This video tutorial guides viewers through practicing painting simplified human figures in watercolor, with a strong emphasis on creating realistic perspective, depth, and a sense of distance. It’s particularly useful for artists looking to incorporate people into street scenes or landscapes.
Key Techniques & Information Demonstrated:
- Perspective & Placement:
- Establish a horizon line (about one-third down the paper).
- Place all heads on this line for a consistent eye level, ensuring figures appear grounded in the same space. Spatter light paint marks along the horizon as guides for head placement.
- Figure Simplification:
- Bodies: Use watery washes (e.g., ultramarine and burnt sienna mix) to create basic body shapes, often resembling “long arched windows.” Vary the size significantly: larger for foreground figures, smaller and shorter for those in the distance.
- Legs: Depict with simple vertical lines (one slightly shorter to suggest walking) or as thin triangles, wider at the top. Avoid detailed features like hands or feet for distant figures.
- Heads: For distant figures, use tiny, oval-shaped dots with a light tonal value. Mid-ground figures can have slightly larger and darker heads. Some faces can be painted with warmer tones (reds/yellows) to suggest they are facing the viewer.
- Creating Depth & Illusion of Space:
- Size & Detail: Figures further away are smaller and have less detail. Foreground figures are larger and can include more distinct shapes or clothing elements.
- Tonal Value: Use lighter, more diluted washes for distant elements. Foreground elements should have stronger, more saturated colors and darker values to make them advance.
- Atmospheric Perspective for Background: Paint the sky darker at the top of the page and gradually lighter towards the horizon line.
- Light & Shadow:
- Establish and maintain a consistent light source throughout the painting (e.g., light coming from the right).
- Create highlights by lifting wet paint from figures where the light would hit.
- Paint shadows on the side of the figures opposite the light source, and cast shadows on the ground. Shadows for distant objects should be smaller and paler.
- Clothing & Details:
- Suggest clothing with simple brushstrokes, sometimes leaving a gap to imply an underlayer.
- Introduce varied colors for clothing to add visual interest.
- Add minimal details like bags or hair, especially for closer figures.
- Background Application:
- Wet the background area with clean water, carefully painting around the figures and leaving a small “halo” of dry paper around heads. This prevents paint bleeding and can suggest light.
- Apply sky washes wet-into-wet. Paint elements like pavement wet-on-dry or wet-on-wet, using vertical strokes to suggest reflections.
- Experiment with spattering clean water onto a damp sky wash to create textures like rain or snow.
- Practice Approach:
- Begin with very light washes, allowing for corrections by washing away mistakes.
- The focus is on practice and building confidence, so perfection isn’t the initial goal.
- Gradually build up details and darker values.
Main Conclusions & Takeaways:
The tutorial offers a straightforward and effective method for beginners and intermediate artists to practice and gain confidence in painting impressionistic human figures within a watercolor scene. Key takeaways include:
- Simplifying human forms is crucial for conveying distance and avoiding excessive detail.
- Strategic use of perspective (horizon line), size variation, tonal values, and detail level are essential for creating a convincing illusion of depth.
- Maintaining a consistent light source and applying shadows accordingly enhances the three-dimensionality of the figures and the scene.
- This practice helps artists to populate their paintings with figures without fear, adding life and scale to landscapes and urban sketches. The finished piece is presented as a “sketch” or practice exercise, emphasizing the learning process.
Source: Practice PAINTING People In Watercolour For Beginners
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