Contemporary Figures in Watercolour E-Book

Leo Crane

• Herausgeber: Batsford
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 71

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Dive into figure painting with this fresh take on capturing the human form in watercolour. Painter Leo Crane and art model Roy Joseph Butler explore how to interpret the gestures and movements of the figure through the language of paint. Through a range of exercises, they show how to work with the fluidity and immediacy of watercolour to create lively paintings that are bursting with character and narrative possibility. With experience in both fine art and animation, they share tips on bringing life to the figure, and encourage you to discover a liberating and enjoyable approach to paint. Packed with techniques, exercises and step-by-step demonstrations, the book covers: - The Figure: Observing the human figure and working with life models. - Watercolour: Materials, tools, techniques and colour theory. - Speed: Capturing movement and painting at speed, with two-minute studies. - Gesture: Poses, sequences and conveying expression. - Story: Creating mood, context, composition and narrative. - Beyond the Figure: Bringing human energy and movement to still life, animals and landscapes. - From the models: Life model case studies.Paintings by Leo feature throughout to demonstrate the working process through to finished product. With a focus on the dynamic exchange between artist and subject, speed, gesture and story, this book will appeal to artists looking anew at life painting and who are eager to capture the essence of character in movement.

Leseprobe

Lidia Energy Paintings

These energy paintings represent Lidia’s gesture and are explored on here.

ContemporaryFigures inWatercolour

Leo Crane

with Roy Joseph Butler

Many Kams

Layering up your paintings makes unexpected connections between the figures (see here).

ContemporaryFigures inWatercolour

Leo Crane

with Roy Joseph Butler

Dedication

I dedicate this book to the life models whose creativity and generosity are the foundations for my artistic practice. Boundless gratitude goes to Roy Joseph Butler, who introduced me to this world and has been my constant inspiration ever since.

A special thank you to Maggi Hambling CBE for challenging me to be fearlessly creative every day.

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

The Figure

Watercolour

Speed

Gesture

Story

Beyond the Figure

From the Models

Index

Acknowledgements

About the Authors

Matthew Standing Study paintings help you explore the unique ways that watercolour can express a pose, as in these three paintings of Matthew.

Foreword

Roy Joseph Butler

The life room is an exceptional place, unlike any other creative space I’ve ever confronted. In fact, the idea of ‘confronting’ was a part of my experience of the life room only once: the first time. I stepped across the threshold into an amphitheatre of young artists, their collective attention split between their painting and drawing materials, and an assortment of boxes and plinths arranged just so for an already-sitting model. I was up next, just twenty years old and taking my clothes off for the first time in the name of art. Did I need to perform? Was there a trick to it, a special secret I would magically acquire in the pressure of the moment? Would the artists make me perfect on paper or scramble roughly over my own and their own intrinsic imperfections? From the moment the timer started I realized that what made the life room so exceptional, so special, was its reliance on one thing that underpinned all of my reservations and eventual joys: the model–artist relationship.

Contemporary Figures in Watercolour starts with that foundational relationship between the painter and the subject, something writer (and painter and animator) Leo Crane puts at the centre of his creative practice. Some would say that this isn’t really how it goes, that the artist is there to interpret what’s in front of them, bringing their skills to bear to create a work all their own thanks to the physical presence of a professional subject. But as a model, I’ve always known that that same work of art is created as much from what I bring as from the artist’s technique and vision. And the outcome? A tangible product of the unspoken (and sometimes spoken) dialogue between us. It’s constantly fluid, like air, like water.

I’ve known Leo since 2013, having met him in a life-drawing class in which I was modelling. Since then, we’ve collaborated on a number of projects in both digital and fine-art mediums, culminating in the founding of our creative studio Figuration in late 2016. Our first joint film, Nude Triumphant (2020), took audiences into the animated watercolour world of a first-time life model. It was (and is) a performative commentary on how the fusion between the artist’s creation and the model’s inspiration complement each other instead of existing in mechanical confrontation. And it’s hard to find a better medium than watercolour to illustrate that relationship, or indeed to highlight its power to accentuate and elevate art and life – the way it flows into itself, naturally, unbounded, forcing one to see something new and stunningly unpredictable in it.

