New Figurative Work, and a Demo!

Written By Stephen Berry

15”x11”, 2x 15 minute poses

A few weeks ago, I went out to the Bay Area Model’s Guild fundraiser (a 6 hour marathon, which I painted at for 3 hours), and had such a good time I wanted to share about it. I used to go and paint figurative work weekly (I did so in a weekly semester class for 2 years or so), but since the pandemic I’ve not gotten out to do it. First, everything was closed, and then… well, I guess I’d built new habits that didn’t involve it. Such a mistake! I’d forgotten what a blast this is. Easily one of my favorite painting activities.

Painting from a live model requires my complete and utter attention, like a laser beam, in 15 minute increments. This is the most exciting part. But additionally, here’s little monetary expectation- I almost never sell these. There just doesn’t seem to be a market. So, I just feel liberated to paint and explore. I go purely for the fun of it— something you can sometimes forget when you’re trying to sell art.

15x11, 2x 15 minute poses

I like to describe painting from a live model as “plein air on steroids”. LOL! Each pose quickly comes and goes- often based on just the ergonomics of the model being able to hold various compelling poses. This limitation, however, is where I’m liberated. I’m too busy painting to worry about failing. If a sketch doesn’t go right, well… in 5-10 minutes I’ll be on to the next one. I just focus on making decisions and working my brush. It’s super stimulating. I find it easy to get in the zone.

Plus, you’re not on your own. It’s a great way to share and chat during breaks, see each others works, etc The group dynamic has almost always been a real pleasure. Making art can be very solitary.

11”x15”, one 15 minute pose

Painting a watercolor from a live model is a bizarre little experience- somewhere between a sketch with charcoal and a more “substantive” approach I see done with acrylics or oils, where you’re really modeling the form of the subject. I find mid-range poses work best- somewhere between 5-15 minutes. Shorter poses are just hard to model in time. There’s no time to mix pigments, etc. Longer poses, IMO, become more and more accurate, but slowly lose the simplicity that makes the approach really shine. There’s often a 30-45 minute pose in classes, and of course I participate, but they’re honestly not my favorite.

My Approach-

In many ways, my approach shares a lot in common with making a notan. I’m primarily just painting the darks. The lights are inferred. You could do this with ink. Sometimes I let the lights melt into the ambient value of the paper, and sometimes I block in a dark behind the subject to notate the form. Either way, I’m really only focusing on the darks.

What’s fascinating is that, of course, the body has modeling and various values all across it, and yet I must make decisions to simplify it as I go, or I’ll get nothing done. The inherent time constraint of working from a live model really forces me to choose. I’m often talking about this to students for landscape paintings (making the deliberate choice to simplify things), but here you’re really forced to simplify. It’s a fantastic learning experience. And fun! :D

Below is a demo I did from a few years ago. It’s only 15 minutes long, but it gives you a sense of my approach logistically.

  • I wet the back of my paper (and I really do this, even when working in a class)

  • I generally have a clean brush and a dirty brush, and a clean-water and dirty-water dish

  • I never do a preliminary pencil sketch (there’s just no time available)

  • Instead, I paint from form to form, constructing the body section by section as I go, each relative in size and location to what’s come before

  • I generally paint with a single mix of paint, which I dilute on the page with water, as needed

  • I mix a darker, but more importantly thicker, mixture for my darkest shadows-within-shadows

Stephen Berry
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