Simple Figures & Faces With Watercolors

Explore essential watercolor materials for figures, including sword and mop/quill brushes, artist-grade paints, Arches paper, and a practical wet studio setup with water reservoirs.

Set up your watercolor workspace with a right- or left-handed layout to control water and color with a damp brush, sponge, and dual reservoirs, then prepare for washes.

Start with a simple figure sketch using basic shapes and vary the limbs to avoid symmetry. Build studies of torso and color, with props like a suitcase, then add complexity.

Practice random figure sketching with watercolors, using the same color and selective touches of red, burnt sienna, ultramarine and neutral tint, adding jackets and simple details.

Create simple, colorful figures with watercolor by using loose strokes and color mixing to suggest clothing like a yellow shirt, tan jacket, blue jeans, and red shoes.

Create a playful watercolor figure study using simple shapes and washes. Build the head, torso, and limbs, then layer lavender and neutral tint for color and contrast.

Practice a simple figure study by outlining the head, back line, arms, and boots. Add darker ultramarine values, subtle wrinkles, and a green background for contrast through negative-space painting.

Learn to create easy faces with egg-shaped heads, varied skin tones, and simple watercolor washes. Build proportions with necks, eyes, ears, hair, and subtle shadows for approachable portraits.

Apply shadow planes and layered watercolors to build form in a three-quarter portrait, using dry layers, value shifts, and loose edges to embrace imperfections.

Experiment with random faces using loose brushwork and shadow planes to explore proportion, color mixing, and minimal details. Build toward varied angles and lighting in upcoming sessions.

Build a basic profile by shaping an egg-like head, noting the mask of the face, a slight backward angle, the die gastric plane, and where the neck joins the spine.

Learn to render a watercolor profile with features from the side, mapping the forehead, eye sockets, nose, lips, ears, and jaw on the di gastric plane.

Master the layering of the back of the head, neck, and trapezius muscles, including overlap with the skull and ears, to build convincing three-quarter and front views in watercolor.

Explore front view anatomy in watercolor: egg-shaped head, ear placement, jaw overlap, and neck with trapezius for layering and depth. Prepare for three-quarter views and varied angles.

Master three-quarter view basics by using the box and tube construction to track eyes, nose, mouth, and ears along a center line amid perspective.

Explore live-model critique to reinforce perspective tracking, marking the center line, eye line, and facial proportions, using a box method for ears and three-quarter view anatomy.

Learn to build a head in profile and three-quarter view using a box method, shaping the egg form, nose, lips, jaw, and neck with perspective.

Practice five-minute watercolor studies of faces, painting in two layers with a general wash for facial shapes, drying between layers with a hairdryer, and adjusting size to fit one page.

Robert demonstrates building a solid figure drawing method in a three-quarter view, tracing the egg-shaped head, di gastric plane, neck, trapezius, and eye sockets, then applying shadows and hair.

Transform flat shapes into dynamic forms to build torsos and limbs with perspective, light, and shadows; explore cylinders, tubes, and egg shapes, then connect torso to hips.

Explore translating forms to the figure by tracing torso curves, the longest sustained curve, and the tube approach, using eye level and cross contours for believable volume and shading.

Develop flexible torso form through a 5-minute practice reel, experimenting with basic forms, tracking lines, painting small with light value and shade to reveal the form in space.

Explore watercolor figure drawing by constructing torsos with tubes and boxes, applying cross contours, tracking lines, wet and dry shading, to convey gesture and perspective.

Learn to draw arms as tapered tubes with upper arm and forearm, shaping elbows, shoulders, curves, and bends for dynamic watercolor figures.

Learn shoulder basics in watercolor figure drawing by shaping a teardrop shoulder, wrapping the arm with curved muscle layers, and exploring front and back views and muscle layering.

Build a torso from shapes, then practice arms, shoulders, neck, and head through quick five-minute poses for watercolor figures; pause when needed and keep the dryer ready.

Robert demonstrates building the arm and shoulder from the torso, adding the neck and head, and uses a light source to shade for form and foreshortening.

Explore pelvis and leg anatomy through simple shapes like the bowl pelvis, bulging box, and mini skirt idea to understand joints, leg swing, and perspective in figure drawing.

Learn to build pelvis and leg figures with curved, overlapping forms, emphasizing hips and lumbar curves, knee, calf shapes, and a wedge-style foot from front and side views.

Practice the pelvis and leg assignment using five-minute poses, follow the instructor's approach, and watch the method for your own workflow.

Practice drawing the legs and pelvis from dynamic poses, applying foreshortening, torso integration, and controlled shading to convey depth, form, and light.

Learn simple figure drawing of hands and feet using mitten shapes, wedges, and perspective boxes. Practice shadows, tow line, heels, and aligning finger length with the hand.

Explore simple figure and face painting techniques and ideas, and look forward to more lessons and advanced classes with three to four views, angles, and lighting.