I've been studying the Asaro head for a few years now. Every time I do a study I learn something that is valuable. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to painting.
First, There's the Richard Schmid idea of painting exactly what you see; Painting every color and shape as you see it. That is great for observation. I have known many artists that can draw and paint from pure observation. Second, it's the analytic artist who needs to be able to comprehend or simplify the shape before they can truly paint it.
I find that I fit more in the latter category, but like most people, nothing is purely binary. Both methods are extremely useful together. That's why I have found the Reilly/Asaro method very useful. Reilly’s method is for gestural relationships on a 2d surface and the Asaro is the concept of a 3-dimensional object.
Reinterpreting and making Asaro work for me.
I have incorporated my own personal perspective on studying(pun intended). By placing the box on the Asaro head, I am reminding myself of the 3-dimensional properties of the head. This way I am also playing with the iconography of the 2-dimensional shape and the type of "lens" I am using.
This tool is also incredibly helpful when it comes to painting. In the painting, below I was about to use the polygon tool to make the simple shapes. Of course, the colors are achieved by using outside knowledge of light and color theory. But understanding the planes and rhythms of the head makes a painting from your imagination similar to this so much easier.
The Asaro head may seem stiff but once you know the basic ideas of the form and its proportions, you can use it to exaggerate and play with it.
The Asaro head is one of the best tools that I have ever used to study the head. There are several tutorials out there, paid and unpaid, but none of them are truly complete. Most of the tutorials require extensive outside knowledge to bring to the table.
Other resources
Jack Faragasso’s book is probably the most complete instructions I have found on the web for the Reilly method. It is probably more complete than 99 percent of the tutorials out there. I am pretty glad that they are publishing it again.
Affiliate links
https://amzn.to/39Q1HLA
Where to purchase the Asaro head.
Not an Affiliate link.
The Guide that comes with it is very helpful to understanding the Reilly and Asaro method.
https://www.planesofthehead.com/original_head.php
3d models of the Asaro head
https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/asaro-head-9d26548182f8465a8e97371a9170561e
John Asaro’s website
https://johnasaro.com/home.html