by Jill Stefani Wagner

I know, I know. It seems like with all these workshops and classes, there’s hardly any time to paint what we actually PINE to paint! (In my case, landscapes and interiors.) But the quick sketches and paintings of figure models that I do in class are very informative to me in almost everything I do out in the field… and I would argue that they’d be beneficial for you as well.

When I work outside, I need to decide on a view, and arrange a composition or design for my painting. I usually start on a toned background and block in the big shapes with my darks and lights. Once I have those elements decided, then I can go into more detailed areas near the focal point.

When I do my watercolor figure sketches, I approach the process in the very same way. I just work waaaaay faster… We usually have timed poses starting with 2 minutes and ending with a “long” pose of 20 minutes. That’s not very much time to capture a human body convincingly in space. Since I’m interested in volume and value, not just line, I’ve worked out a shortcut.

Working on Yupo (a plastic-like paper), I put down some very loose brushstrokes as a toned background and let them dry. When the model poses I block in the figure with a tone that is darker than the background, but not my darkest dark. The cool thing about painting on Yupo is that I can quickly brush off any mistake and revise it. I can also rub the background color down to the white paper to get my highlights.

When I am happy with that stage, I paint in the darkest darks.

Working fast helps me become comfortable with seeing the entirety of a view and getting it down. Since I am working very loosely and don’t have expectations of a “finished” artwork, I’m willing to take chances and be happy with the outcome regardless of its success. (No expectations = no regrets.) If the risk-taking is successful, I can add it into my process or techniques. If its not, I try not to repeat it again down the line.

Sometimes, I don’t like the model’s position. No prob! I just paint one of the artists painting the model!

And other times, if I look at the pose in just the right way, the model herself becomes a landscape…