Huihan Liu: Expressive Figure Painting

With this exclusive video training, you will learn:

• The best way to look at your subject to see the different values
• How to use your hands to frame the image in front of you
• Why negative space is just as important as any positive space in the scene
• How grouping the image into larger shapes will eliminate excess detail
• Why establishing value creates depth, rhythm, and movement in the final work
• Why sticking to values disciplines you to create stronger paintings
• Why simplifying will help you think in terms of abstract shapes and impressions

Do You Long to Be a “Painterly” Painter?

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

But how can YOU achieve these “painterly” goals?

There’s only one way ... find someone to teach them to you. Really, no one is going to knock on your door and offer what you need out of the blue. If you want to improve your painting in a certain direction, then you have to seek it out and go after it on your own. We strive to make that easy for you.

You do not have to go on a worldwide quest to find master artists who will guide your path. You don’t need a lot of money to add to your skill set while you diligently work in your home studio. You are already set up for success. You just need to latch on to the teacher who will provide what you need. 

In Day One you will be watching as Huihan:

• 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!

Meanwhile, you will be watching all this up close. The filming is done with the model picture on the left and the canvas on the right of the same screen. You can constantly gauge for yourself the decisions Huihan makes as he paints. In addition, for much of the filming, the palette is visible on the lower left of the screen so you can see exactly how the paints are mixed. This “triple view” is something you would never be able to see any other way. 

Then in Day Two, you will enjoy even more valuable tips as you follow Huihan while he:

• 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.

We hosted Huihan Liu in our recording studio for five full days, and this video is an invaluable insider’s view of a master at work. Huihan is a gentle, soft-spoken man who knows his stuff. He is extremely modest, but here is a short list of the prizes he’s won for his incredibly “painterly” paintings…

• Best of Show in Painting — John Scott People’s Choice Award — Western Rendezvous of Art
• Gold Medal for Best Painting — California Art Club’s 92nd Annual Juried Exhibition
• Gold Medal for the Master Signature Division — Oil Painters of America National Exhibition
• Plus articles in pretty much every major art magazine out there.

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.