Thursday, March 30, 2017

Portrait Revolution: Inspiration for Creating Art in Multiple Mediums and Styles from Around the World

We live in a selfie culture to the maximum. If you were to ask someone the last picture they took on their cell phones, there is a good likelihood it is going to be a selfie. We have taken old fashioned art of self portraits to an unhealthy level.

But what if we could take it back.... to (self) portraits as art and self discovery?


I choose this book because it was between this and a self help book "Wellth". So it looks like to be truly focused on "Wellth" and not wealth, I am going to pick a book that allows creative flow and inspiration.

There are more than 45 portraits from the artists of Julia Kay's  Portrait Party. 

The book is broken down by medium, style, theme, artists and advise on making portraits.

For mediums; they break it down for coloured pencils, pencil, charcoal, ball point pin, ink, marker, digital drawing, crayon, chalk pastel, oil pastel, water soluble pencils, watercolour, gouache, acyclic paint, oil paint, digital painting, traditional printmaking, digital printmaking, collage, a mix of traditional and digital mediums, needle arts, and usual media. I found myself very surprised by some of the art work. It was impressive and I would not have guessed the medium. 

For Style; Realism, Abstract, composing around the rectangle, drawing blind, monochrome, limited colour, cool tones, warm tones, full palette, contour drawing, drawing with shapes, patterns, pre-printed paper,  and dramatic light.

For by theme: Babies, double portraits, portraits within portraits, animal companions, musicians, artists at play, artists at work, hats, on location both indoors and outdoors, telling a story and drawing from art history. 

For artists: Samar Alzaidy, Martin Beek, Anna Black, Patricio Vellarroel Borquez, Joan Ramon Farre Burzuri, Sue Hodnett, Julia Kay, Marion Lokin, Theresa Martin, Maureen Nathan, Daniel Novotny, Mariah O Neill, Gila Rayberg, Jerry Waese and Janice Wahnich. 

For 'making portraits': Why make portraits? Working with photos, tracing, on seeing and drawing, the process of making portraits and holding a portrait party. 

Here's to hoping they make a hard covered version of this book. I love the cover!

I love what they did with all the tips throughout the book. I think they are helpful in building confidence for any budding, current, or advanced artist. It can really help anyone. 

Some of the portraits are very clever were they are based on more iconic artwork and replaced with newer versions of the artists within the portraits. Other ones are taking a picture of someone and drawing them. I liked this one because everyone would draw the same person and no portrait would be the same. I love this because it shows how what others see in us is different then we would have pictured. 

Overall, I thought this was a well done book to both browse and be able to go in depth with and that isn't easy to achieve sometimes. 

So this book is top notch! 


Book Description:

Based on the popular international collaborative art project, this guide to creating portraiture in multiple mediums and styles teams hundreds of portraits with tips and insights on the artistic process. 

Drawing from the works of thousands of artists across a variety of medium sand techniques, Portrait Revolution demonstrates how portraiture is interpreted in many different and creative ways, making it an accessible artistic subject matter for anyone. Spinning out of author Julia Kay's international collaborative, online"Portrait Party" community with nearly 1,000 engaged, active members, the book features hundreds of portraits in a wide variety of media including pencil, charcoal, oils, watercolors, and acrylics, as well as less traditional materials, like pastels, prints, digital media, and collage. Showcasing different styles from realism to caricature provides a revealing look at how artists approach and interpret portraits. Paired with tips and considerations for all artists no matter their medium, Portrait Revolution is a one-stop resource for techniques and inspiration for those tackling portraiture."

This book gets ★★★★★ out of five from Via Bella. 

* I received this book in exchange for my honest review from Blogging for Books *

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