Painting small figures

The reference photo

This week I demonstrated to my watercolor class how to paint small figures in their landscapes. Including a figure or two adds interest and help to tell a story. In order to paint realistic figures, a basic knowledge of human anatomy is necessary. A common mistake is painting the head too large, making the figures look more like cartoons. An adult head is approximately 1/8 of the total height. Someone picked this photo in a magazine with two tiny figures for me to use as a reference. I did the sketch very quickly, in a couple of minutes.

Small Figures- Watercolour Sketch by Artist Bee