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    People in Watercolour
    People in Watercolour
    People in Watercolour
    Ebook177 pages58 minutes

    People in Watercolour

    By Trevor Waugh

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    About this ebook

    This practical and inspirational guide, in a handy sketchbook format, is aimed at the practised beginner and shows how to achieve successful watercolour paintings of people in just 30 minutes – ideal for the busy amateur artist who doesn't have much time to paint.

    Many people think they don't have enough time to paint, but in this attractive guide Trevor Waugh encourages quick and simple painting. By working with just a few materials and focusing on the key techniques it is possible to achieve successful, realistic paintings of people in no more than half an hour. And for those artists who already have a little painting experience, learning to work more quickly enables them to free up their style and paint more spontaneously.

    All the key topics are covered, from watercolour techniques, colour and tone to learning about proportions, simple silhouettes, facial features, and backgrounds.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateMar 27, 2014
    ISBN9780007548989
    People in Watercolour
    Author

    Trevor Waugh

    Trevor Waugh is an established and popular painter who runs very successful workshops and painting holidays. Apart from his attractive watercolour painting, his work is also known to a wide market in the form of greetings cards, prints and other merchandise. Author of the successful Winning with Watercolour, his new book You Can Paint Animals in Watercolour is published in summer 2002.

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      Book preview

      People in Watercolour - Trevor Waugh

      INTRODUCTION

      For me, watercolour is the most spontaneous and suggestive medium, and I find the whole process of painting with it an exciting journey of discovery about both the subject and myself.

      Unfortunately, there are many disheartening myths about watercolour – for example, that you have to get it ‘right’ first time because you can’t make corrections, and that painting people in this medium is harder to do than any other subject. I hope I can dispel some of these misconceptions in this book and encourage you to have a go at painting people with pleasure and fluency, enjoying the freedom and excitement that watercolour offers.

      People in watercolour

      It is true to say that if you can’t draw it you can’t paint it, so attention to your drawing skills is essential and the key to finding out how to describe people in paint. A short time spent doing some simple line drawing will help you to get your eye in before you pick up your brush. Quick sketches, taking only five or ten minutes, can also help to loosen you up and take away any anxiety about making the first marks on paper.

      Look for the basic shapes of the human form and their relative sizes to one another rather than details. When you start to paint, let the colours flow naturally together and don’t try to force them; corrections can take place later on. Remember that watercolour is an accidental medium, so you need to respond to the way that the colours behave on the paper.

      The Archway

      I painted the arch and street scene first, limiting my colours to just three – Raw Sienna, Cobalt Blue and Lamp Black. Finally I put in my people as silhouettes, using Lamp Black.

      The aim of this book

      Many artists find the human figure the most challenging subject to paint and watercolour the most daunting medium. However, my belief is that a simple approach and a step-by-step procedure will bring you rewarding results in a short space of time. Knowing what to look for in your subject and how to capture it is half the battle. If you can achieve success with simple things, this will give you the confidence to be more adventurous and stretch yourself further.

      In this book you will find new ways of looking at this supposedly difficult subject, along with quick exercises and straightforward information to help you paint people successfully. You will be surprised at how much you can achieve in a 30-minute painting and the joy it brings.

      Umbrella People

      Using only Burnt Umber, I reduced my composition to just three tones. The white of the paper has been employed to do a lot of the work here.

      Lady in Pink

      14 × 18cm (5¾ × 7in)

      The emphasis here is on the pink dress; even though the figures in the foreground are larger they still support the figure in pink as a focal point.

      ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT

      Even for beginners in watercolour, good-quality artist’s materials are imperative. They are more expensive but you will find that a little goes a long way, and the better results you will get compared to those from cheap materials will encourage you to keep on developing your skills.

      There is a huge range of products to be found in the shops and mail order catalogues, and this can be bewildering, especially for novices. If your budget is limited, my advice is to purchase only top-quality paper, brushes and pigments, and leave items such as bags, pots, portfolios and brush-holders for another day.

      Paints

      Watercolour paints come in a variety of ranges and brands. All watercolours should be compatible no matter what the manufacturer’s name, so you can pick and choose whichever colours suit you. Artist’s quality paints have the greatest pigment content and luminosity – the cheaper equivalents in student ranges contain extenders and bulking agents which can create problems, so on the whole you get what you pay for.

      Watercolours are sold either in pans or tubes. You can buy the former separately or in boxed sets in various ranges. I have used tube colours for all of the paintings in this book as I find they give me access to larger flowing washes instantly. They are ideal for studio use, but if you wish to take minimal equipment on location a neat little paintbox with pan colours and a palette in the lid is undeniably handy.

      Brushes

      You won’t need a lot of brushes to start with – just three round or mop brushes in varying sizes would be ideal. Equip yourself with a No. 16 for large areas of colour and background washes, a No. 10 for intermediate washes and smaller paintings and a No. 8 round brush that comes to a fine tip for most of the smaller and more detailed areas. The latter will do a lot of laborious work and you will probably find it familiar to handle. Given extra use, it’s likely it will wear out more quickly than the others – if

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