Figures in Watercolor

Drawing and painting figures are still on my to do list these days.  I enjoy working with pencils but I miss watercolors too. So, I gave myself a break the other day and decided to explore other media to work on the figures.
Here are three figures in watercolor.  I began with a simple pencil outline drawing.  I then started to paint with watercolors working from light to dark.

A closer look indicates the wet-into-wet mixes.  Allowing the different parts to connect, makes the clothing look more natural and fluid. Once those first washes were dry, I added more layers on top in some areas to create the shadow patterns and the folds.

In my toned paper sketchbook, I drew more body shapes and used pen to render the shadows.  The white charcoal pencil is fun to use for highlights.  In the background, I added some light and dark hatches to oppose the tones of the figures (light against dark, dark against light)! 

Painting clothed figures in watercolor is a great way to practice your wet into wet technique; to learn to control the amount of water and to find beautiful color mixes. 

Take your time with your drawing, plan your color scheme and prepare your washes before you start painting.  There are many photos of people online to use as your reference. 

Whatever you are working on, enjoy! :)

Figure Drawing Continued ...

I have been waiting for the sun to appear in order to have better lighting indoors, so that I could take a few photos of my drawing for this post.  Thus, it took me several days to take photos of the different stages of shading and finally complete the drawing.

I was becoming impatient but returning to my drawing provided me with a fresh eye and the opportunity to readjust if needed.  

I used my regular HB pencil to begin the contour drawing.  

The next stage was applying a layer of tone with my lightest pencil 4H, using diagonal lines and stopping the lines just at the space where a highlight supposed to be.  As you can see, even a simple layer of tone makes an impact.  I did end up finishing the shading of the head at the start.  For no particular reason. :)

Next, I used my 2B pencil to go over the areas in shadow.  Again I applied diagonal lines in the same direction (mostly) as before.  Also, adding the shadows on the floor helped keep the figure grounded.

The last stage was using my darkest pencil 6B to add another layer of dark only where needed.  For the background and the fabric, I added a minimal amount of shading to push them back and maintain the figure as the main area of interest.  

It is my preference to use lines for my tones.  Some use even tones such as blending.  I don't really like the look of "smudging".  But again, there is nothing wrong with it.  

I hope you find this post helpful.  Remember to keep it simple and enjoy the process! 

Figure Drawing

It is becoming colder everyday and I am spending a lot more time indoors.  As the weather changes, so does my artistic mood and appetite.  There is not much greenery to look at outside.

Indoors however, things are looking more cozy.  On the table are my sketchbook, a few pencils and a hot cup of tea to enjoy while the bread is baking in the oven.

These days, I am sketching human figures.  Sometimes, it feels good to put away the paint and just sketch! Although detailed drawings or paintings look great, yet I prefer a more "unfinished", "painterly" or "sketchy" look to a piece.  

Here are a few warm up sketches that I have been working on.

I usually begin with a contour drawing, then look for shadow shapes and slowly adjust everything.  

At this point I would like to focus only on the body and not the face...portraiture will be another topic to explore some other time. :)

I guess I could not stay away from my watercolors for too long! :)

I use online photo references for my sketches. Here is a good website for artists who would like to draw figures from models. 

I hope you enjoyed reading today's post everyone.  Happy sketching!