Watercolor Figure Studies

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

Every so often I like to do figure studies in watercolor for future reference or because I have limited time. As I begin to recover from the fractures to my lower left forearm which occurred last Sunday, I may end up doing many as they are small and not nearly as time consuming as a larger picture.  When a figure or figures are in a picture, they usually are the focal point, so the placement, scale and details of movement and clothing etc. are quite important. I particularly love how a human figure or bird in flight can add movement and draw the eye across or beyond the picture plane.

The figure studies in the above picture (5 1/2" x  7 1/2") are inspired from two outdoorsmen Ogden Pleissner painted in two separate watercolors. I like Ogden's paintings because most of them are of Vermont scenes, which feel familiar to me. Although he did not typically paint in Windham County, the scenery is similar to that of this area. 

I paint my small studies on the backsides of watercolor remnants from finished pictures. When I work on a painting, I usually have a watercolor test sheet by my side for trying out colors as I mix them. In watercolor, the paint usually dries lighter than it was when wet. Paynes' gray for example, on it's own, dries much lighter. It is always good to have an idea how the mixed paint will look when dry.  The study pictured above has washes of bright yellow and grass green covering the opposite side.  Other small studies have reverse sides with busy displays of color reminisent of Pollack or Kandinsky.