Key to Painting Faces & Figures by Rachel Rubin Wolf (Editor) – Paperback: 128 pages; North Light Books (Aug 1, 1999)

Learn the secrets of Al Stine, Michael P. Rocco, Kevin Macpherson, Paul Leveille, Bet Borgeson, Lee Hammond and other great artists! Add life to your portraits and authenticity to your figures! In these pages, top artists share proven techniques for painting portraits, distant figures, bustling crowds and more. It's some of the best step-by-step instruction ever published by North Light Books—from how to use light, composition and color effectively to full-length painting demonstrations. No matter what your medium or painting experience, these keys will help you unlock new levels of expression in your faces and figures.

Portrait Painter's Pocket Palette by Ian Sidaway – Hardcover: 64 pages; Book Sales (Apr 1, 1996)

How to Paint Living Portraits by Roberta Carter Clark – North Light Books; 2nd edition (Apr 26, 2011) 160 pages

Award-winning artist Roberta Carter Clark has created a loyal following among painters with her timeless instruction. Her popular workshops have brought the joys of creating vivid portraits in oil and watercolor to countless artists. This is a classic compendium of her in-depth approach to portraiture.

Clark takes artists through a series of 24 step-by-step exercises in drawing the face. She demonstrates how her detailed drawing exercises—accurately indicating features, highlights and shadows—offer the most practical approach to creating a lively, successful portrait. Dozens of additional techniques and exercises show how to work in different mediums, avoid common errors and capture a subject's unique likeness.

Painting Vibrant Children's Portraits by Roberta Carter Clark – Paperback: 136 pages; 1997, North Light Books

Basic Portrait Techniques by Rachel Wolf (Editor) – 1st Edition, Paperback: 121 pages: North Light Books, 1994

The book is smoothly edited into sections on materials and color, basic facial structure, age groupings of models, and methods of painting from both live models and photographs. Highly recommended for all art instruction collections." (Library Journal, March 1, 1994)

Capturing the Magic of Children in Your Paintings by Jessica Zemsky – Hardcover: 128 pages; North Light Books, 1996

The publisher: The book includes 9 step-by-step demonstrations, emphasizes portraying children being themselves—at play, with siblings, with pets—rather than in formal poses, and covers everything from finding natural poses to rendering the varied textures of children's skin and hair.

6 Artists Paint a Portrait, Alfred Chadbourn, George Passantino, Charles Reid, Ariane Beigneux, Robert Baxter, Ann Toulmin-Rothe by Charles Michael Daugherty – Hardcover: 127 pages; Watson-Guptill, 1974

Studying With the Masters: Lessons from Rubens, Velazquez, Turner, Degas, Monet, Sargent, Matisse by Dean M. Larson – Hardcover: 144 pages; Watson-Guptill; 1st edition (Oct 1, 1986)

Step-by-Step Art School: Portraits by Jack Buchan, Jonathan Baker – Paperback: 160 pages; Hamlyn; New edition (Dec 31, 2001)

Approaches to portraiture range from super-realism (think of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa) to the abstract (Andy Warhol's multiple silk-screened images of Marilyn Monroe), but all portraits have one thing in common--they depict people. The human face has always been an easily accessible subject for artists. In this comprehensive overview, a brief history of portrait painting and a gallery of famous works are followed by basic information on working with models, lighting, proportions of the face, getting a likeness, body shapes and clothes, skin tints, and more. As you work on your own portrait projects--including a self-portrait--you will see how different materials, such as watercolor, acrylics, and oils, can create different effects and moods.

Creating a Self-Portrait by Tom Coates – Hardcover: 135 pages; Watson-Guptill (Sep 1989)

Figures and Portraits by Jose Maria Parramon – Paperback: 24 pages; Lema Publications (Apr 1, 2001)

These guides offer each of those fundamentals through step-by-step exercises, drawings of specific cases that tend to cause the most difficulties, and models to paint that include steps from professional artists.

Portrait Inspirations by Stephen Knapp – Paperback (Nov 1997)

Part of a new fine art series, Portrait Inspirations includes a vast collection of portraits created by today's artists.

Figure & Portrait (Paint! Series) by Betsy Hosegood, Henrietta Hosegood – Paperback: 196 pages; Rotovision (Feb 15, 2000)

Covering the full range of painting mediums, this appealing instructional examines work by leading contemporary artists to show students a variety of approaches to the fascinating art of figure and portrait painting. From traditional to more abstract styles, in oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, and mixed media, the book's depictions of beautiful human forms and expressive faces are accompanied by detailed text featuring the artists' own explanations of how they work, from inspiration and composition to choice of materials, colors, and technique.

Endorsed by Windsor & Newton, one of the world's most respected suppliers of art materials, the book is recommended for novice painters as well as those with experience in one medium who are interested in diversifying to others, and for landscape artists who want to expand to figures and portraiture.

How to Paint Skin Tones by James Horton, Hazel Harrison – Hardcover: 143 pages; North Light Books, 1995

Painting skin color in any realistic way is one of the most subtle and difficult tasks for any beginning artist. The traditional study of the early masters of portraiture limits the student, for the most part, to European Caucasians. Horton explores the full range of color differences among races and within races, from the smoothest young skin to the wrinkled marks of age. This book uses comprehensive charts and photographs to ground the student in mixing color in oils, acrylics, watercolors, and pastels.