Mastering the craft of painting : [basic instruction in form, color, and drawing based on Frank Reilly's famous teachings

All artists must master the craft of painting before they can fully develop a unique, personal style. In this unusual book, Angelo John Grado takes you into the classroom of one of the Art Students League's most famous teachers— Frank J. Reilly. Through Grado's lucid notes, sketches, and diagrams, you learn the essentials of good painting and drawing just as Reilly taught them. In addition, you learn how to go beyond the lessons to discover your own individual style. —The first half of the book "Lessons from Reilly" — includes valuable instruction for beginning and intermediate artists on line, form, relationships, action, foreshortening, and shadows. There is clear advice on the handling of both value and chroma, as well as the painting of flesh tones. Step-by-step demonstrations teach you how to do an initial wash-in and lay-in, and how to go on to complete your painting. The emphasis is on the figure, but the information extends to all painting subjects The second half of the book is designed to show you how to adapt what you have learned from Reilly to your own personal needs. Grado offers advice on the use of a free palette and gives a detailed demonstration of procedures for loosening up your technique. He also provides helpful tips on working with pastels, handling textures, and creating life-like portraits. Filled with information and ideas, Mastering the Craft of Painting is an excellent guide for all artists, and it can be easily adapted to classroom teaching. Its many diagrams and exercises make it the ideal book for anyone who wants to learn the craft of painting. Introduction LESSONS FROM REILLY Drawing LINE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LINES STRING OF PEARLS ACTION AND THE LONGEST LINE THE SIX LINES AXIS, BOUNDARY, AND STATION POINTS FORMS IN ACTION FROM ACTION POINTS TO FORM CONNECTIONS BETWEEN FORMS INSIDE THE FORMS SYMMETRY AND OTHER RELATIONSHIPS THE IMPORTANCE OF RELATIONSHIPS CONNECTORS AND ACTION ACTION AND BALANCE WEIGHT AND STRAIN PLANES AND FORMS FORESHORTENING SHADOWS CAST SHADOWS PLANES AND LIGHT STRUCTURE OF THE HEAD FEATURES HAIR BASIC GROWTH LINES CHARACTER AND BASIC SHAPES Understanding Color HUE VALUE CHROMA FOUR TYPICAL NINE-VALUE CHROMA CHARTS COLOR, LIGHT, AND FORM Painting Advice MATERIALS BRUSHSTROKES Wash-In STARTING WITH AN INK DRAWING WORKING DIRECTLY Lay-In and Painting Stage COLOR NOTE PAINTING DEMONSTRATION COMPLEXION OR FLESH COLOR THE EFFECT HALFTONES GRADATION PROGRESSION CENTER LIGHTS AND HIGHLIGHTS PLANES HARD VS. SOFT EDGES Finishing Touches BEYOND THE LESSONS: DEVELOPING YOUR INDIVIDUALITY Choosing a Palette Arrangement Loosening Up: A Demonstration ESTABLISH THE ABSTRACT PATTERN BUILD THE FORMS TAKE CONTROL PULL IT TOGETHER ADD THE FINISHING TOUCHES Gallery Paintings USING A CONTROLLED TECHNIQUE A STUDY OF TEXTURES DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES WITH THE FIGURE PAINTING WITH TEXTURE TEXTURES IN PASTEL MAKING FLESH LUMINOUS TEXTURE IN STILL LIFES FOCUS ON FACIAL FEATURES PASTEL PORTRAITS WORKING LOOSELY CREATING INTEREST TELLING A STORY Index Lessons from Reilly go for some 54 pages and center on drawing the human figure and for those wanting to break down their work analytically it offers a systematic approach. It also includes some four typical Nine-Value/ Chroma charts (which is value in itself-the single sheets alone sell for much more than the price of the book). These feature red, yellow-red, blue-green and purple-blue (four chroma steps from weakest to the home level of each of those hues. Those familiar with Munsell might enjoy these. Also included is a gray value scale, as is the procedure for painting edges, the head, and facial features. An excellent resource. This art book clearly has a methodical approach and it discusses terms in Hue, Value, and Chroma-even attributing value scales in some of the diagrams. Overall this is a pretty neat piece of work and originates from a well studied practice. by Chris