From a chance encounter in the life room, I never expected to be so much a part of Leo’s work over the years. Contemporary Figures in Watercolour is a real testament to the fruits of our work, but more than that it highlights just how far anyone can go in exploring their own potential in the life room ... and in life.

What I love about this book is its unapologetic approach to chance, experimentation and creative prerogative in the artistic process. Whether you’re relatively new to watercolour painting or consider yourself well-versed, Contemporary Figures in Watercolour holds something you’re bound to integrate into your own practice. And whatever that may be, I hope you embrace it, never confront it, and allow it all the freedom in the world to develop your art and yourself.

Roy Rising

Roy rises through this sequence of poses, finding a freedom in modelling that matches the liberation of the paint.

Introduction

My journey into figure painting has been an unplanned and joyful path through art history, animation, performance and, finally, the art studio. Throughout, I have followed an unbreakable thread of physical expression: what do we say with our bodies and how do we read and respond to the bodies of others?

This book continues that thread, celebrating the connection between painter, model and medium. As a painter, I look to the model for the initial spark that fires up our creative exchange. I communicate this through watercolour, whose lively unpredictability ensures I am never quite in control, giving the painting a life of its own.

In the following pages, I introduce the figure as subject and watercolour as a means of communication. I then share examples of my process in four sections. The first, Speed, unlocks the joy of dynamic poses and the freedom of fearless mark making. The second, Gesture, explores the emotion of the human form and the flow of its energy. The third, Story, considers how composition can draw the viewer into a narrative. I then look Beyond the Figure to show how these same principles can be applied to any painting, from landscapes and still life to imagined realities.

Alongside the text are my paintings, demonstrating how I understand the human form through direct observation: the rich colours of flesh, the distribution of weight, the mechanics of movement. Through sustained practice, this observation has become second nature, with instinct pulling me towards the idiosyncrasies that give a particular model or pose their unique personality.

This book has evolved out of my ongoing collaboration with Roy Joseph Butler, co-founder of our creative studio Figuration. Roy’s experience and research are the foundations for my text. As part of his research, Roy interviewed three fellow life models, Lidia Lidia, Kam Wan and Leonora Smith. Their insights into the painter-model dynamic are shared in this book, giving a fresh perspective to my painting process.

As well as Roy, Lidia, Kam and Leonora, the book features Matthew Oghene, Maya Williams, Valentina Rock and a number of other models who are named when their image is used. My relationships with them have been built over many months or years, leading not only to paintings, but also workshops, performances, exhibitions, films and animation. I am grateful to all of them for their part in our shared creative process.

I have chosen to guide you on a path of self-discovery. I encourage you to develop your figure-painting skills by jumping straight in. Experiment and surprise yourself with the results. Most of all, indulge in the process and enjoy the collaboration with your subject as you paint the figure in watercolour.

Portrait of Leonora

Leonora’s strong features and distinctive jewellery were the focus of this painting. By diffusing the boundaries of her head, I allow her mind to wander into the blank space of the page, a space the viewer can fill with their imagination.

The Figure

Our most fundamental form of expression is through our bodies. Instinctively, we use our physicality to communicate and connect with others. By observing, reading, interpreting and responding, we forge a shared human experience.

The life room is a laboratory to experiment with this exchange. The model strips back to their essential self and opens a dialogue with a pose. The painter explores the figure, feels the space, and finds a personal connection to enable a response. The dialogue continues back and forth: the air circulates, the light changes, sounds come and go as the model poses and the painter interprets with marks, colours and composition.

In this first section, I begin by considering the life model and the language of paint. I then share some tips on getting the most out of the painter-model relationship.

Roy Triumphant