The Figure in Watercolor: Simple, Fast, and Focused Paperback – January 1, 2003

I buy many many art books for inspiration and information on technique and I don't write many reviews... so when I go to the trouble of writing a review... you will know that the book stands out (in my humble opinion) and this one certainly does... While this book is a bit light on the instruction part... it more than makes up for it on the inspiration side.... and to me, that is the greater part. Technique can only be learned by practice, practice, practice... and you have to be inspired to even want to practice.... There are many many portraits in this book for that.... Loose, lovely style that just makes you want to get out your paints and give it a try. I usually work in acrylics, but even so, it inspires for that purpose too. I just plain love this book!!

Very informative and nicely illustrated book. I am enjoying it from cover to cover. Can't wait to begin a new technique. You never stop learning.

This book shows lovely examples of painting figures in watercolor. While it is not a step-by-step instructional format, each of the paintings is accompanied by Mel Stabin's commentary which lead the reader to focus on one particular aspect of his technique. I've learned so much from this book about technique and composition, but most importantly, I learned ways to resist overworking a painting--definitely a step in the right direction for those who are working with watercolor!

Learning to be more loose and spontaneous in my watercolor is a serious goal. This book gives you enough knowledge about shadow, light and form to do just that with the human figure. For the self-taught I think this is an excellent guide.

Very nice work.. a bit looser than I was thinking, but a lot of good info. Alas, I haven't tried to do it yet. Procrastination is king!

Great seller, used book but looks like it was never opened. The book itself, well it leaves a lot to be desired. I would not recommend.

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?

Mel stabin paints with care and planning for his subject and is interested in portraying the figure in a modest way. His instructions are well illustrated and I enjoy this book from cover to cover. Note: I especially like the "watery" flow of his painting.BJ Cook

really nice book

Mel Stabin führt einen leichten und zügigen Pinsel und seine Aquarelle zeugen von seinem Umgang mit Licht und Pigmenten. Mit diesem Buch hilft er dem Leser seine Betrachtungsweise selbst nach zu vollziehen.

Beautiful work and approach to figure painting in watercolor. I think it would help anyone who wants to achieve the essenceof figure and portraits, showing understanding of form, but not overstating detail. The paintings in this book are fresh, expressive and vibrant. The only negative about the book is in the design: faces of figures are in the gutter of the book on too many pages,which surprises me since Mel Stabin is also a designer. It's great to see large images however, and you can flatten the pages out to see in the fold. I highly recommend it for the spare but thoughtful commentary.

描く為のツールの説明、パレット・筆　等々　鉛筆を使用してのデモストレーション。ヴァルーチャートがあり、白から黒までの、色の明・中間・暗までを表示させている。人物の肌の色の組み合わせの見本もあり、黒人、白人・アジア人の肌の違いを表現している。一筆書きの様に素早いストロークで、人物・風景を描いている。約１０３点の水彩画が、掲載されている。

I borrowed this book from the library so often that I decided I really should buy it! Being new to figure drawing I appreciated the layout, information, advice and clarity. I thoroughly recommend this book, my watercolour experience has benefited from reading it over and over again.