Painting portraits can be fun. Learn to paint a hipster, or your own Poe. There is a step-by-step guide to each of the model portraits.

I especially liked the interesting colour combinations in this book.

This is a cute book for aspiring artists, but I don’t know if beginners like myself would be able to recreate the portraits included here... I will practice the techniques, though!

I have to say that the artwork in this book is very cool. I mean what other art book have you ever seen that thought you to make portraits of both Queen Elizabeth and Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz? It’s really detailed too, with the perfect way to mix skin tones and shading. The problem is that unless you are a painter who likes to paint very small details, you might find this book frustrating. I would definitely recommend it for an intermediate artiest or anyone who is interested in portraiture.

It's not the art style I'd love but it was a good read. It may not have been as riveting and as inspiring as I hoped but there were useful tips here and there that I can reflect on in terms of my own artistic style.

Playful Painting: People is a new inspiration and tutorial book from Sarah Walsh. Released 7th August 2018 by Quarto publishing's Walter Foster imprint, it's 144 pages and available in softbound/paperback format.

I love crafting and painting, drawing, fibrecrafts and creative hobbies in general. I am not a gifted representational painter and this has bothered me a fair bit over the years. I am completely convinced that generally people (me!) who learn the right techniques can draw and paint to a satisfying level. I've been told that it's a matter of seeing and visualizing and for some reason between my optic nerves and the peripheral nerves controlling my fingers something vital gets lost.

Anyhow, this book is a lovely, lighthearted look at recognizable representational painting with people as the subject. In other words, how to get a likeness on the paper which other people can recognize as the person you intended to paint.

This tutorial book gives step by step instructions (with illustrations) for 18 portraits including Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz, Frida Kahlo, Louis Armstrong and more, along with more generic subjects like 'ad man', 'hipster guy', and 'girl with flowers in her hair'.

The author has a penchant for gouache, but gives general tips on the use of color and shading, and the techniques can easily be adapted for other media. The emphasis here is on lightening up and having fun with the process (see the cover art). There is no hyperrealism here.

This book is a fun antidote for the would-be artist who is afraid to put pen to paper. There is a lot of info and encouragement here. I could see this being a good support resource for a classroom art module for middle grades and older.

Five stars.

I never knew learning to draw could be such a simple task. This is coming from a lady that still draws stick figures when she wants to illustrate a human. With book gave me a new lease and I learned how to enjoy and not take myself to seriously. These will make great Christmas gifts for the artists or aspiring artists in your life. It even makes me want to take up a new hobby.

This was a nice art book for anyone interested in painting portraits, whether it is a friend or a famous person. The tools and techniques are presented quickly, but they are easy to understand.

What I liked the most was the emphasis on how the portraits do not have to be perfect, as long as you capture the definitive details and the essence of the person you paint. The step by step projects are really nice and a good way to put the techniques learned in practice.

Thank you, NetGalley for the preview of this digital ARC.

Sarah Walsh is amazing! Her 'Playful Painting: People' is the book that I have looking for years. I would recommend this book to beginners who love to paint.

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH!
Sarah Walsh's illustration style attracted me almost instantly when I first saw the cover. I love the colors she uses, and the style is so soothing that I wanted to grab a cup of hot tea before I start flipping the pages. Although her drawing order (faces first, clothes next, hairs the last) is different from mine, so personally it took a while to get used to the way she paints, but still, her book is pretty helpful, and some tips are pretty inspiring. I will get a get copy when it hits the shelves.
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Overall: 5/5
Cover: 4.5/5
Illustrations: 5/5
Content: 4.5/5
Page Design: 5/5
Appealing: 5/5

A book full of fun. If you think you can't draw then think again. Easy to follow. Entertaining for both adults and children.

What a fun and informative book! I enjoyed this book immensely, and found a great deal of artful inspiration and tips. The artwork and illustrations are lovely and colorful, with such a cheerful whimsy to them. Tutorials are clear and descriptive, and the subjects of each tutorial are perfect--wonderful, charismatic individuals who lend themselves well to be the subjects of portraits for artists of all levels. So enjoyable!! Definitely a book I'd recommend!!

This is a delightful book with many historical characters. I enjoyed the vibrant colors, verbiage, and how the directions are broken down for the reader. Walsh has a unique and textured art style that is very modern and refreshing.

Playful Painting: People by Sarah Walsh is a step-by-step guide into painting portraits. As such I find it a bit peculiar. The steps that Walsh give are only applicable to her own designs and also quite original compared with what usually would be recommended on how to start a portrait, as sometimes she paints first the hands or the hat of the subject!

But perhaps the key is that this is a playful painting guide. The style of the paintings is naive and probably this book would work well with younger painters too, although it is not obviously for children.

Beautiful ideas, sketches and art work.
It inspired me to make illustrations and the book gave a clear instruction on how to get started.

I saw this book and thought it would give some interesting insights in painting people. It does and it’s fine for using with children and adults who are just starting out in discovering their artistic abilities. I feel book lives up to its name of being playful.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book that was provided by the publisher through Net Galley. However, the thoughts presented here are my own.

A beautiful and helpfull book that's nice to look at.
The techniques are well explained so that even a beginner could understand and follow them - and creat a nice portrait of a person.

A very easy book to read and follow, It is bright and chatty, with lots of step by step instructions. In fact a fun book for both adults and teens, although the characters maybe a little dated for them. It is a great book for anyone that has never picked up a paintbrush before as it does show a little about the properties of paint.
I liked it very much.

Painting portraits can be fun. Learn to paint a hipster, or your own Poe. There is a step-by-step guide to each of the model portraits.

I especially liked the interesting colour combinations in this book.

I really loved that book, as all the paintings included are soo happy and colourful. The step-by-step explanations are easy to understand and everybody can reach good results when trying out.
The layout is also really nice.

Playful Painting: People by Sarah Walsh

The author states that it is the energy and essence of a person that should be captured in a portrait. The perfection of a photograph is not necessary and instead fun colors and simpler drawings can be as effective and representative as more realistic portraits. I can see using this book’s ideas to work with family photographs and perhaps to create a booklet for family members. My guess, looking at the details, is that acrylic paint is a better option than watercolor as light colors are added over dark ones while in watercolor one has to reserve the lights and add in the darks.

Would I like to have this book in my library? I think so
What would I use it for? Cards, letters, stories, and perhaps other art projects
Who do I believe would like this book? Teachers, artists, children, adults wanting to play with portraiture

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing-Walter Foster for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars