Hi, Michele,
I get lots of magazines. The two that I think are the best technical publications are International Artist
http://www.artinthemaking.com , and its sister, Pastel Artist International
http://international-artist.com . They tend to feature excellent aand very in-depth articles; International Artist has a relationship with the Portiat Society of America, and always includes a section on portraits. Step-by-step articles are featured, too.Levels are more to the experienced painter.
Artist's Magazine
http://www.artistsmagazine.com and American Artist Magazine
http://www.myamericanartist.com , are published by, respectively, North Light Books' parent, and Watson-Guptill. They each include a broad range of artists, media, and technique, and include 1-2 major features that typcially include step-by-step demos, plus a number of other monthly clumns and mini-articles.Levels are beginner to experienced.
I agree with Mike on American Art Review, great magazine, dead painters.
I also get Art of the West
http://www.aotw.com and Southwest Art
http://www.southwestart.com . They feature a range of subjects, and do a particularly good job with landscape painters. I like both these publications a great deal, not only because I live in the West, but have studied with or are familiar with many of the featured artists. I am also very partial, style-wise, to loose, painterly work that so often is characteristic of painters, especially plein-air painters, from the western US. There is a great deal of figurative/genre/portrait work shown too, although I must say I have taken a lot of my portrait, color and background inspiration from landscape painters. Neither of these is technique or instructional-oriented. They appeal to everyone, including non-painters.