Figure Drawing And Painting

This is the third tape in a series by Northwest artist James Kirk. Like the previous titles (Portraits in Watercolor, Pts. 1 & 2-reviewed last month), this video guides viewers in using the watercolor medium to create a figure painting. In the first half of the tape, Kirk discusses materials, preliminary drawing techniques, and points out various techniques he used in his finished drawings. In the second part of the program, Kirk elaborates on technique in watercolor painting and paints a female nude, using a live model. Throughout the second half, the tape uses inset videography to match close-up details of the model with what Kirk is painting. The program is tastefully done, and actually more concentrated than the previous efforts. A note, alerting teachers to the use of a model, is included on the back of the tape. Libraries without similar tapes would do well to consider this one, which is highly recommended. (Available from: Ashland Video Productions, 341 Mowetza Drive, Ashland, OR 97520.)