New Artist - 2016__

Brian‘s original sketch: note the eye level line where buildings meet the ground and heads abound.

Learn how to compose, indicate and colour

a simple everyday scene with this inspiring

walkthrough by artist and tutor Brian Smith.

Street Life

Watercolour street scene

MATERIALS

OCobalt Blue

OYellow Ochre

OFrench Ultramarine

OAlizarin Crimson

OAureolin (Cobalt Yellow)

OBurnt Umber

OBurnt Sienna

T

o the beginner,

painting people and

architecture may

appear daunting

• where do you begin? How do
  you capture the suggestion of
  the subject passing before you?
  It’s not as difficult as it at first
  seems; follow a few simple rules
  and you’ll be a confident street
  artist before you know it!
  Here’s how to start. First of
  all select the eye level line: this
  is where you, the artist, looks
  straight ahead. You only have
  one eye level line in a painting
  and all the lines of perspective
  in the surrounding
  manmade structures
  come to a vanishing

point on the eye level line.

Below the line they will come

up to the vanishing point and

above they come down. Also,

on a flat surface, all the heads of

the people in the crowd will be

around the eye level line.

For ‘Street Life’ Brian works

from a quick sketch he has

drawn while out shopping. He

puts down enough information

on paper from which he can

produce a painting.

Brian has chosen to duplicate

the work at each stage to

help show the painting’s

development, showing four

separate pieces of work – with

detailed descriptions explaining

each of the stages.

The foreground building
and shadow are one
collective shape and
add depth to the
painting.