Art of Pastel Portraiture

I cannot put this book away. I've been through it probably three times and every time I learn more. This is an incredible guide on pastel portraits -- from palette, to technique, to setting, to composition, every aspect. Written in a wonderful way as it gives me the feeling of hanging out with the best pastel portrait artist and just soaking up everything she is telling me.

A couple of ways to tell if a book on art is good is if the paintings or drawings look like something you'd like to do yourself, and the writers are known for their accomplishments. The rest involves having professionals help with the layout and organization. Seems like all of these qualities exist in this book. The host of contributors is a who's who among successful pastelists as is the main author. The paintings and drawings are superior. The book is well organized into all the major topics you'd want to cover with this as a new medium for an experienced artist. My only criticism of this book is it does not get into alot of detail for beginners. The section on materials is very good for beginners but the artistic process is not all that well detailed. I think of this book as more an assembly of tips on suggested practices, and a vehicle for pros to pat themselves on the back. But for a serious pastelist or portrait artist, this is definitely something to read and have in the library.

The book is a great place to start with regards to pastels and portraits. It covers the basic anatomical features of the face as well as layout and design of the portrait.