Colored Pencil Painting Portraits: Master a Revolutionary Method for Rendering Depth and Imitating Life

Firstly, I have to say that I`m a bit of a fanboy when it comes to Alyona, as the ideas and advice she offers in her first book had such a massive positive impact on my art work that I`ve not looked back since. Not only did Alyona`s "Colored Pencil Painting Bible" open my eyes as to what could be achieved with coloured pencils and different effects, it gave me the confidence that the medium itself was one that deserves respect, and I discovered that there is a whole community of amazingly talented artists using them; not just Alyona, but Lisa Clough (Lachri Fine Art) too and many others. Also, the artists themselves are so helpful, friendly and supportive. There is no sense that they want to keep their skills and knowledge to themselves, which is wonderful. The difference between this book and her bible is that whereas the majority of the work in the first book promoted the use of layering, blenders and odourless mineral spirits in order to get a luminant and smooth, pencil stroke-free finishes to your work - and focused mainly on still life - this is about portraits and the tools you need. The effects are totally different and the subject is different so there is a need for some serious commitment on the part of the reader to buy into Alyona`s new techniques - and they are revolutionary for this field. Different paper is needed, tools normally used for pastels too, in addition to Alyona`s own creations - further info. you can find on her Brush and Pencil website and available in the UK - texture fixative, final fixative, touch-up texture, titanium white powder and the amazing miracle that is the powder blender. I spent many hours watching different artists using these on Youtube before I even bought the paper I would need. (I opted for Uart 500 sanded paper to start with. I thought that would be much easier than using acrylic gessos). The key to understanding and enjoying all of this book is that you need paper with teeth! Using the powder blender first on your paper and applying very soft layers of coloured pencil, you can move the pigment around with pastel tools, creating an incredibly smooth blend of colour, and using the texture fixative you can add layer after layer, adding previously unthinkable depth and value to your image. Alyona understands an amazing amount about colour theory and art history, but also about the science behind the application of pencil to paper, and all the products she uses are Brush and Pencil brand because a) she invented them! and b) there are no alternatives! As I work through this book, I cannot believe the art I`m able to produce... but it is very important that you understand that it is almost like learning water colour when you`ve only worked in oil; it isn`t that the knowledge you have isn`t helpful, but you`ll need to learn a new technique - from scratch. If you read the book, and understand the science, you`ll be amazed. But don`t think you can get these results without the understanding first, commitment second, and thirdly, prepare for some damage to your bank balance as you`ll definitely need to make some purchases.

This is a very interesting read with a lot of information about painting with oil paint and colour pencil, contrasting the techniques in each medium to get similar results. There is a lot of fascinating information about materials, color theory and other aspects of painting. The second part of the book takes you through the techniques of portrait painting using techniques and new products from the Brush and Pencil co which can give paintings using colour pencil which look like oils. Whatever stage you are at with colour pencil this book is relevant and it is an interesting read and well illustrated.

If you are a portrait artist who works in coloured pencils and you want to take your work to a whole new level this is the book for you! Clearly and intelligently written it gives precise information about the medium of coloured pencils and what they are made of, how the different types perform, on their own and with various blending tools. There are excellent step by step guides, with photographs to the techniques, actual coloured pencils used and blending methods used in several of Alonya's own projects. I have read it from cover to cover and have been totally engrossed and am now starting on some practice pieces!!! For serious colour pencil artists this has to be an essential read!

An astonishing rendition of Alyona Nickelsen's portraits, drawn with coloured pencils ( mostly, but not exclusively ). The print quality is outstanding. As a tutorial, this book is found a bit wanting; you have to take some information from "between the lines" in order to find out how she achieves the results. Still, it is amazing to learn what an artist can achieve with "ordinary" coloured pencils.

If you want to learn how to draw portraits then this book is for you! It covers everything and although probably not for an absolute beginner it could still help massively and help you learn things to advance super quickly, I can't believe this book has so much information in it when others with titles like Bible and complete guide are less than half as informative than this is, it even tells you the shades/colours to use and when and where to apply them to achieve the perfect skin tones, it shows how underpainting will dramatically affect the finished portrait and many many other top tips and tricks. You will not be disappointed in this book!

