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    People
    People
    People
    Ebook158 pages47 minutes

    People

    By Sharon Finmark

    5/5

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    About this ebook

    Learn to Paint People is a new ebook title in HarperCollins’ successful Learn to Paint series.

    Including people in paintings literally brings them to life. In Learn to Paint People Sharon Finmark looks at all the essential aspects of painting people in their environment, using watercolour, acrylics, gouache and pastels. Several step-by-step demonstrations are included, featuring people at rest, in motion, in indoor settings and outside.

    Learn to Paint People features:
    • guidelines on choosing painting materials
    • clear, practical advice on painting techniques
    • a wide range of subjects, including single figures, groups of people, people in indoor settings and people outdoors
    • stage-by-stage demonstration paintings

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateAug 20, 2015
    ISBN9780008139346
    People
    Author

    Sharon Finmark

    Sharon Finmark is an experienced teacher of painting at West Dean College and also runs private workshops in her own studio. Her work has been exhibited at the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour, the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Academy Business Art Gallery. She has written several articles for ‘The Artist’ and is the author of ‘Learn to Paint – Gardens in Watercolour’.

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    • 5/5
      A very interesting, well laid out book, covering all you need to know about starting to paint.
      The section dealing with paint, paper etc is comprehensive in that it advises you what is best for what you want to achieve.
      Then goes on to advise how to sketch subjects, pose figures.
      Finally what settings and lightings are favourable to complete the picture.
      This book is ideal for beginners to embark on a very satisfying hobby.
      I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.

    Book preview

    People - Sharon Finmark

    Portrait of the Artist

    Sharon Finmark in her London studio.

    Sharon Finmark was born and brought up in London, where she still lives, although she has travelled and painted widely in Europe and Canada.

    She trained as an illustrator, having abandoned an art-school fine-art course because she wanted to work figuratively – a style of painting perceived to be unfashionable at that time. From 1973 to 1976 she was primarily employed in this capacity, working in a wide range of media from national newspapers and magazines, book publishers and fine-art card makers. She still accepts commissions for illustrative work, but now concentrates most of her energies on her own painting, and on teaching. Since 1980 she has been increasingly employed as a visiting lecturer, giving short courses on painting and drawing in various institutions in England and Canada.

    Grove End House

    pastel

    61 × 86 cm (24 × 34 in)

    She paints a wide range of subjects, in all the media, though is best known for her work in watercolour, pastel and acrylic. Sharon has always been interested in the figure in context, even as a student at college, when representational work was considered old-fashioned. She persevered with her favourite subject and now likes to be considered a visual recorder of people, both public and private.

    Girl in Bathroom

    pastel

    86 × 61 cm (34 × 24 in)

    Why Paint People?

    Many amateur artists shy away from human subjects, concentrating on static ones such as still life and landscape. There is a feeling that painting people is too difficult, but I would like to explode the theory that it requires a lifetime’s drawing experience. To be a successful portrait painter you undoubtedly do need good drawing skills, but I am not dealing with portraiture in this book, but rather on the idea of using figures as an element in your paintings so that they present a more truthful record of the world around you. We live in a densely populated world, and it is a pity to exclude humanity, in all its fascinating variety, from your artistic repertoire. Personally, I find figure work one of the most exciting and rewarding of all painting subjects, and I am sure that you will too, once you have overcome any initial fears.

    Chatting

    watercolour and gouache

    30.5 × 40.5 cm (12 × 16 in)

    In outdoor scenes, a figure or group of figures can provide a focal point for your picture, add atmosphere or even hint at a story, for example a solitary walker on a windswept beach or children playing in a park. In interiors, the presence of people is as natural as that of the furniture made to accommodate them – you would not express the ambience of a pub or café if you were to paint them empty.

    People are certainly trickier to draw and paint than still life objects, both because they are complex in themselves and because they seldom remain still, but as long as you observe the overall shapes and proportions, gestures and movements, your approach can be quite loose and sketchy and still make visual sense. In many of the paintings shown in this book, I have aimed at impressions rather than detailed literal descriptions, which can often be more effective and evocative.

    Observation and practice are the twin keys to success, so take a sketchbook and seek out well-populated places such as airports, markets, pubs and beaches. Wherever you go, there will be a scene that suggests a painting, even if you don’t complete it on the spot. You may also find a camera a useful aid on information-gathering trips, but avoid becoming too dependent on photographs.

    It is not only the drawing aspect that makes people a challenging subject; you will need to give careful thought to the composition and structure of the painting, especially if you intend to make a finished composition from sketches and photographs. I offer what I hope is some helpful advice on these important topics, as well as on the choice of medium. Don’t automatically use the same medium for every painting – even if you

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