People Who Need (Watercolor) People
By Barbara Weeks
Often in urban sketching we focus on the architecture or landmarks we encounter to tell the story of our surroundings. There are times when we add people to the scene, even when they’re not the focus. They give scale, energy, life, and an invitation into the scene.
When you need or want an extra spark in your landscape or cityscape including people can be the trick you need. In this post I’m going to give you tips for using watercolor to add figures to your work.
Carrots and Rectangles
The Carrot -Simple as 1, 2, 3!There are many approaches for quickly adding figures to watercolors. I use a combination of two different methods – carrots and rectangles.
Both ways employ similar mind sets.
From just a few strokes, a simple basic figure.
1. Start with simple carrot shape
2. Add a head
3. Add a little gesture and shadow
Repeat the process and add a little embellishment.
Now try playing with just slight changes to the gesture and size of the carrot shapes. Add more, create a crowd or a parade!
The Rectangle
1. Start with a rectangle
2. Add two strokes for legs
3. Add two strokes for arms
4. And one for a head
Tah Dah! A person!
Urban Sketching
One of my favorite ways to capture the personality of a place is through its people. As simple as these methods are you can add attitude and personality.
- Try varying the size of the initial shape – wider, thinner, longer, shorter.
- Paint a group of carrots and rectangles together. Let a few overlap and let the paint mingle.
- What happens when the head stroke touches the shoulder line?When it doesn’t?
- Experiment, add line to emphasis or embellish some of the shapes.
As always, have fun!
T&T Thursday is a twice a month column about sketching skill-building ideas. Some of the columns will be brand new, others will be refreshed columns from the past.
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