The Human Figure in Watercolor
A course by Ale CasanovaPainter and Teacher
A course by Ale Casanova, Painter and Teacher
Play with the versatility of watercolor and explore different color palettes to paint the human body
Painting other people's bodies requires you to confront your own. Painter and teacher Ale Casanova uses this as a tool for addressing topics such as normality and intimacy. Watercolor allows for a more agile and clean process. It is versatile and rich enough in creative solutions to be the perfect medium for any project you may have in mind.
With Ale as your guide, learn to use his simple technique to confront the human form while achieving traditional yet contemporary results. Study different color palettes and mix drawing with watercolor bleeding. If you want to deepen your knowledge of painting further still, take a look at Ale's other two courses: Artistic Portrait with Watercolor and Oil Painting for Beginners.
What will you learn in this online course?
17 lessons & 21 downloads
Materials
9 minutes, 40 seconds
Paper Cutting and Preparation
15 minutes, 37 seconds
Simplify the Image
10 minutes, 56 seconds
Transfer from Drawing to Paper
19 minutes, 33 seconds
Color Palettes and Application 1
15 minutes, 5 seconds
Color Palettes and Application 2
13 minutes, 55 seconds
What's included in this course?
Find out about the man that is Ale Casanova, his craft, and why he was drawn to it in the first place. He talks about how he views the world of painting as well as his influences and key figures in the evolution and role of watercolor within the arts.
Discover what materials are out there and which you need for the course. Look at how to prepare the paper before starting to paint and practice using a method of simplifying volumetric images to facilitate the artistic process. Explore reduced palettes of primary colors and how to apply them to your project.
Compose a human figure using a studio photograph as your reference. Your teacher will guide you step by step in combining various different methods. Create some initial wet-on-wet bleeding with your watercolors, letting it dry before adding your freehand drawing and pure-color details. Ale also talks about different types of masking fluid.
Finish up the course by identifying points for improvement, adjusting whites, and adding dark boarders to highlight areas of volume. Learn to remove your finished piece from the mounting and store it correctly to preserve its beauty.
What is this course's project?
Compose a human figure step by step using the watercolors to their full potential.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Painters, illustrators, and lovers of painting who want to develop and understand the colorful world contained inside the human figure.
Requirements and materials
A little experience with watercolor and drawing is recommended for this course. A basic watercolor set, some good-quality paper, and a few paintbrushes is more than enough to take this course.
Reviews
- 16 days ago
Excelente curso y excelente profesor
- 1 month ago
Alejandro es un profesor muy detallado en sus explicaciones y te lleva de la mano para entender todas las complejidades de la acuarela desde entender cómo afectan los materiales a la obra, enseña 3 técnicas de dibujo (lo cual es básico para que se asemeje al modelo), la explicación de las paletas de color es fundamental para entender cómo se construyen las capas de la piel. Me ha encantado el curso, estoy muy agradecida y me toca seguir practicando para desarrollar lo aprendido
- 2 months ago
Excelente curso, igual a todos los que he compardo en Domestika.
- 3 months ago
Excelente curso, professor tem ótima didática!
- 3 months ago
UNO DE LOS CURSOS DE ACUARELA QUE MÁS CONOCIMIENTO ME HA ENTREGADO, YA QUE A COMPARACIÓN CON OTROS ENTRE ELLOS SON MUY SIMILARES, ESTE CURSO TE ENTREGA UNA MUY BUENA INTRODUCCIÓN PARA TENER OTRA MIRADA AL MATERIAL Y SU USO DE UNA FORMA MUY PROFECIONAL
His work focuses on the human body and portraiture as a window into the creation of plastic art. He also composes oil paintings, although watercolor is his preferred medium as it allows him to work swiftly and effectively using transparency and the richness of the color spectrum to create figurative pieces. His work has been exhibited in different Spanish as well as other European cities and he has also given numerous workshops across Spain.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- U2
Basic Materials and Techniques
- Materials
- Paper Cutting and Preparation
- Simplify the Image
- Transfer from Drawing to Paper
- Color Palettes and Application 1
- Color Palettes and Application 2
- Color Palettes and Application 3
- U3
Human Figure
- Choice and Manipulation of Photography
- General Color Spots on Palette
- Redrawing with Palette Color
- Readjust with Pure Colors
- Reservation Methods and Background Work
- U4
Last Details
- Dark Highs and Final Details 1
- Dark Highs and Final Details 2
- Unstapling, Preservation and Storage
- FP
Final project
- The Human Figure in Watercolor
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
You’ll learn how to depict the human figure by combining drawing with watercolor techniques, develop color palettes, prepare your materials, create volume, backgrounds, and atmospheres, and preserve your artwork.
This course is designed for those with basic drawing or watercolor knowledge but doesn’t require advanced experience. It’s perfect for anyone looking to refine their figurative watercolor skills.
You’ll need watercolor paper, brushes (natural or synthetic), watercolor paints, a palette, masking tape or a stapler, an HB pencil, a metal ruler, and tools for transferring drawings like graphite or a lightbox.
The paper is cut to the desired size, edges are smoothed, and it’s stretched and secured with masking tape or staples onto a board to prevent warping when applying water and pigment.
The course covers methods for simplifying structure, marking volumes and joints, using grids, precise transfers, and techniques to capture light, shadow, and anatomical proportions.
You’ll learn various transfer methods like graphite tracing, using a lightbox, and grid techniques, weighing their pros and cons to achieve accurate drawings on paper.
The course teaches how to build primary palettes, mix skin tones and shadows, adjust warm and cool contrasts, and experiment to achieve color harmony and volume in the figure.