David A. Leffel: Painting the Portrait, Lewis

The one DVD you will both cherish and employ, no matter how or what you paint, David A. Leffel: Painting the Portrait, Lewis in Oil, presents the world renown artist David A. Leffel, in 1991, in his New York studio, after nearly 20 years of teaching at the Art Students League of New York, directly and confidently defining in words and in brush strokes what painting means to him.

Leffel engages us fully in this portrait demonstration, stating clearly both the why and the how, from the painting’s start all the way to its finish, illuminating our understanding with his knowledge of art history and great Masters of painting including Titian and Rembrandt, while always bringing us back to the craft, to paint in the brush, and, especially, to the importance of how we hold the brush.

Emphasizing the importance of beauty at every stage of the painting, Leffel gives us a path to follow to capture movement, working from shadow to light, from background to foreground, as the painting progresses from broad and simple to more defined and specific, planting profound yet uncomplicated truths to act as guideposts along the way. Even the sitter, Lewis, is inspired as he stealthily checks out the demo a few times, nodding in understanding and agreement.

A true gift for any serious painter, including yourself.