Values, poster study—The Lady, 6x8"

Here's an exercise I did with Sarajean. We mixed our values carefully and applied the paint in an organized way so we could see and understand the effect.

In case you haven't figured out what you're looking at (color here would help), I'm sure you must see what I do: it's a Lady, dressed ever so elegantly. (Okay, it's an ice cream dish overturned, with a clementine sitting on top—it's bottom.)

Values—Teapot, 6x6 inches

After the sphere, it seemed natural to paint Sarajean's teapot. We premixed the values and then happily applied paint, not really adhering to a systematic approach. From classes I took with Dennis Perrin, I learned the importance of keeping the value families distinct. (And that's what I'm still trying to master!) Whatever is in the shadow stays in the shadow value range. The lights stay in the value range for the lights. You've may have heard the seemingly confusing statement: the darkest dark in the light is always lighter than the lightest light in the shade. (I am now feeling confused myself! I hope I wrote that correctly!) If you've never experienced this or can't imagine it, you could put a black piece of paper in the light and a white piece of paper in the shade and check it out!

Related to that, reflected light in a shadow (as you see in the belly of the teapot) often appears to be lighter than it actually is. Why? Because it's surrounded by darker values. A small hole punched in cardboard can help you isolate the colors and compare them. It's easy to overstate the lightness of reflected light. To make it convincing, I always try to keep it in the value range of the darks. (Thank you Dennis Perrin.)

Values

 

 It has been awhile, I know. Life has been hectic. But, I have been painting! Just not blogging. Sometimes you have to choose which balls to keep up in the air (pun unintentional, but why not?!) I'll catch you up on my efforts.

If you don't receive Fine Art Views Newsletter, you may wish to check it out: http://faso.com/fineartviews/30732/put-the-fire-out. Keith Bond's article that arrived in my email this morning touches on just what Sarajean and I have discovered: we need to address and master one problem at a time and have decided to focus on values to start. Occasionally I'll share what we do.

We painted value scales to help us understand the intervals from white to black. As you can see, we did a ten-step value scale, then nine (thinking it would be easier to mix and judge steps that are equidistant from others, since we painted the white and black first, and then mixed the value between each time), then five, which would be good for poster studies. In these exercises, we mixed a black using black and burnt umber, so it would dry faster and not be tacky once dried. We used palette knives to mix and paint, to keep the values clean. I'm not positive my value steps are evenly spaced, but they're close, I hope! Expert eyes would be so welcome, but I imagine even imperfect exercises could lead to eventual mastery.

The sphere here, was painted prior to the formal value scales, but we did limit ourselves to five values to begin, I think. We also allowed ourselves to play with warm and cool temperatures. Rather than keeping it a simple poster study, I tried to figure out how to paint it "realistically." Perhaps this dealt with more than one problem! oops.

Independently, Sarajean and I will practice our exercises and continue to paint whatever and however we wish. If you'd like to share exercises that you found helpful, please do! I'll be happy to make your comments visible so we can all benefit. I expect to be posting more frequently since other demands are quieting down some. Take care and thanks for visiting!

Andrea's Shoe, 5x5", pencil

This drawing got me thinking about values and the challenge of keeping the light family separate from the darks. I'm not sure I entirely achieved my goal, but the thinking part is good! Sometimes when I paint, I feel like I need to slow down and be more thoughtful about my observations. I have a feeling that drawings can help. Hmmm, maybe doing more VALUE paintings would help, too! Now, there's a thought.

Drawing of "The Innocence" after Mian Situ

If you haven't seen the cover of the January/February issue of Art of the West magazine, please take a look. I fell in love with this beautiful painting, "The Innocence"  by Mian Situ and couldn't resist drawing it. I'm trying to improve my drawing skills and understanding of values and color. I notice that when I feel challenged to understand something, my paint application is very controlled. Someday, I'd love to paint more expressively like this. With knowledge, confidence, and miles of canvas I may get there! I hope so.

Lemon and Garlic, 6 x 6"

This painting is in a narrow value range, but high key, meaning most of the values are pretty light. This was an experiment in color and lighting. The lemon and garlic are sitting on a white cloth, with a purple cloth (unseen to you) as a backdrop and overhead. The lighting created all sorts of reflected color. I was very interested in capturing the subtle grays of the garlic. If I were to tweak this painting, I'd take another look at that lemon to see what it needs. What a challenge to paint yellows! This was a fun experiment.

Paint Table, 6 x 6"

Here's a change of subject, painted in a limited palette. I have discovered that of my paintings, the ones I usually like the least are those that muddle in the middle. Meaning, the value range is narrow and there aren't extreme lights and darks. Sometimes, that's great to evoke a certain mood. In this painting, I was aware that the scene would be mostly in the middle, but I tried include the dark and light accents. Do they offer enough contrast and interest? I'll give this some thought (and maybe play with it on my computer, to see). On to the next!

Garlic in Bowl, 10 x 8". I've been thinking a lot about color.

Did I mention that I'm an older person, but a "young" artist?* Although I majored in painting as an undergraduate in college, it was during the heyday of abstract expressionism and conceptual art—visual and not-so-visual approaches very far from my own sensibility. I often feel like I'm trying to fill large gaps in my art education.

I set up this still life because I loved the colors. I also wanted to focus on the subtle shifts in the white of the garlic, as well as the temperature and color shifts in the distressed interior of the bowl. I learned a lot from this challenge and may try it again with the goal of using thicker paint and fewer brushstrokes. While I continue to paint during the next month or two, I plan to do color charts (finally, for those who know me), and other color experiments. Anyone want to join me? We could create a color chart support group.  : )

*James Gurney encourages older artists on his blog: http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/12/elder-mad-man.html    Keep on painting!