The Figure in Watercolor: Simple, Fast, and Focused (Simple Fast & Focused) [Paperback]

Mel Stabin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2003 | Series: Simple Fast & Focused

Following in the footsteps of Watercolor: Simple, Fast, and Focused is Mel Stabin’s latest: The Figure in Watercolor: Simple, Fast, and Focused. Capturing a figure’s unique personality and multifaceted quality in watercolor is challenging—but Stabin demonstrates, step by step, how the new artist can capture the figure by painting simply, directly, and with intense focus on the “essence” of a person. Readers will discover tested techniques and hands-on tips for painting portraits, people in an environment, and groups of people, as well as for painting people from photographs. They’ll also find a treasury of valuable advice on design, composition, shape, value, color, and more!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mel Stabin is the author of Watercolor: Simple, Fast, and Focused. His paintings have been honored with national awards, and are in many private and corporate collections. He lives in Park Ridge, New Jersey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823016943
• ISBN-13: 978-0823016945
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.4 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great book, but light in the "how to" department..., April 13, 2003

By 

Mark Savary "moon_city" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Figure in Watercolor: Simple, Fast, and Focused (Simple Fast & Focused) (Paperback)

One problem I find with watercolor instruction books about painting the human figure is that so few of them are in a style I actually like. Charles Reid has a few, of course, and there are some others that offer insights, but even so the styles are not always what I'm aiming for. Mel Stabin's "Figure in Watercolor" is a happy exception to that lamentable rule, although not without its shortcomings.

Overall, this is a fairly inspiring book with great paintings and a few nuggets of information about painting the figure, but I found that the actual instruction was a bit thin. There are a few step-by-step examples, but most of the book consists of Mr. Stabin's wonderful paintings, along with a paragraph or two about basic composition, studio conditions, or back story behind the painting.

Perhaps the artist was going on the assumption that the student should be given inspiration over step-by-step instruction. That can work very well in some instructional environments (such as college-level courses), but I think I would've found more of the step-by-step examples helpful. What few step-by-step examples there are in the book (three, I think), are condensed at best, and really don't give the student a good sense of how the painting was made (kind of like watching the opening credits, end credits, and a scene in the middle of a movie, and trying to understand what the movie was all about). Here we see an early step, a somewhere-in-the-middle step, and the finished painting. Even with the accompanying text, the complete evolution of the work is still something of a mystery.

One of the few really frustrating things about the book is that several of the large paintings that start the chapters are positioned in such a way that the figures (obstensively the most important part of the painting), are placed right between the inside edges, so that it is almost impossible to get a good look at the figure without flattening out the book (and thereby ruining the spine).

All in all, it's still a great book, but definitely aimed for an intermediate level, rather than the beginner. I'm not sure if that was the artist's intention, but it seemed to be the end result. Even so, the beginner will still find value in the book, in the form of inspiration if not direct instruction.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Loose, Wonderful Figure Painting!, December 21, 2004

By 

Lynn Holbein "artist and activist" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Figure in Watercolor: Simple, Fast, and Focused (Simple Fast & Focused) (Paperback)

The photorealistic figure painting in most books is intimidating and, to many, unappealing. Mel Stabin liberates us from this tight, souless style. His people are fresh and fast, and something of their essence of the person is captured.

Stabin's instruction, which could be more plentiful, is full of useful information. Copying his paintings is very instructive. As is his former book Watercolor: Simple, Fast and Focused, this book is a gift to watercolorists and those who love looking at spontaneous, fresh paintings.

Two other painter-authors who use this loose style for figures are Charles Reid and, for the nude figure, Douglas Lew (Painting from Life).

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A GOOD BOOK RUINED BY SPLITTING PAINTINGS, February 23, 2004

By 

S. T. Lightsey (BLAKELY, GEORGIA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Figure in Watercolor: Simple, Fast, and Focused (Simple Fast & Focused) (Paperback)

I rate this a good to very good book on loose watercolor figure painting. Stabins flowing line brush drawings of the female figure are outstanding.
THE REASON FOR ONLY 3 STARS,THERE ABOUT 10 OF THE BEST PAINTINGS COMPLETELY RUINED BY BEING ON TWO PAGES. ONE COMPLETE PAGE AND ABOUT 1/3 ON THE ADJACENT PAGE. PROBABLY THE BEST IS OF A DANCER SITTING ON THE FLOOR, AND HER FACE AND SHOULDERS ARE BURIED IN PAGE TO SPINE CURVE. I HAVE THE BOOK AND ONLY WAY I CAN SEE FULL PAINTING IS DISSEMBLE THE BOOK. WATSON/GUPTILL, ARE YOU LISTENING?