Putting People in Your Paintings

Putting People in Your Paintings
by Laurel Hart

Putting People in Your Paintings
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Book Summary Information

Author: Laurel Hart
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-01-31
ISBN: 1581807805
Number of pages: 128
Publisher: North Light Books

Book Reviews of Putting People in Your Paintings

Book Review: Help for the beginner to add figures to their paintings
Summary: 4 Stars

The author gives good instruction on how to add figures to watercolor, using her own work as examples. The instructions go from basic palettes to value sketches and show demonstrations.

The author's style is quick and loose. This will seem less intimidating to beginners, who could be easily frustrated when they can't achieve some of the luminous and detailed results of a master.

The author's palette has great suggestions, such as transparent red oxide and yellow oxide, which are transparent versions of palette standards like Venetian Red and Yellow Ochre. But she does recommend alizarin crimson, which today is easily replaced by quinacridone rose or violet and which is less likely to fade. A quibble, but I feel alizarin crimson is better replaced by the quinacridone pigments these days. She shows mixing variation with red-yellow-blue, using manganese blue, but you should be aware this will be manganese hue.

The most valuable part of the book for beginners might be how to do value sketches, using black and white photos or rendering in digital software to see the darks and lights. She shows how dark shadows behind figures can be manipulated to add life and light to the painting--washing in a mix of brighter colors that still have the same value as the deep shadow, but are livelier and more pleasing to the eye.

The best paintings are the ones of Hart's father and his peach orchard. The peaches glow and the shadows on the face and under boxes and barrows are interesting. Her style is not tight and photographic, but it gets the message across beautifully. Any beginner who wants to try portraits and figures can benefit from this book.

Summary of Putting People in Your Paintings

Capture the essence of people in your paintings

Add a personal touch to you watercolors with 11 step-by-step demonstrations that cover people in a variety of scenes and situations. Award-winning artist, Laurel Hart, gives you the techniques you need to capture the living, breathing essence of people. Inside you'll find:

  • Tips for seeing the basic shapes of your subject using lighting and shading techniques
  • Easy methods for successful design and composition
  • Techniques for translating photographs into compelling, beautiful paintings
  • Complete instruction for placing people in settings including cityscapes, landscapes and interiors
Laurel guides you through the process with practical tips, chapter summaries and motivational "Hart-felt insights" that will inspire you to see the beauty of your subject and transfer your emotional response to watercolor. Putting People in Your Paintings gives you all the tools you need to make your paintings come alive!

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