 |
||||
|
Figures in Landscapes Frequently I am asked: “How do you paint people in a landscape?” Aside from the academic study of the figure to learn proper proportions and anatomy, a concept has helped me tremendously in incorporating the figure in a landscape. As in all aspects of painting, design is crucial. Not only must the artist consider the relationship of shapes to each other, but also the joining of adjacent shapes to make a better pattern. This principle that is so effectively applied to the landscape shapes needs to be seamlessly transferred to the figure shapes. Note I said “figure shape” and not “the figure”. The artist must shift in his or her thinking to perceive the figure as just a shape, as any other shape in the painting, and not a separate entity. (Try to avoid thinking of a group of people as individual figures. If painted disjointedly, they will have the bowling pin look – a static shape pattern that will be a visual discomfort.) The shift to abstract thinking from the mere recording of information is where true art and creativity begin. [continued below]
I have found that if I can create a good abstract pattern first, and then suggest a group of figures from this pattern, I have a much higher success of integrating the figures in the landscape. I try to make the initial figure pattern reflect the nature, or flavor, of the patterns already established in the painting. Also, I don’t wait to put the figures in at the end, when I get the “nerve up” to put them in – most likely they will tend to look pasted on. Rather, as I progress through the painting, I incorporate surrounding shapes into the figure shapes, so as to loose edges and meld the figure into the background, creating unity and helping me to concentrate on the abstract patterns. I don’t want to think “figure” until the completion of the painting. I try to keep a steady focus on the abstract patterns all the way through the process. Whether painting a group of people, or a single figure, I try to look at it as an abstract shape, and connect those shapes to each other and to the background to create a better abstract shape and thus a better design. Keep your brush wet, |
||||
|
||||
