Color Mixing Recipes for Portraits (Color Mixing Recipes)

by William F Powell

The perfect guide for any aspiring portrait artist, this book includes recipes for more than 500 skin tones using either acrylic or oil paints. Each page features a master-mix for a particular skin colour, plus recipes for all of its variations, such as highlights or shadows. The book covers a wide range of skin tones, from Caucasian to Latino and East Indian hues, and artists will also find recipes for a variety of hair, eye and lip colours. "Color Mixing Recipes for Portraits" includes a colour-mixing grid for measuring and is packaged in a concealed wire-o bound book that lies flat when opened, making this product convenient for any artist.

• ISBN13: 9781560109907
• Publish Date: 1 May 2006
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Walter Foster Publishing
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 48
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Color Mixing Recipes for Portraits is a tutorial color theory guide with mixing recipes specifically for portraiture. Originally released in 2006 this reformat and re-release is due out 22nd June 2021 from Quarto on their Walter Foster imprint. It's 48 pages and will be available in paperback format.

This short book includes recipes for palettes for oil, acrylic, and watercolor and based on a wide variety of skin tones. The format is the same throughout: "master" recipes of a particular skin tone are followed by tonal variations and shadings based on parts of the main color in combination with blending colors. The blends are specific with regard to generic colors such as alizarin crimson, burnt sienna, burnt umber, white, etc.

The recipes included in the volume cover skin, eyes, lips, and hair. Additionally it includes a very short intro to color theory and mixing. The book also includes an abbreviated index as well as a color conversion chart for oil and acrylics. There are no tutorials or painting instruction included.

This is a very short book but very useful. It would make a good reference for maker's spaces, studios, library acquisition, or the home studio.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.