Oil Painting Techniques and Materials by Harold Speed
Oil Painting Techniques and Materials
If I want to read up on any topic relating to painting from life, this is my go-to book.
This book is the only one I know of that spends so much time on analyzing all the different ways to handle paint, and how to think about all the nuances required to create a representational painting while also keeping your work painterly.
If you want to learn about brush strokes, edge quality, and paint application, be sure to read Chapter VI, Elementary Tone Exercises, and Chapter IX, Painting from the Life.
This book also has a great chapter focusing on composition, Chapter X, Tone and Color Design.
Oil Painting Techniques and Materials
