Huihan Liu- Expressive Figure Painting

Does that inspire you to do the same in your work? Would you like to capture the elusive qualities that make your painting more than just a copy of the scene at hand? Do you wish you could infuse the whole thing with an energy that takes on a life of its own? An energy that engages the viewer at first sight?

Huihan Liu has spent his life doing exactly that. He is very tuned in to the emotion of every piece he paints. He has stated that he wants to provide a bridge between Chinese culture and the U.S., which he loves. He travels extensively, often back to China, to Tibet specifically, but mainly to the Southwest and Western U.S. His paintings, with culturally specific detail, show a deep appreciation for the landscape and the people of both places. And he wants to show gratitude to the people who supported him in his early days in China.¹

• Explains why he chose one pose from the four color/value study poses
• Shows the full palette he will be using (instead of the limited palette for the value studies)
• Starts the drawing on the canvas with willow charcoal (notice how he starts over when he’s not happy with it!)
• Constantly reassesses the drawing and makes corrections (even when you thought it was right!)
• Comments on how to connect large shadow shapes and leave details for the painting stage
• Begins the underpainting with a thinned wash
• Uses paper towel and palette knife to aid in the underpainting
• Explains how to lay in shadow, half-tone, and light sections in order
• Adjusts shapes with color as he develops the study
• Uses a mix of transparent and opaque color
• Defines soft and hard areas for emphasis
• Thins out the background in a surprising way!

• Once again adjusts the drawing, using willow charcoal right on top of the underpainting!
• Talks through the editing process of what to leave in and leave out
• “Unifies” his colors on the canvas with his finger, a paper towel, and the palette knife
• Spends as much time “looking” as painting
• Demonstrates how to deal with edges that have started to dry
• Considers finishing the painting more in terms of design than subject matter
• All this from a master painter who has been working at painting all of his adult life.

It’s hard to imagine a better artist than Huihan Liu to learn the craft of painting from. Huihan is very generous. He even told us he was losing sleep when preparing for this video because he wanted to make sure you got a lot out of it. Get your own copy of this video today, and plan to watch it numerous times. There’s so much to absorb, you will surely see something different each time you watch it.