"Painting and Drawing the Head" combines technical instruction, art history references, and thoughts on the day-to-day practice of painting the head from life. The rich text, supported by more than 100 paintings, gives a thoughtful account of the process of capturing a likeness. After introducing materials, principles, and ideas, it follows the course of painting a head in five sittings, providing unique insight and practical comment throughout: from the choice of ground for the picture, through the set-up, the structure of the sessions, guidance on how to compose and what palette to use, all the way to the later stages of developing a portrait over time.