Mary Whyte - Painting Portraits and Figures in Watercolor

Copyright 2011 by Mary Whyte
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Watson-Guptill Publications, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.watsonguptill.com

WATSON-GUPTILL is a registered trademark and the WG and Horse designs are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Whyte, Mary.
Painting portraits and figures in watercolor / Mary Whyte.
p. cm.
Includes index.
eISBN: 978-0-8230-2678-4
1. Watercolor paintingTechnique. 2. Portrait paintingTechnique. 3. Figure paintingTechnique. I. Title.
ND2200.W49 2011
751.42242dc22

2010045653

Front cover design by Karla Baker
Front cover art by Mary Whyte

TITLE PAGE Tonger
2009, watercolor on paper, 27 40 in.

COVER Explorer
2008, watercolor on paper, 27 20 in.

v3.1

FOR MY STUDENTS, PAST AND FUTURE.

I am grateful to the many skilled professionals who helped create this book, especially Katie Lindler, who worked long evenings compiling and organizing the endless components of my paintings and writing. Thanks are also due to Marilynn McMillan and Croft Lane for always presenting my work in the best light. Most of all, my deepest gratitude goes to my friends and family, especially to my husband, Smith Coleman, for making mine a wonderful life.

Red
2009, watercolor on paper, 22 18 in.

John Singer Sargent, The Tramp
1904, watercolor on paper, 20 14 in.
Brooklyn Museum of Fine Art

Sargents expressive use of a variety of techniques such as washes, scraping and opaques shows the unlimited possibilities of the watercolor medium.

Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a
portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.

OSCAR WILDE

Watercolor is the essence of the human spirit: It is lively, spontaneous, engaging, unpredictable, beguiling, and has a will of its own. It has so many of the same characteristics we humans do, why shouldnt it lend itself to painting portraits? Watercolors natural luminosity can easily duplicate the fresh, translucent look of skin, as well as aptly render interesting textures of clothing, hair, backgrounds, and atmosphere. The lightweight and less cumbersome supplies needed for painting in watercolor make it much more practical for travel, outdoor studies, and quick, abbreviated sketches of the model. It is a medium perfectly suited for exploration, dreams, and discovery.

There is no right technique or style to painting people. The way I paint is only one way. With earnest effort and hard work, you will find your way. The information in these pages will offer an explanation to understanding color, light, techniques, composition, materials, and working with the model. Most of the chapters include a demonstration that will show you the methods I use in my own work and how I resolved certain challenges and problems. After each section I have included a few suggested exercises to help you with your exploration of the medium and to further develop your personal vision as an artist. There are no recipes, shortcuts, or rules. There are only the guidelines and encouragement that I have been offering students over my thirty years of teaching.

I started painting people in watercolor when I was in high school. My first attempts were predictably muddy and overworked, but I was enthralled with both the power and the delicacy of the medium. At the time I had no intention of being a portrait painter, but after I graduated from art school folks began asking me for paintings of their families. I soon discovered that I truly loved painting people, and if someone was actually going to pay me to paint them, what could be better? It was like being paid to go to the amusement park. Since then, a great deal of what I have learned about painting in watercolor has been through experimentation and what I have garnered from studying the works of artists I admire.

Painting portraits is a special breed of art. It requires sound drawing skills and a general understanding of human anatomy and how it works. It also requires that you have empathy and respect for your subject and are able to see the unique physical and emotional qualities of the one person you are painting. In watercolor portraiture, having surefooted drawing skills is imperative, as making corrections can jeopardize the freshness of a painting. Nonetheless, it is not enough to be a portrait painter. First and foremost you must be an artist, a maker of images that appeal to the senses.

This is largely a book about seeinghow to see values, weigh color, select backgrounds, get a likeness, and draw more accurately. It is also a book about thinking. As an artist it is not enough to know what you are seeing and painting; it is important to know why you have chosen to paint something and how you feel about it. In my studio I have a small hand-lettered sign that reads, A man who works with his hands is a laborer, a man who works with his hands and brain is a craftsman, but a man who works with his hands, his brain, and his heart is an artist. I have kept the quote tacked to my wall for over thirty years as a reminder that painting not only requires hard work and intellect, but that it also requires passion and emotion. Being an artist requires that we not only feel what it is that we are painting but that we have the tools to describe these feelings to others.

Whether your goal is to be a professional portrait artist or to derive pleasure from painting on weekends, this book will guide you in the fundamentals of making a sound expression in watercolor. And if all you do is read this book and never pick up a paintbrush, my hope is that you will forever derive a greater understanding and happiness from viewing art and the extraordinary world around us.

Most of all, my desire is to encourage and inspire you to paint like you. Since the day you were born you have been given a unique set of family members, experiences, preferences, geographic familiarities, educational opportunities, challenges, influential people, and physical characteristics. No one else can claim this exact mix of personal data except you. It is what can make your work wholly original and provide you with endless lifelong discoveries as a painter. As an artist, you possess the amazing ability to exclaim with feeling the very essence of the people and circumstances of your own lifetime.