Steve Fleming Class 1

I have signed up for Steve Fleming's The Figure in Watercolors class (class details). During some classes the model will be nude - I will not post the paintings from these classes, but will blog recaps of what I learn, and will try to do clothed figure paintings during the week to practice.

What I learned from Class 1:

• Put some of the figure's color in the background and vice versa
• If you use a lot of red to paint figures, they come out looking cold - use warmer, more yellowish colors
• There is always a contour below the check bone and a highlight on the nose
• Pick one side of the figure and make it a hard contour, usually the side being hit by the light
• Use white paper for the light areas of the figure if you want to paint like Fleming
• Simplify the shadow pattern on the figure
• Use a round brush to do figures

What Fleming said which I already knew:

• Paint the figure as a shape
• Try to avoid harsh brush strokes on the figure
• Lose the figure in the background in some places, usually the side not being hit by the light