Art Books I'm reading: Painting Portraits by Everett Raymond Kinstler

Hello Amigos and... man is it cold these days! I can't believe how many layers of clothing one has to wear in order to feel comfortable (note I didn't say "warm", just comfortable. I don't like the cold!)
Anyways, I just finished reading another book on painting. It's called "Painting Portraits" by Everett Raymond Kinstler. This one (like most of the books I read) was also in my local public library. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It's definitely different from the one by Sanden (you can read that book review here). This book isn't so focused on color mixing and basic techniques as it is on professionalism as an artist and composition. At least that's the impression I have. Some of the things I learned (and liked) about this book are listed bellow.

1- Excellent images. All of the shown portraits are beautifully done. I also liked how he included previous stages of progress in some of them as well. Here are some good ones:

WILLIAM P. CLARK- "Painting Portraits" by Everett Raymond Kinstler

WILLIAM P CLARK- "Painting Portraits" by Everett Raymond Kinstler

2- Staging with Light vs. Dark Drapes. I thought I was interesting how he uses different color of drapes in order to stage the portraits he paints in his studio. I didn't know this, but he suggested it's better to use lighter color of drapes behind subjects with darker hair, or women, to add more delicacy to the portrait. On the other hand, he suggests a dark drape behind males or subjects with lighter hair.

ANNA BELLE HEYWARD- "Painting Portraits" by Everett Raymond Kinstler

IRENE DUPONT- "Painting Portraits" by Everett Raymond Kinstler

MILLARD MIDONICK- "Painting Portraits" by Everett Raymond Kinstler

2- Filbert Brushes. I don't own a single brush like these. They are bristle brushes that don't fan out with pressure is applied to them. Here are some used and new:

Filbert Brush via About.com

He says this is his favorite kind, since you can do pretty much anything with them, as long as you own several sizes. I'm excited to try this kind!

3- A Rag!!! In one of his portraits he describes how he did a wash (when you dilute your paint with a lot of solvent) on the prepared canvas WITH A RAG. How messy does that sound? A lot. But I want to try it. 

4- Not an "Alla Prima" Portrait Painter. This means that he takes more than just one sitting to finish his paintings. He works on several painting sessions with his clients and uses resources like photography and interviews in order to study his model. He also works on most of the painting at the same time. Sanden (the author I previously wrote about) said it was important to finish a section of the painting before moving on to the next one. Kinstler advices to work on the whole composition at the same time. I think I can do that better than working in sections. Because of my lack of experience, I may make a section look like it doesn't belong in the painting if I work on it later. I may miss the color composition and it looks like something "doesn't belong" there. 

5- Composition. Kinstler shares a lot of advice about the arrangement of the model and the background.  Because of his training as an illustrator, he's used to creating things, even when they're not there, not in front of him as he paints. He shows examples of created backgrounds with maybe "windows" that weren't there initially or different objects that simply enhance the composition (pillars, decorations, drapery, etc.) The key is to never make the background stand out too much, since it's not the purpose of the painting. He does a great job at creating beautiful compositions that highlight the sitter instead of distracting the viewer.

In a nutshell, this is a good book. Very different from Sanden's, but also very useful. Check it out!

Candela