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Monday, August 30, 2010

How to Make Quick Watercolour Sketch PART4

Face expression is my most favorite area. Let's explore a model's personality and identity.
Step 1. Close look
at a face before drawing.



("Hi, My Love" A4)Define what interests you most. No idea? No worries! First impression is a good inspiration that often hits a bull's eye.


("Itchy Nose" A4)
Step 2. Sense and respect other people's emotions.
Respect privacy.
If necessary,
explain about sketching and get permission first.
Step 3.
Get on work.
Choose ONE or TWO from these techniques. Line? Value? Colour? What else?
With a chosen tool, pin down your first impression or interest on paper.


The work left gave me a hint to catch a face with a loose style.


Technical suggestions are...

Regarding drawing,
1)
Define which part of a face shows emotions and tells who s/he is most. Eyes? Mouth? Cheeks? What else? Focus on the marked area.

Unique observation is wonderful. Exaggeration is welcome.

Wipe off stereotyped images such as smiling must have such curved lips.
Observe a face with fresh eyes full of wonder and awe. I'm still finding so many new things day by day.

2) Make Use of "Settings."
In a face, many other things tell who we are.
Examples. The woman's cosmetics & a compact mirror. The girl's pierces & a mischief headphone. They tell stories. (A4, done in train cart)




Regarding watercolor,

1) Don't look at a tree, but a forest.
Squint eyes. Find the highlight, the darkest, a middle tone and reflection. Capture a face in a big way, not detail.

2) Colour & Value are Close Friends.

A colour implies a value in a painting. Define which colour comes forward or goes back or stays still in your colour setting. Pull out each color's interesting character and make your own pallet.




The goal is to express your findings and please yourself, not please others.
Keep your first impression whole through the process.

Step 4. Celebrate your work.
Have fun with your model, friends family
and with even onlookers. My most privilege is that people love my work.


Unlike a traditional portrait, a quickie needs only a short spare time. Easy for practice.
Very simple mathematics. "20 minutes one quickie per day makes 365 practices per year," that improves us. One watercolor or at least one drawing everyday, is my workload and I love it.

BUT please never push yourself too much. If "my setting" 1 try/day is too much, find an enjoyable amount. The point is,
don't give up. Continuance is power/strength is true. Just keep up.
Work on your style and enjoy it.

(Part of Portrait. A2)Friends, thank you for sharing time. Next Monday, "body language" will be a topic.
If you would like to know more about how to sketch people, feel free to leave comments and I'll organize a post.
Yeah! I'll go for sketching! Lalala~~! Happy painting!



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34 comments:

  1. Que suerte saber dibujar las expresiones como tu lo haces. Creo que siguiendo los consejos que das estoy aprendiendo mucho. Gracias y un abrazo fuerte. Victoria.

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  2. Dear Victoria,
    Thank you so much! I'm learning a lot from you, too. Good luck on the exhibition!
    Big hug and smile, Sadami
    Querida Victoria,
    ¡Muchas gracias! Estoy aprendiendo mucho de ti, también. Buena suerte en la exposición!
    Gran abrazo y una sonrisa, Sadami
    >>>>Victoria said...
    Lucky draw expressions to know how you do it. I think the advice you give I'm learning a lot. Thanks and a big hug.

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  3. Sadami - I love looking at your sketches and paintings. You have a very nice style.

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  4. Hi, Michelle,
    Thank you for nice comments. You, too, have a wonderful style. I love it.
    Cheers, Sadami

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  5. Sadami,
    Great paintings, so loose and expressive. Thanks so much for visiting my blog and for your kind ocomments. I look forward to seeing more of your work. Best regards.

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  6. Thank you for sharing
    This fabulous work with us
    Good creations

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  7. Dear Peggi,
    Thank you for your kind visit. Your work is so lovely. I'm learning lots from you.
    Best regards, Sadami

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  8. Hi, Skizo,
    Thank you for visiting my blog and so nice comments. I'm very happy with it!
    Kind regards, Sadami

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  9. Hello Sadami, love looking at your quickies. I hope to apply your techniques and be 1/4 as good some day. :)

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  10. Your advice is always so helpful. It makes me stop and think and consider. I also find people so interesting also. Your people's expressions are so, well, human! And I mean that is the best possible way. I could recognize them on the street.
    Thank you again for a wonderful post.

