Saper Chris Knihy

This expanded edition of Chris Saper's best-selling guide reveals essential techniques for mastering oil portrait painting. Capturing the infinite beauty of humanity, the book provides easy-to-follow lessons and expert tips to create soulful, realistic portraits. With 14 step-by-step demonstrations, you'll learn to paint seven diverse subjects with varying skin tones, both from life and photographic references. Additional exercises focus on defining facial details such as eyes, mouths, and wrinkles, while professional advice covers working from life, including optimal session times, posing, and color mixing. The guide also discusses the use of natural, artificial, and creative lighting to enhance mood and convey depth in your subjects. Key concepts emphasize the importance of consistent practice, painting from real life, and utilizing high-quality photographic references, complete with a checklist for taking and self-editing your own photos. New material addresses how to approach paid commissions, featuring demonstrations for corporate and family portraits. Through Saper's universal techniques, painters of all skill levels will be equipped to render more realistic portraits, achieving predictable and joyful results.