrator technical illustration, like me), this is an excellent place to start.

[Sherry (sethurner) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reid's book on painting portraits in watercolor is a classic, and difficult to find. Our library had a battered copy, obviously well used. I think it is valuable for its help on drawing accurate faces, and for its loose approach to color. He isn't for the casual beginner, but painters who want help and inspiration can't go wrong with this book.

[Will Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of great examples and techies to explore that are covered on this book, I look forward to trying some of them out

[Kaylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Reid’s portrait style may look simple at a glance, but is highly nuanced and challenging to replicate. These tutorials give you the tools to practice achieving a similar style by understanding the medium, form, shapes, and light. From my experience, this is the mere foundation and will take much work beyond this book to reach.

[loafingcactus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really different advice from every other portrait painting book I have read. I haven't tried it yet, but eager to give it a go. The book focuses entirely on blocks of shadow and how to find and apply shadows. I think it will be a useful practice.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this painter’s loose style. His instructions are thorough and the results worked for me. I’m gaining strength in my painting, as long as I have a practice and include inspiring and expertly guided methods.

[J.J. Rodeo · Rating 1 out of 5]

با چند نکته در کتاب مشکل داشتم
نخست، من این رویکرد را قبول ندارم که برای طراحی چشم، گوش، بینی یا هر یک از اجزای بدن، الگویی داده شود. هر کدام از این ها با توجه به زاویه مدل، ممکن است شکلی متفاوت پیدا کند.

دوم، ناهمخوانی مراحل مختلف در طراحی ها و نقاشی های این کتاب بود. رید به عمد این کار را کرده بود تا نشان دهد که ممکن است اشتباه هایی در جریان کار آبرنگ روی دهد، ولی در نهایت می توان اشتباه ها را جمع و جور کرد. این رویکرد در آغاز برایم جالب بود، اما در ادامه، پیروی از الگوها را برایم دشوار کرد.

سوم این که ترجمه خوب نبود و نمی شد درست فهمید که دستور العمل ها مربوط به کجای کار هستند.

چهارم هم این که کیفیت چاپ خوب نبود.

با این همه، از حق نباید گذشت: اگرچه شیوه آموزش چندان خوب نبود، نقاشی های خود رید، چشم گیر بودند.

[Arnost Stedry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Reid je úžasný a jeho knižky jakbysmet. Jen málokdo dokáže s tak nepokojným živlem, jako je voda vytvářet takto krásne a živé obrazy. Vžycky, když si libovolnou z jeho publikací otevřu, tak se něco naučim. Škoda jen, že nebudu nikdy umět s akvarelem to, co on. Ale na druhou stranu, být věčným žákem takového učitele taky není špatné.

[Crystal Puckett]

While randomly searching for a third book for a "buy 2 used books, get 1 free" deal, this book caught my eye and I chose it as my freebie. Apparently I stumbled across a rather highly recommended book, which I am seeing online for between $40 and $60. Mine was marked at $5.25. Hopefully, I'll find it a great resource.

[Arjun Khode · Rating 4 out of 5]

My opinion is that his method really spoils your color perception. I believe that as a beginner, you should first master color mixing before adopting Reid's method of slapping on patches of warm color and cool color next to each other. The great masters were all able to mix colors to pinpoint accuracy.