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Reasons why I do figurative paintings?
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Message
Posted
To get the figure right
The very reason why I practice figure is that it helps me learn anatomy. It helps me to learn figure in a perfect way. Even in order to do cultural paintings, one should know everything about figure and anatomy. Let us say we are putting an outfit over a body, one should know where the bends and folds should come. One should be able to assume where the dress fold is likely to happen, where the costume would project with respect to the projection of the body parts.
To practice difference between presence and absence of light
It helps us understand skintone and mixing of oil paints that is required to achieve realism. I believe in values more than in skin color. The values on the presence and absence of light differ very hugely. I only go about creating a color scheme which will guide me move to the next step. Color scheme works as a foundation for me to move to the next level. I gradually go about developing the work and as a final step I create the highlight wherever required. I darken the absence of light zone on my subject and then finish off the subject by creating highlight on it. Earlier I used a blind layering technique, the technique was very clueless and I felt very directionless using the technique. Creating a color scheme and then working over it has ascertained me in the direction in which I should move.
Pasted here are a few of my figurative paintings. I do a lot of figure works ( nude paintings ). I have done a lot of them and sold a lot of them.
To practice and understand skin
I love to create values and then I try to equate/translate them into skintone. It all comes down to values basically irrespective of the skin colors. What I would do is I try to study a lot of skin colors of brown, dark brown and fair subjects. The values on the presence and absence of light differ heavily.
With that as basis, there will be a huge difference in color application too. So it is very interesting to do these studies. Not just that, these values differ in accordance to the skin complexion of our subject. So color and values are very interconnected. So studying one would help the other.
The very reason why I practice figure is that it helps me learn anatomy. It helps me to learn figure in a perfect way. Even in order to do cultural paintings, one should know everything about figure and anatomy. Let us say we are putting an outfit over a body, one should know where the bends and folds should come. One should be able to assume where the dress fold is likely to happen, where the costume would project with respect to the projection of the body parts.
To practice difference between presence and absence of light
It helps us understand skintone and mixing of oil paints that is required to achieve realism. I believe in values more than in skin color. The values on the presence and absence of light differ very hugely. I only go about creating a color scheme which will guide me move to the next step. Color scheme works as a foundation for me to move to the next level. I gradually go about developing the work and as a final step I create the highlight wherever required. I darken the absence of light zone on my subject and then finish off the subject by creating highlight on it. Earlier I used a blind layering technique, the technique was very clueless and I felt very directionless using the technique. Creating a color scheme and then working over it has ascertained me in the direction in which I should move.
Pasted here are a few of my figurative paintings. I do a lot of figure works ( nude paintings ). I have done a lot of them and sold a lot of them.
To practice and understand skin
I love to create values and then I try to equate/translate them into skintone. It all comes down to values basically irrespective of the skin colors. What I would do is I try to study a lot of skin colors of brown, dark brown and fair subjects. The values on the presence and absence of light differ heavily.
With that as basis, there will be a huge difference in color application too. So it is very interesting to do these studies. Not just that, these values differ in accordance to the skin complexion of our subject. So color and values are very interconnected. So studying one would help the other.
Posted
And you're quite correct - if you're going to paint figures, or portraits, you must have a working knowledge of anatomy - yes, and skin tone. You don't need to defend figurative painting, by the way! Not here, anyway - I have great respect for those who can paint abstracts, and I do appreciate them, but I'll always have a greater appreciation for accurate figure work and 'realistic' landscapes - nothing on a flat painting surface is genuinely 'real', but capturing the illusion remains an ideal. There are of course many, many ways of doing that.