How I Paint Figures without Painting Figures.

Welcome back to another BobBlast!

This BobBlast is titled How I Paint Figures without Painting Figures. It is an adventurous way to get unexpected results and surprises while painting figures. Whether you are working on a pre-gessoed canvas or a gessoed sheet of watercolor paper, the technique I sometimes use is called "reductive painting" - taking some of the paint away. 

To do this, I usually use isopropyl alcohol-soaked Viva towels to wipe away the wet acrylic paint down to the white gesso ground. First, I start by painting a medium tint over the entire surface. Then after that initial tint has dried, I add a dark color over the top of it - and while it's still wet, I wipe away and lift off the paint until a figure appears out of the dark color.

Start with removing a spot for the head, then move and wipe as you proceed downward to the feet. This is only a start - not meant to be a final image, however, sometimes it turns out pretty cool at the beginning too!

Practice, practice, practice...

Thanks again for watching and telling your friends! We strive for short, substantial, informative bits to help start your time in your studio.