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  11. Great observation Sadami. And I love the idea to paint everyday (or draw) for practice and fun of it.
    I've noticed that models on the portraits of this post look to different directions rather than straight. I think this makes these paintings look very realistic, like a glance at their lives; a pick into their thought; a careful not disturbing listening to their body language.

    Great art works.
    Thanks so much,
    Irina

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  12. Dear Carol,
    You're always caring and give me a kind comment. Thank you so much. Regarding the suggestions, please pick up only FAVORITE and USEFUL ones for you. Individuals are different. At uni, I loved making doodles & lecturers' portraits rather than academic essay writing. BUT a marker's one comment left me a seed, "Work on your style." It's still shining for me.
    Cheers, wink, wink, Sadami

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  13. Dear Teri,
    Thank you. All my models recognize, "It's me!! Ahahahaha!!" and we share joy together. The uni boy and his love happily sent my quickie to friends by twitter. The crying girl began to smile again(the parent and I got relieved!). The girl with pierces took a photo of my work in a train, etc,etc. Yes, Teri, I love people. If my love comes out on work, I'm very, very happy. I feel exactly the same in your art work.
    Cheers, Sadami

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  14. Dear Irina,
    You are spot on!! Angle is critical for me. I've learned it from masters' work. In my picture book, a setting is a backyard. That's all. Nothing exciting. No way out. If I set my view only from a one side or straight, readers get bored. So, I often changed an angle dramatically. An editor soon realized, "Sadami, you changed angles and look great!" Yes, daily sketches enabled me to make visual information exciting. Thank you for a great finding. It's your assets and treasure from no on.
    Cheers, wink, wink, Sadami

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  15. Dear Sadami
    Thank you for a great instructional blog. I love your positive approach to life.

    Ray
    http://triboy57.blogspot.com/

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  16. Dear Ray,
    Thanks! Your blog is really lovely. Please keep up watercolor and enjoy running!
    Kind regards, Sadami

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  17. Chère Sadami, it is a pleasure to contemplate your quickies. I will try by my own. To look for an expression to be translated, with spontaneity, it is difficult and audacious. It would please me a lot. I paint every evening after the work. It is such a happiness. Portraits, it is what what seems to me the most difficult.
    I am well to observe at first faces in magazines to see if that I can get the expression quickly and then try to draw sketches with ink, what do you think about it? Thank you for this sharing.
    Kind regards.

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  18. Dear Olivia,
    Great idea and please try magazines. A lady started with magazines and became a wonderful watercolorist; Shirley Trevena makes breathtakingly beautiful work. Like her, Oliva, your work proves your very good eyes and amazing skills. After getting confidence with photo practices, you can start sketching people outside anytime, IF YOU LIKE. Another option is croquie and dessin about yourself, family and friends.
    DON'T push yourself too much. Slow and steady wins the race. I was shy and never sketched others outside. When started it, onlookers' eyes and say hurt me so much. Often stopped it, but eventually, I never gave up. My style and practice methods are classic. Sometimes a very painful practice, but today, it pays off. That's my another motivation to write about tips for anyone who wants to try it. I hope my posts will be a little help and encouragements for others. Don't give up!
    Portraits are most fascinating for me. But also I feel some masters,such as Vermeer,painted figures like a part of still life. It's totally up to each artist's decision. Find your own methods and style. Olivia, I hope this will be some help for you.
    Best regards and love, Sadami

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  19. A 20 minute face a day. I like the idea and I will attempt it. Thanks for your thoughts on drawing ... I am sure I will use them.

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  20. Hola Sadami!! Se ve que te lo estas pasando en grande. Muy expresivos tus retratos!!. La verdad es que este tipo de trabajos rápidos son algo que yo también disfruto mucho, sobre todo porque es cuando experimento en mayor grado estar trabajando unicamente con el cerebro derecho.
    un gran saludo.

    Sadami Hello! We see that you're having a great time. Very expressive your pictures!. The truth is that this type of quick runs are something that I enjoy very much, especially because it is when I experience a greater degree be working only with the right brain.
    a big welcome.

