This figure painting was done partly from my imagination and partly using a photograph from a book on anatomy for artists for reference. It’s done in acrylics on canvas using Prussian blue, Payne’s grey, cadmium red, and cadmium yellow. Only one brush was used: a large, flat, two-inch brush. I was going to build up the figure using thin glazes, so the acrylic paint was mixed until it was very fluid with half water and half glazing medium (to ensure that the paint would never be so dilute it wouldn’t adhere properly to the canvas).
Building up color using transparent glazes gives quite a different effect than using thickish opaque paint. This is because each new glaze or layer is influenced by what’s gone before. It’s important when glazing to ensure that a glaze is totally dry before adding the next, otherwise the colors mix on the canvas and you get a muddy result.
I first very roughly worked out and marked on the canvas where the figure would fit with a pencil. Then, using Payne’s Grey, put in the outline of the figure and the shadow on the underneath of the leg as well as using it to block in the hair. The background was done with Prussian blue, plus the shadow under the arm and on the stomach.
You’ll see in the photos of this step by step that this basic form didn’t change much as I added the various color washes. This was because I was more interested in capturing a mood than getting the figure absolutely accurate.
