Keys to Painting Better Portraits

Bring Your Painting to Life

Renowned artist Foster Caddell shares the unique methodology which he brings to his paintings, no matter what the subject. In this third book of "keys" to improving your work, he stresses the fundamental of seeing analytically what is before you so that you can render realistically and beautifully in art.

Foster Caddell devoted his life to his art, beginning with developing a sophisticated drawing technique while in high school. He was employed as a lithographer before serving with the US Army Air Corps in World War II, documenting life in the Pacific Theater with his sketchbook and watercolors. Upon returning to civilian life, Caddell continued working in lithography while engaged with freelance illustrating and portraiture, and he began teaching after being approached by local aspiring artists eager to learn his techniques. From these humble beginnings, Foster Caddell soon became the founder/teacher and CEO of the largest private art school in southern New England, located in Voluntown, Connecticut.

Using his own artwork as a visual aid, Foster Caddell begins Keys to Better Portraits by introducing his approach to portraiture, explaining his studio environment materials and procedures for painting in oil and pastel. For Caddell, "A good portrait . . . must please two different types of viewers: those who expect to see a satisfactory likeness, and those who do not know, or particularly care, who the subject is but want a portrait to be a good solid painting and stand on its own." To demonstrate his working methods more clearly, he takes you, step by step, through the process of painting three typical portraits, two in oil and one in pastel. Then, in 30 'keys' to different painting problems, he analyzes the mistakes most commonly made by beginning and intermediate students, with each illustrated key showing a different painting error, and a good way to avoid it. He also covers three special types of portraiture: the commissioned, the posthumous, and the self-portrait. Readers interested in related titles from Foster Caddell will also want to see: Keys to Successful Color, (hardcxover ISBN 1626545774, paperback 1648371485) and Foster Caddell's Keys to Successful Landscape Painting, (hardcover ISBN 1635610427, paperback 1648370454). Keys to Painting Better Portraits is also available from Echo Point Books in hardcover (ISBN 1626545944).