Drawing the Head for Artists: Techniques for Mastering Expressive Portraiture - Paperback

by Oliver Sin (Author)

Drawing the Head for Artists is the definitive modern guide to drawing the human head and portrait, featuring the classic mediums and methods of the Old Masters.

Written by celebrated portrait artist and veteran studio instructor Oliver Sin, this richly informative and beautifully illustrated volume leads readers step-by-step through his method, from establishing a point of view to applying the timeless principles for creating an accurate and expressive likeness.

Among the topics covered:

• Essential Materials & Techniques: Learn about necessary supplies and basic drawing techniques, including hatching, various stroke styles, and blending.
• Applying the Essentials: Explore how the concepts of sight-sizing, value, negative space/shapes, and plane changes factor into a portrait's underlying structure.
• Techniques for Creating Depth & Dimension: Investigate how contrasting shapes, overlapping forms, and linear and atmospheric perspective are used to enhance depth.
• Creating the Illusion of Three Dimensions: Examine how edges--contours as well as changes in value--are used to convey three-dimensional form.

Brimming with striking images that document all the phases and details of the author's process, Drawing the Head for Artists inspires and informs all artists, from aspiring to accomplished, on how to successfully portray the physical subtleties and emotional eloquence of the human face.

The For Artists series expertly guides and instructs artists at all skill levels who want to develop their classical drawing and painting skills and create realistic and representational art.

Author Biography

Oliver Sin graduated from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. He began his career as a computer games concept artist, including stints at LucasArts and 3DO, and has been teaching for the Academy's School of 2D Animation and the School of Fine Art since 2001. His award-winning portrait art has been recognized by the Portrait Society of America, and featured on ArtistsNetwork.com, in the journal The Art of the Portrait, and in International Artist and Southwest Art magazines. He is the author of Drawing the Head for Artists. Born in Hong Kong, Sin has lived in San Francisco since 1990.

Instagram: instagram.com/oliversin/
Facebook: facebook.com/oliver.sin.3

Selected Awards
First Place Drawing, People's Choice Award: Portrait Society of America, 2021 - 22nd Annual International Portrait Competition, The Art of the Portrait
Finalist, Artistic Excellence: Southwest Art magazine, 2020
Exceptional Merit Award: Portrait Society of America, 2019