Drawing Masterclass: Portraits

July 12

I really like this book, far better than others I have seen on drawing portraits. Carole seems to cover everything in this easy to use, easy to follow book. I am sure this will improve my portrait drawing and it could do the same for you. It takes you through everything you need to know and also gives detailed step-by-step instructions. It takes you through drawing from photos, sketching, life drawing and more. Facial features, character and pose are all covered. I thought the best element (they're all good) was the structure of the face. Portraiture is not easy to excel at, but this is a brilliant guide that I would be happy to recommend to anyone.

Sept 12

Believing that anyone can be taught to look and see properly in order to capture a true likeness, Carole Massey shows you just how to do it in her new book, providing you are willing to put in the practice. The book opens with a brief history of portrait drawing, before moving on to describe materials, from graphite pencils to charcoal and pens. There follow chapters on shading techniques, the structure of the head, proportions, features and hair, before moving on to advice on how to capture a likeness, character and expression. Further chapters look at drawing from life, sketching, composition and lighting. Clear step-by-step portraits throughout help to put what's learnt into practice.

June 12

Carole Massey packs a huge amount of material and ideas into a comparatively short 96 pages and this is one of the best books on portrait drawing that I've seen. The problem that any book on portraiture has to overcome is that it's full of pictures of people that you've never met, in contrast to the subjects you're going to find in front of you. Carole counters this with a good variety of examples, male and female, young and old and with different skin tones, facial shapes and hair types. To borrow the old News of the World slogan, all human life (pretty much) is here. The book is also full of demonstrations, examples, tips and exercises. One of the nice features is that every page feels different. All books are designed to a basic page layout, but this one is so flexible that the whole thing feels like a voyage of discovery and I think you'll be finding new delights long after you first opened the cover. Masterclass is a movable feast, but this is a book which lives up to a difficult billing. Essential reading.

Carole Massey was born in Hertfordshire and studied at St. Alban's School of Art and Leicester School of Art & Design. After a career in advertising and graphic design, Carole returned to her first love, painting, full-time. She now teaches and runs weekend workshops, as well as organising painting holidays. Carole's work is exhibited widely, and she is particularly known for her celebrity portraits, mostly inspired by photographs. She uses a wide variety of media including acrylic, watercolour, pastel, pencil and monochrome.