Why put figures in your landscape?
I'm not talking about people as the main focus, but "incidental" figures, small ones that help to make the painting more interesting. People add figures to landscapes for several reasons:
1. To show scale. Adding a person next to a car or building or tree helps to show how large or small that object is.
2. To add movement and interest. No matter the size, the viewer will look at a person in a painting. It just naturally draws attention. It can add a spot of color in an otherwise neutral painting.
3. To personalize a painting, or to tell a story. The body language of figures can tell how you feel about the place you are painting. Their clothing can tell what the season is. A figure walking briskly tells that this is a busy place; a figure strolling with his dog says it's a pleasant place for a walk.
4. To draw attention to a place of particular interest.
The importance of perspective when adding figures.
Since adding a figure, even if unimportant, will draw attention, the proportion needs to be correct or it will detract rather than add to the picture. The size of the figure should be proportional to the size of buildings (or trees, lamp posts, or other objects). To do that we find the horizon line and other lines of perspective that will give us clues as to what size to make it and where to place it.
FINDING THE HORIZON LINE
This is easier than you think. Another way of saying horizon line is "eye level," YOUR eye level. If painting outside, trees or buildings may block your actual "horizon," but you can find it by putting a ruler or piece of paper across your own eyes. Everything you see at that line is the horizon. Everything above is above your eye level or horizon.
In a reference photo, look for three things:
1. Windows, doors, trees, and other objects that you allow you to guess how tall you would be if you stood next to it.
2. Sidewalks or buildings that look like they will converge. If you continued the angle they are on, they should meet at the horizon line.
3. Straight horizontal lines on buildings. Any windows or doors or lines of stone that are above your eye level will angle up; those below your eye level angle down; those at eye level will look perfectly straight and horizontal.
How to find the horizon line on reference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HfIU5lp-0I
FIGURES ON THE SAME LEVEL OR PLANE
Here is a fact I never realized until a few years ago: ALL HEADS of standing figures will appear to be at or near your eye level, or horizon line. (some a bit shorter or taller) It is the FEET that change position as they get more distant. This is discounting hills, ramps, or stairs, where some may be higher or lower than your eye level.
Look at this picture. The simple perspective makes it easier to understand.
This is a one point perspective...notice how the buildings and sidewalks all converge at the arch in the distance...that point is the horizon line (which extends from left to right across the page) and the vanishing point. Notice how most of the heads are nearly at the same level, with the exception of figures that are sitting and one quite tall one in the front. A child or shorter person would be below that line; taller person slightly above it. Notice how the more distant, the higher the feet are on the page, not the heads.
Now look at this one.
Using that same principle, see if you could draw another figure into the sketch. Your clues are:
1. The middle of the counter has a straight line from left to right, indicating that part of the meat case is the horizon line.
2. The two women have their eyes just about on that horizon line.
3. The two front figures are lower, but they are kneeling.
4. The clerks behind the counter must be standing on a higher surface to be so much higher than the customers.
5. The other lines in the meat case would eventually converge to a vanishing point outside the page if they continued.
Eric Yi Lin—simple perspective explained
You can decide where you want a figure to be in several ways. You can draw a figure on tracing paper, then move it around on the painting to see where it would fit best. Or you can decide where you want it, make a note of where the head and feet would touch, then lightly make those reference marks on the picture. You should practice on another piece of paper what poses you would like. Some people prefer to sketch in basics, such as body pose, clothing, etc.
Here is Eric Yi Lin's take on adding figures to existing paintings:
Eric Yi Lin adding figures to existing painting (34 min)
5 METHODS FOR PAINTING FIGURE
1. The "carrot" method. This is where you make a small oval for the head, then loosely paint a carrot shape. Then add details, such as hat, hair, stripes, and shadow on clothing. Add a shadow from foot to the side to connect the figure to the ground.
2. The BLOB method. Make a series of shapes with your brush to indicate torso. Then consider what pose those shapes might suggest. Add trousers, shorts, a skirt, a tutu, or whatever you like for the bottom and legs. Allow some of the wet colors to "melt" together. Add a small oval head; tilt it different ways to indicate which way the person is looking. Add hats, backbacks, purses, briefcase, a leash and a dog, a child's hand. This is like finding shapes in clouds, and fun to do.
3. The 8 head method.
I like this method because it helps me keep track of where a waist or elbow would bend, and where the legs would start. Find the top of the head and bottom of body. Make a small line to cut that in half. Then draw 8 "heads" in a vertical column to indicate the height of a person. (4 heads above your midline; 4 heads below)
The first oval is the head. Three heads down is the waist. Four heads down is the hip area.
The legs go after that. I usually put an X where the knee would be, in case I want a figure with a bent knee. Then I pretty much proceed with the carrot method, except I'm paying attention to those areas, such as waist, elbow, and knees. (marked in the picture below)
4. The 3 Basic Shape Method
This is a lot like the blob method, but more purposeful. You paint a loose rectangle for the torso, a long triangle to indicate the hip and one leg, and a head.Then add details.
5. Sketching in...just lightly sketching the figure. Below left you can see a figure loosely sketched and painting the background around her. The bottom 4 pictures are "blobs";
The top figures are done with combining 8 heads with carrot methods. Notice that everyone standing in that line will fit through the door painted to the left because the perspective is correct.
Here is Liron Yankonski showing more realistic small figures:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq3RXl2NRiY
Here are some hints from painters who add figures to paintings:
1. Disconnect the heads at first, and make them smaller than you think you want.
You can always make them bigger with hair, a hat, scarf, etc. This is the #1 mistake of people painting figures...too large a head.
2. Add shadows on clothing and cast shadow to anchor them to the ground.
3. "Melt" colors in clothing and skin together.
4. Add details...not in face, but in clothing, etc.
5. You generally don't need feet. The cast shadow usually takes care of the illusion of feet.
6. Practice poses.
7. If you are planning a figure with white clothing against a dark background, just paint around the white in a "ghost shape" to be painted later. You don't need to miskit out or carefully work around a definite shape.
8. You don't have to plan much if it will be a dark shape against a lighter background, since you can paint dark over light.
9. Use tracing paper to decide where to place a figure and how large you want it to be.
Practice:
Just have fun painting these. Look for photographs or pictures from magazines (National Geo is always a good source.) Try figures in all positions. You are probably doing much better than you think, so step away from it for a bit, then look again.
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