Life model figure sketching

As the weather forecast for Thursday is poor we'll be practicing figure sketching in the life model room and not outside. We will be looking at outlines and negative images to capture the model in a variety of poses so that we will gain the confidence to include figures in our landscapes in the future.

Toulouse-Lautrec painted scenes of Parisian life in the late 19th century, concentrating on the negative space around the figure to separate foreground and background.

We'll also took at creating convincing silhouettes using a mixture of line work and blocking, starting off with some monochrome studies (Frank Hobbs, below).

Maybe then we can look at the effect of light on the figure and how that can create drama in our figure painting (Rembrandt).

This session will really stretch your observation skills so that you begin to switch painting light shapes to dark shapes and back again, in a process that will really enhance your ability to make your figures come alive.