Jean Pederson - Expressive Portraits: Creative Methods for Painting People

expressive portraits

creative
methods
for painting
people

jean pederson

www.artistsnetwork.com

silk wrapped
watercolor on 140-lb. (300gsm) cold-pressed paper16" x 20" (41cm x 51cm)

Painting:
This model sat indoors in natural light. The sun bounced off the silk to emphasize the richness and beauty of the material, and I was able to achieve subtle changes in values in the models face.

Expressive Portraits: Creative Methods for Painting People. Copyright 2008 by Jean Pederson. Manufactured in China. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by North Light Books, an imprint of F+W Publications, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236. (800) 289-0963. First Edition.

Other fine North Light Books are available from your local bookstore, art supply store or direct from the publisher at www.fwbookstore.com

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Pederson, Jean.

Expressive portraits : creative methods for painting people / Jean Pederson.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-58180-953-4 (alk. paper)

ISBN-13: 978-1-60061-4-989 (EPUB)

eISBN:978-1-44031-725-5

1. Human figure in art. 2. Watercolor painting--Technique. 3. Mixed media painting--Technique. I. Title.

ND2190.P43 2008

751.42242--dc22 2007020956

Edited by Vanessa Lyman and Stefanie Laufersweiler

Designed by Wendy Dunning

Production coordinated by Matt Wagner

about the author

Jean Pederson has been painting for over twenty years. A popular instructor throughout North America, she also teaches water mediums at the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary. She is a contributing editor for The Artists Magazine, and her art has appeared in the Splash best-of-watercolor series as well as Watercolor Magic, International Artist and MagazinArt.

Although she is well known for her mastery of watercolors, work in mixed media has become an important vehicle for her creative expression. Included in Canadas Whos Who, Jean is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society (AWS), the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, the Federation of Canadian Artists, the Canadian Institute of Portrait Artists and the California Watercolor Association. Shes received numerous awards, including the grand prize in the Painting on the Edge International Exhibition in Vancouver in 2005 and the AWS Silver Medal of Honor in 2001. In 2005, she was the first recipient of the Federation of Canadian Artists Early Achievement Award, recognizing her many honors for consistently exceptional painting, and for promoting art education internationally.

Jean has exhibited her work internationally. The Royal Collection in Winsor, England, holds two of Jeans pieces.

Jean lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her husband, Douglas, and their sons, Ryan and Scott. She teaches a number of courses and workshops dealing with water mediums. For more information, visit her Web site at www.jeanpederson.com.

Metric Conversion Chart

acknowledgments

papas fiddle
watercolor on 140-lb. (300gsm) cold-pressed paper 15 x 11 (38cm x 28cm) collection of mr. and mrs. w. pederson

It takes a community of family, friends and editorsto assemble a book. There are so many people thatcontributed to the development and preparation ofthis book; my sincerest thanks to all of you.

I would like to thank God for inspiring the ideas andartwork required for Expressive Portraits.

The staff at North Light Books has been so supportiveand patient, guiding me through the booksvarious stages of development. I would like to thankexecutive editor Jamie Markle for his initial encouragement,and editor Erin Nevius for getting me startedwith the writing process. Thank you to managingeditor Vanessa Lyman, who played an integral partin guiding me through the process and offered greatadvice and support. Thank you to editor StefanieLaufersweiler for her perceptive input, expertise andsupport in pulling the book together.

I would like to extend many thanks to DonBartholome, Paul Keogler, David Pyle, Lynn Pearl and Michael McWilliamfor their support and sharing their technical knowledge. I am also gratefulto Pat Bacon for her support, knowledge and generous assistancethroughout the development of the book.

To my friends Maureen Bloomfield and Olga de Sanctis, a big thankyou for their continued encouragement and support; it means so muchto me.

My most heartfelt thanks goes out to my family. A big thank you mustgo to my husband, Douglas, for his love, support and encouragement.Doug often carried more of the day-to-day load so that I could concentrateon the book. To my wonderful children, Ryan and Scott, for cheeringme on and making me smile! My parents, Doris and Willard Pederson,have given me a lifetime of love and support. Thank you, Mom and Dad.

dedication

This book is dedicated to my husband, Douglas; mysons, Ryan and Scott; and my parents, Doris andWillard, who have supported and encouraged myartistic journey.

contents

Creative opportunity begins with understanding how your materialsbehave and what they can do for you.

Looking for the similarities in people will enable you to isolate uniquecharacteristics much more effectively for a true likeness.

The best paintings are firmly rooted inbut not stifled bya gooddesign plan.

Lose your inhibitions and your dependence on traditional watercolor,and your portraits will reach a refreshing new level of expression.

Creatively combine water mediums, master a variety of skin tones and