Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    People
    People
    People
    Ebook158 pages47 minutes

    People

    By Sharon Finmark

    5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Learn to Paint People is a new ebook title in HarperCollins’ successful Learn to Paint series.

    Including people in paintings literally brings them to life. In Learn to Paint People Sharon Finmark looks at all the essential aspects of painting people in their environment, using watercolour, acrylics, gouache and pastels. Several step-by-step demonstrations are included, featuring people at rest, in motion, in indoor settings and outside.

    Learn to Paint People features:
    • guidelines on choosing painting materials
    • clear, practical advice on painting techniques
    • a wide range of subjects, including single figures, groups of people, people in indoor settings and people outdoors
    • stage-by-stage demonstration paintings

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateAug 20, 2015
    ISBN9780008139346
    People
    Author

    Sharon Finmark

    Sharon Finmark is an experienced teacher of painting at West Dean College and also runs private workshops in her own studio. Her work has been exhibited at the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour, the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Academy Business Art Gallery. She has written several articles for ‘The Artist’ and is the author of ‘Learn to Paint – Gardens in Watercolour’.

    Related authors

    Related to People

    Related ebooks

    Visual Arts For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Painting Project

      Aug 6, 2021

      Painting Project
      4 min read

    • Article

      Pen And Wash

      Nov 26, 2021

      Pen And Wash
      5 min read

    • Article

      The A-Z Of Pen and Wash Sketching

      Apr 21, 2020

      The A-Z Of Pen and Wash Sketching
      5 min read

    • Article

      Paint LIKE SARGENT

      Nov 1, 2019

      Paint LIKE SARGENT
      5 min read

    • Article

      Watercolour Pencil Techniques

      Feb 15, 2018

      Watercolour Pencil Techniques
      2 min read

    • Article

      Lessons In The Landscape

      May 14, 2021

      Lessons In The Landscape
      5 min read

    • Article

      Textured DRAWINGS

      Jan 21, 2022

      Textured DRAWINGS
      4 min read

    • Article

      Amanda Hyatt

      Jul 10, 2020

      Amanda Hyatt
      7 min read

    • Article

      Go Small!

      Sep 3, 2021

      Go Small!
      7 min read

    • Article

      Gouache Flowers

      Feb 19, 2021

      Gouache Flowers
      5 min read

    • Article

      1. Tonality

      Sep 6, 2019

      1. Tonality
      4 min read

    • Article

      Time For Tea

      Oct 1, 2021

      Time For Tea
      6 min read

    • Article

      3. Notan

      Sep 6, 2019

      3. Notan
      4 min read

    • Article

      7 Lessons From The Impressionists

      Mar 20, 2020

      7 Lessons From The Impressionists
      4 min read

    • Article

      9 Reasons To Gouache

      Dec 27, 2019

      9 Reasons To Gouache
      3 min read

    • Article

      Paints and Mediums

      Jan 11, 2018

      Paints and Mediums
      9 min read

    • Article

      Crosshatching In Pen And Ink

      Sep 16, 2022

      Crosshatching In Pen And Ink
      8 min read

    • Article

      Pencil Portraits

      Oct 20, 2022

      Pencil Portraits
      3 min read

    • Article

      Spring COLOURS

      Jan 21, 2022

      Spring COLOURS
      4 min read

    • Article

      From Site To Studio

      Jun 11, 2021

      From Site To Studio
      5 min read

    • Article

      Watercolour Rescue

      Nov 18, 2022

      Watercolour Rescue
      5 min read

    • Article

      Drawing BUILDINGS

      Sep 6, 2019

      Drawing BUILDINGS
      4 min read

    • Article

      1. Indirect Painting

      Nov 1, 2019

      1. Indirect Painting
      5 min read

    • Article

      CREATIVE Sketchbooks

      Feb 21, 2020

      CREATIVE Sketchbooks
      4 min read

    • Article

      PAINTING WITH Inks

      May 15, 2020

      PAINTING WITH Inks
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for People

    5/5

    1 rating1 review

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      A very interesting, well laid out book, covering all you need to know about starting to paint.
      The section dealing with paint, paper etc is comprehensive in that it advises you what is best for what you want to achieve.
      Then goes on to advise how to sketch subjects, pose figures.
      Finally what settings and lightings are favourable to complete the picture.
      This book is ideal for beginners to embark on a very satisfying hobby.
      I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.

    Book preview

    People - Sharon Finmark

    Portrait of the Artist

    Sharon Finmark in her London studio.

    Sharon Finmark was born and brought up in London, where she still lives, although she has travelled and painted widely in Europe and Canada.

    She trained as an illustrator, having abandoned an art-school fine-art course because she wanted to work figuratively – a style of painting perceived to be unfashionable at that time. From 1973 to 1976 she was primarily employed in this capacity, working in a wide range of media from national newspapers and magazines, book publishers and fine-art card makers. She still accepts commissions for illustrative work, but now concentrates most of her energies on her own painting, and on teaching. Since 1980 she has been increasingly employed as a visiting lecturer, giving short courses on painting and drawing in various institutions in England and Canada.

    Grove End House

    pastel

    61 × 86 cm (24 × 34 in)

    She paints a wide range of subjects, in all the media, though is best known for her work in watercolour, pastel and acrylic. Sharon has always been interested in the figure in context, even as a student at college, when representational work was considered old-fashioned. She persevered with her favourite subject and now likes to be considered a visual recorder of people, both public and private.

    Girl in Bathroom

    pastel

    86 × 61 cm (34 × 24 in)

    Why Paint People?

    Many amateur artists shy away from human subjects, concentrating on static ones such as still life and landscape. There is a feeling that painting people is too difficult, but I would like to explode the theory that it requires a lifetime’s drawing experience. To be a successful portrait painter you undoubtedly do need good drawing skills, but I am not dealing with portraiture in this book, but rather on the idea of using figures as an element in your paintings so that they present a more truthful record of the world around you. We live in a densely populated world, and it is a pity to exclude humanity, in all its fascinating variety, from your artistic repertoire. Personally, I find figure work one of the most exciting and rewarding of all painting subjects, and I am sure that you will too, once you have overcome any initial fears.

    Chatting

    watercolour and gouache

    30.5 × 40.5 cm (12 × 16 in)

    In outdoor scenes, a figure or group of figures can provide a focal point for your picture, add atmosphere or even hint at a story, for example a solitary walker on a windswept beach or children playing in a park. In interiors, the presence of people is as natural as that of the furniture made to accommodate them – you would not express the ambience of a pub or café if you were to paint them empty.

    People are certainly trickier to draw and paint than still life objects, both because they are complex in themselves and because they seldom remain still, but as long as you observe the overall shapes and proportions, gestures and movements, your approach can be quite loose and sketchy and still make visual sense. In many of the paintings shown in this book, I have aimed at impressions rather than detailed literal descriptions, which can often be more effective and evocative.

    Observation and practice are the twin keys to success, so take a sketchbook and seek out well-populated places such as airports, markets, pubs and beaches. Wherever you go, there will be a scene that suggests a painting, even if you don’t complete it on the spot. You may also find a camera a useful aid on information-gathering trips, but avoid becoming too dependent on photographs.

    It is not only the drawing aspect that makes people a challenging subject; you will need to give careful thought to the composition and structure of the painting, especially if you intend to make a finished composition from sketches and photographs. I offer what I hope is some helpful advice on these important topics, as well as on the choice of medium. Don’t automatically use the same medium for every painting – even if you

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1