Portraits in Oil the Van Wyk Way

Helen Van Wyk mastered the art of portraiture by using colour, shadow and artistic expression to capture the personalities of her subjects. In her inspiring instructional style, she teaches artists of all abilities to paint portraits successfully.

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Helen Van Wyk mastered the art of portraiture by using color, shadow and artistic expression to capture the personalities of her subjects. In her inspiring instructional style, she teaches artists of all abilities to paint portraits successfully. She breaks down the challenge of portrait painting into simple elements anyone can achieve. Using beautiful, full-color illustrations of her own work, as well as her trademark techniques and formulas, she teaches: color mixes for the five basic tones of flesh; techniques for painting wet-in-wet and in loose strokes; keys to painting eyes, hair, glasses and full poses; tips for painting family and self portraiture; how to capture expression and likeness