This is an amazing book. I read the reviews before I bought it and they all said "not for beginners". Well I am a beginner but I read a lot. Up until now I have mainly drawn animals in coloured pencil but my technique is terrible. Try as I might I cannot get my colour to look anything like the photographs in the instruction books I am following. Now I have an idea how to remedy the situation. This is a marvellous book and her explanations are second to non.

I was critical of this author's other book “Coloured Pencil Painting Bible” and this follow-up volume hasn't changed my opinion by much. To be very clear from the outset – this is not in my opinion a beginner's book and I found some of it heavy stuff to digest. There's a lot of information in the book, a great deal of it technical, analytical and process-based; she clearly knows a great deal about her medium and it's all here, should one wish to avail one's self of it. However, Nickelsen`s idea of realism is very photographic – as in working from photographs; now, if that's what suits go ahead, but although I have no problem with Photorealist or Hyperrealist art, those processes often uncover abstract and more considered aspects of depiction – the methods laid out here seem to be very subservient to the primacy of the photographic image – even involving tracing. Realism means a lot of things to different artists, so I don`t wish to get into a disagreement with this artist's particular approach – suffice it to say that it is not mine, nor is it one I would advocate to my own students unless it was appropriate to an individual's requirements. The “Look inside” option above gives a fairly accurate impression of the contents – one must decide for one's self if that is of value, but I found it ponderously technical and not at all useful to my own drawing/painting/teaching practice.

A very technical book and not for beginners. More of a dip in when needed.

Bellissimo peccato che è scritto in inglese

It is always great to learn new techniques. I have been using colored pencils as a professional artist for over 40 years . I thought I had come up with the techniques I developed , they evolved over the years. Nice to see so many others growing and developing new ways with colored pencil .

bottom line: this is a very interesting books full of qaulity and technical informations, BUT every other pages the author advertise the specific brand of product she developped to obtain her gorgeous and stunning results. Unfortunately those products are not so easy to find moreover being "exclusive they are pricey. Costing twice as much as other products of the same type. I realized it woul dcost me an extra 100€ to get the recommended products. The author skills and expertise is obvious, and well known. Her long term dedication to improve on classic colored pencil techniques is commendable. I also understand her desire to turn her work and research into a business. But you must be aware that the books heavily advertise the specific equipments she developped, and which she sells through her own website in the USA and through only a very few retailers worlwide. However the subtitle is fair, books is packed with insightfull advices and new ideas and help a lot understanding the process of layering colored pencils to obtain great results. The main focus is on "painting with colored pencil like the traditional oil painting approach, which means multiple layers covered by the speicfic textured fixative. Which remove the usual problem of applying colored pencil when the tooth of the paper is allready filled with previous layers. The technical discussion in itself is highly intersting. Also note that the book focus on portraits drawing, and several chapters are portraits specific, however the general tehnique can be applied to any subject. The content in itself is 5 stars, if it where not for the aforementioned issues. So this really depends on what you are looking for. This is not for beginner but even intermediate users might benefit a lot fromt his book. The equipment necessary to obtains those results is on the expensive side for an amateur but should not be a problem for professsionals. Even with the mentionned products you might benefit from the book you may find subsitute , but it will require some trials and errors. Recommended with reservations.

This is great resource for artists who want to work with colored pencil in a realistic way. Her book has detailed instructions, covering everything from material selection and layering methods to capturing lifelike skin tones and subtle facial expressions. Excellent.

Libro de calidad artística tan bello como indispensable Disponía en mi modesta biblioteca personal de un libro anterior de esta gran artista norteamericana (Alyona Nickelsen), titulado "Colored Pencil Painting Bible". Me cautivó desde la primera hasta la última de sus páginas, tanto por la belleza de las ilustraciones como por las enseñanzas que esta artista imparte en dicho libro. Y ahora, con la compra de este segundo título, "Colored Pencil Painting Portraits", mi admiración por ella y por su talento ha aumentado en grado superlativo. Recomiendo sinceramente su compra; será un placer su lectura, estudio y consulta para cualquier persona con sensibilidad artística.