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  21. Dear Margaret,
    Thank you. Your drawing uploaded is so lovely. Let us enjoy drawing and painting.
    Cheers, Sadami

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  22. Dear Carlos,
    Thanks millions!! Indeed, I enjoy sketching people so much. I'm sure you, too, love sketching people. I'm planning to join life drawing (or painting) like you.
    Estimado Carlos,
    Gracias millones! De hecho, me gusta la gente dibujando mucho. Estoy seguro de que, también, el amor dibujar personas. Tengo la intención de unirse a la vida de dibujo (o la pintura) como tu.
    Cheers, Sadami

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  23. Hola Sadami, seguro que serás una gran ilustradora de libros si te lo propones, ofertas no te han de faltar con esos vivos y originales retratos de todo tipo de personajes.Un saludo.

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  24. Hola Sadami, cuantos consejos , y que bien explicados e ilustrados, pese a ser autodidacta, tienes un gran dominio de la técnica y además sabes explicarla muy bien, guardaré estos post , para trabajar la figura humana, tus dibujos son geniales, se adivina lo mucho que trabajaste para llegar a estos resultados.
    Magnífico, gracias por compartir tu sabiduría.
    saludos.

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  25. Dear Juan,
    Thank you so much. I'll keep your great advice.
    Best regards, Sadami
    Muchísimas gracias. Voy a seguir tu consejo grandes. Saludos cordiales, Sadami
    >>>>>Juan said...
    Sadami Hi, sure you'll be a great illustrator of books if you put your mind, offers you not be lacking to those living and original portraits of all kinds of personajes.Un greeting.

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  26. Dear Frances,
    Thank you so much. I'm learning lots now, particularly, landscape from you. So, I look at others' landscape and examine how to unify a composition. Demonstrate your work and I'll find important things from you. Let us help each other. Kind regards, Sadami
    Estimado Frances,
    Muchísimas gracias. Estoy aprendiendo mucho ahora, sobre todo, el paisaje de usted. Así pues, contemplar el paisaje de los demás y estudiar la manera de unificar una composición. Demostrar su trabajo y voy a encontrar cosas importantes de ti. Vamos a ayudarnos unos a otros.
    Un cordial saludo, Sadami
    >>>>>>>>>>Frances said...
    Hello Sadami, a few tips, and well explained and illustrated, despite being self-taught, have a great mastery of technique and also explain very well know, I'll keep this post, to work the human figure, your drawings are great, you can guess what much you worked to achieve these results.
    Great, thanks for sharing your wisdom.
    greetings.

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  27. Thank you, Sadami, for the wonderful posts - can't wait to read the next one!

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  28. Sadami
    I love all your pieces. They are so alive and vibrant. I am looking forward to your next post.

    ps. I am enjoying all the Spanish here, but I don't understand much. Had 1 year of Spanish at Uni, but I have forgotten everything.

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  29. Dear Evelyn,
    Thanks!! Your blog is so fascinating. That has wonderful photos, interesting your crafts, drawings and paintings. I love them all.

    I do not know Spanish(only a few words and one song I can sing). Thank goodness "Google translation." Not easy to learn another language.
    Cheers, Sadami

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  30. Dear Iran,
    Thank you for visiting!! Your blog shows me wonderful art work and very interesting. Keep up! I really look forward to your next.
    Cheers, Sadami

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  31. Sadami, I'm so happy to have found your blog! Your works are wonderful, I like so much these quickies! And thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, I have so much to learn from you! I'll follow you with great attention! Ciao!

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  32. Dear Cristina,
    Me, too. Your loose style are so lovely. And you and I are self-taught. Sure, we can help each other. I really look forward to your next!!
    Ciao, wink, wink, Sadami

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  33. ¡Qué gran demostración de dibujo y buen hacer con la acuarela!
    ¡Enhorabuena!

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  34. Dear Juan,
    Thank you very much!! Your blog is, too, a great show! Kind regards, Sadami
    Estimado Juan,
    Muchas gracias! Su blog es, también, un gran espectáculo! Un cordial saludo, Sadami
    >>>>>Juan said...
    What a great show and well done drawing with watercolor!
    Congratulations!

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