I started off seeing skin tones in a closed off way, not
really pushing to find the dimension and depth right in front of me. I almost felt
I was still pulling a Crayon out of the box to color a figure's form from head
to toe like I did in childhood. But there are artists who have shown me the
rainbow effect of human skin, most notably Lucian Freud.
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Leigh on a Green Sofa by Lucian Freud, 1993,
oil on canvas. 6 3/4 x 9. |
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Freud's figure paintings reveal how realistic flesh tones
can be created across a painter's palate, using a range of colors. When observed
on an abstract level, his figure painting works become almost kaleidoscopic in
their colors. The greens, blues, reds, and yellows are as prevalent as the more
neutral shades one might initially expect to use when painting flesh.
Studying Freud's figure paintings made me realize that going
skin deep is a good thing--if the emphasis is on deep. Because Freud painted as
if he was building skin itself, capturing the undertones of color of veins and
blood vessels that gleam subtly on the surface to the marks and varied texture
of skin that can change from body part to body part or with age. Now, when I
prepare for a human painting study, I try to see as Freud has taught me to
see--that the surface or skin isn't finite, but full of possibilities and
complexities.
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Woman Smiling by Lucian Freud,
1958-59, oil painting. |
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Another artist who shares Freud's sensitivity to the color,
light, and shadow inherent in every inch of our skin is Patricia Watwood. A
notable portraitist and contemporary painter, she has created a 3-hour tutorial
DVD,
Figure Painting: Realistic Skin Tone,
revealing how one of the most fundamental aspects of figure painting can be an
exploration of luminous and energetic color. It certainly made me open my eyes
a little wider, and appreciate yet another level of subtlety in the human form.
What a gift! Enjoy!
And what
discoveries have you come across when painting portraits or figures' flesh tones? Leave a
comment and let us know.
