A fantastic, accessible and practical guide to contemporary portraiture. Learn from master artist and author Hashim Akib as he shows you how to produce striking, interesting portraits in your own style. Hashim Akib's striking portraits are at the heart of this inspirational book. The subject of portraiture is seen by many as the zenith of art, and Hash's easygoing, unpretentious style puts fantastic results within the reach of hobby artists and aspiring professionals alike. Assuming nothing and starting from the basics - making it suitable even for the enthusiastic beginner - this book includes six step-by-step projects to follow; along with friendly but in-depth advice on color palettes; skintone; composition; working from photographs and models; markmaking; lighting; atmosphere and much more. The book covers many types of portraiture - from the self-portrait to full-length portraits - all with a striking, contemporary style.

Wondering what to create? It ́s time to create your own masterpiece! Easy Painting Traceables of African Ladies for you to trace and paint along. This book has 15 designs- Traceables of powerful African Ladies for both beginners and aspiring artists. With additional 15 gridded versions of each. All Paintings are from the artist Vered Thalmeier and each Painting has a Painting Tutorial on YouTube. NO boring designs, just beautiful girls. Get Creative! Make your life colorful

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.

This new, sophisticated, comprehensive reference book will inspire and instruct painters on how to handle today's acrylics in innovative and individualistic ways. Acrylics have grown into the most adaptable art material for the modern age. Developments in the pigment industry have given acrylics a remarkably permanent, rich, and abundant palette, making it the favorite medium of many contemporary artists. As colors are being developed, their chemical components are also enhanced for better texture and handling. Art-supplies vendors now offer acrylic mediums for thinning, thickening, glazing, molding, pouring, texturing, and dozens of other uses. Even experienced acrylic painters can be confused—even intimidated—by this staggering diversity of products. Painter and art materials expert Rhéni Tauchid simplifies this daunting subject, clearly explaining each type of medium and suggesting ways it can enhance your painting practice. Over twenty step-by-step demonstrations teach you how to apply mediums to create vibrant colors, sensuous surfaces, and striking visual effects. Hundreds of beautiful photos illustrate mediums’ almost limitless potential and show you how other artists—both abstract and realist—are employing mediums to push their art in new creative directions. The first book of its kind, this essential reference belongs on every acrylic painter’s shelf. Includes the Work of Contemporary Masters: Nick Bantock, Diane Black, Bruno Capolongo, Pauline Conley, Marc Courtemanche, Marie-Claude Delcourt, Claire Desjardins, Marion Fischer, Heather Haynes, Lorena Kloosterboer, Suzy Lamont, Marie Lannoo, Connie Morris, Barry Oretsky, Lori Richards, Hester Simpson, Ksenia Sizaya, Rhéni Tauchid, Alice Teichert, Beth ten Hove, Sharlena Wood, and Heather Midori Yamada.

Acrylic Made Easy: Portraits is a fitting addition to Walter Foster's new dynamic technique and project-driven series devoted to introducing aspiring artists to the fun and engaging world of acrylic painting. Painting portraits is a fundamental subject for any beginning-to-intermediate artist. With a fresh and simple approach, Acrylic Made Easy: Portraits teaches fine artists everything they need to know about setting up and rendering beautiful, dynamic portraits in acrylic. Beginning with an introduction to a variety of tools and materials, artists will learn how to select the right brushes, palettes, paints, paper, and surfaces for their work. Acrylic Made Easy: Portraits also provides valuable information about color theory and mixing for skin tones, planning a composition, and achieving proper perspective. Additionally, artists will learn a range of basic painting techniques, including glazing, scumbling, and stippling, as well as how to paint from photographs, create ambient lighting, arrange a composition, work with multiple subjects, and more. Through simple step-by-step projects, artists will discover how to approach a portrait, beginning with a sketch and progressing to a beautiful finished piece of acrylic artwork. With a diverse range of subjects, artists will find guidance, tips, and stunning artwork to inspire on virtually every page.

Be prepared for an exciting, vibrant and different approach to using acrylics. With infectious energy and enthusiasm, Hashim Akib shows how acrylics can be used in unusual, surprising ways to create beautiful paintings full of life, atmosphere and colour. Step-by-step demonstrations, exercises and expert advice illustrate his simple, yet effective techniques and there are many inspiring examples of what can be achieved. This extensive book details step-by-step projects that include urban landscapes, pet portraits and abstracts. Neither beginners nor more experienced artists will want to be without this book.