Alex Hillkurtz

Artful Painter Podcast

Sep 16

Written By Carl Olson

The Language of Cinema in Watercolor

Episode 44

Episode length: 1 hour, 11 minutes

Also available on:
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Alex Hillkurtz is a renowned storyboard artist for feature films, television, and commercials. His film credits include Argo, Almost Famous, It’s Complicated, and many others. In contrast to the fast-paced world of storyboarding, Alex enjoys the slower pace of sketching and painting in watercolors. He lives in Paris, France - a city that provides an endless source of inspiration for Alex’s architectural and landscape watercolors. As Alex roams the streets of Paris, a small cafe nestled under bright red awnings on a street corner may catch his eye. Observing intently the scene before him, he endeavors to capture not just the form, but also the essence and feel of the place.

His beautiful architectural watercolor paintings are born from a three-step process: first, he does a very light pencil sketch. Next, he creates darker, loose marks with a fountain pen. Finally, he applies gorgeous flows of watercolor washes. Alex's compositional and design choices feature strong elements of linear perspective. Your eye is drawn into Alex's paintings, yearning to satisfy your curiosity about the scene before you. It’s clear that Alex Hillkurtz’s broad illustration and storyboarding experience in the film industry leaves an indelible imprint of the language of cinema in his watercolors.

“My sketchbooks are a form of time travel.”

— Alex Hillkurtz

Click on the images above for a larger view.

Links:

Alex Hillkurtz
Website: https://www.alexhillkurtzart.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hillkurtz/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexHillkurtzArt

Alex Hillkurtz's video course:
Architectural Sketching with Watercolor and Ink https://www.domestika.org/en/courses/1092-architectural-sketching-with-watercolor-and-ink

Alex Hillkurtz's new book:
Sketching Techniques for Artists: In-Studio and Plein-Air Methods for Drawing and Painting Still Life, Landscape, Architecture, Faces and Figures, and More
https://amzn.to/2Rump9P (affiliate link)

Bill Peet: An Autobiography:
https://amzn.to/2RzVaec (affiliate link)

David McNeill: https://www.davidmcneillart.com
John Pototschnik: https://www.pototschnik.com
Shanna Kunz: https://www.shannakunz.com