Painting Portraits in Oils Capturing character from life

An inspiring, direct guide to painting beautiful portraits alla prima.

Rob Wareing has built a formidable international reputation as a portrait artist. This is his first book, and here he draws on over forty years' experience to provide a complete guide to painting portraits in oils. In Rob's view, the most effective way to capture character is by working from life rather than photographs, and to follow the alla prima method to create a painting in one sitting. Starting with a fascinating overview of the subject, Rob then guides you through the materials he uses, how to pose and light the sitter, and how to prepare your work area before you start painting. This is followed by detailed coverage of design and composition, the importance of proportions, and the painting process itself - from colour mixing through to finishing a painting without over-working. With clear, step-by-step demonstrations and numerous examples of the author's work throughout, this book provides both an expert guide to portrait painting and a unique insight into the working methods of one of the world's leading portrait painters.

Rob was born in South Africa to an English mother & South African father. After finishing his education in South Africa, he travelled extensively, receiving private tuition from various portrait painters in the USA & Europe as well as studying the techniques of traditional classical painting. He became a professional portrait painter at the age of twenty-three and since then has had a very fulfilling career, spanning more than four decades. He has also written articles for various art publications including The Artist (UK), International Artist and The South African Artist magazines. His You Tube channel WareingImages has about 10,000 subscribers.

Rob currently divides his time between the UK and South Africa. Rob has become highly sought-after as a demonstrator and tutor and spends a large part of the UK summer and autumn demonstrating his skills at various art societies as well as hosting hands-on portrait painting workshops. He often returns to his beachfront studio in South Africa, where he gains inspiration for and paints most of the works seen at his exhibitions and in galleries.