Table of Contents

Introduction     8
Some Words in Parting     124
Index     126
Getting Organized     10
Supplies and setup
Maintaining a car kit
Using reference photos
Using a video camera for reference
Hart-Felt Insight: A painter's life
Simplify to Capture the Essence     18
Exercise: Figures are patterns of light and shadow
Exercise: Mass the shadow shapes to find the shadow pattern
Exercise: Use the shadow pattern to paint a good likeness
Exercise: Simplify: Use negative painting
Exercise: Simplify: Use a strong light source against a dark background
Exercise: Simplify: Backlighting helps unify your subject
Exercise: 9 ways to soften and lose edges
Use an underpainting to the your subject to the background
Hart-Felt Insight: You can best show truth by painting an illusion
Designing Strong Paintings     30
What is design?
Seeing good design and composition?
Viewfinders help determine format
5 classic compositions to sell your subject
The focal point, or center of interest
Where to put the focal point
Putting it all together
Hart-Felt Insight: Thoughts on finding your own voice
Value: 10 Ways to Get It Right     44
Use a ten-degree value scale
The foolproof way to paint shadow-side values
Identify patterns of darks and lights with value sketches
Work from black-and-white photos
Neutralize color to accentuate value
Squint at the subject
Create monochromatic paintings
Paint directly over a value sketch
Vary your valueratios
Place your subjects in strong light
Overstate your values in watercolor
Hart-Felt Insight: Value does the work
Color Mixing and Watercolor Technique     58
Set the temperature
Color combinations that work
The watercolor laundry method
Demonstration: Use the watercolor laundry method to create a painting
Keys to applying pigment
Demonstration: The pull-down technique
Hart-Felt Insight: Thoughts on finding the perfect medium
Painting People From Life     74
On-Location painting success
5 steps for painting on location
Basic figure proportions
Demonstration: Using the spontaneous method: Working from a model
Demonstration: Semiworking from life: Combining techniques
Hart-Felt Insight: Put life in your art
People as the Main Subject     86
Demonstration: Create dimension at the focal point
Demonstration: Create multiple contrasts
Demonstration: Use an unusual pose to add interest
Hart-Felt Insight: Shedding light on the main subject
Putting People in an Environment     100
Demonstration: Putting people in a landscape
Demonstration: Putting people in a cityscape
Demonstration: Painting people in an interior setting
Hart-Felt Insight: Paint what you see, not what you know
Paining the People You Love in Watercolor     112
Demonstration: Painting people from old photographs
Demonstration: Freezing the moment in your paintings
Demonstration: Put the people you love in your paintings
Hart-Felt Insight: To love what you paint, paint what you love