I picked up a copy of 'Painting Beautiful Skin Tones with Light & Color' last week, and I am very grateful to better understand how folks 'see' those vibrant hues of green, purple, blue, etc. in a human head. I've posted a number of questions about this subject on various forums and I received a lot of excellent information. However, I never quite grasp it, and I was sincerely beginning to question whether or not I was ever going to develop the ability to 'see', in the same way as so many others who can pick these colors out so easily (Debra Jones
). I've been reading thru it and practicing the concepts in pastel, and I am beginning to be able to extrapolate strong, colorful hues from life. I also better understand the whys and wherefores of how light temperatures affect skin color. I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, so it takes a while for things to sink in. You've made it very accessible.
I finally have a teacher, and will be doing two or three two-hour sessions per month (all I can afford
) so hopefully I will soon be able to pull all this info together and have it better 'inform' what I do on the canvas. We're starting out with still-life, but I hope to be back on portraiture by the Fall, and I'll be doing a few portraits on the side anyway, as this is what I enjoy the most.
Thanks again ... excellent book!
Phil Minh Thong