Value studies

I am a lover of detail and process in some ways and have learned that the best way to avoid mistakes is to plan ahead.  One way to do this in painting is through value studies.  I know, I hear the groans as people want to jump onto the bright white canvas and slap on paint instantly.  That often leads to frustration as the canvas isn't toned, the composition not clearly thought out and the values as boring as waiting in a line of traffic, leading to endless fixes and fiddling, trying to match the vision in your head.

A hour (or three) of painting value studies really helps work out all the problems ahead of time. And often studies can go on to become detailed monochromatic paintings of beauty or small paintings in their own right.  Or in many cases, they become the map on which to base the painting that you originally had in your head.

As the study isn't precious, often being rendered on cheap canvas paper, changes can be made, colours altered and values adjusted long before you get to the point of frustration on a large canvas.  Or the value study can be done in acrylics then switch to oils for the main painting.

These are my principle elements for a value sketch, very similar to the beginning of a colour painting in fact..

1.  Forget detail -look only for shapes
2.  Squint to see overall values and to reduce colour distraction
3.  Tone your canvas with a neutral colour - raw or burnt umber work well and use the same colour to create your study. Shades of grey are a classic value study hue, but any colour will work in fact as long as you can go from dark to light using anywhere from 2 to 5 values.
4.  Sketch in your broadest shapes with your brush and pull out lighter areas with a rag while the paint is still wet. 
5.  Start with your darkest values and work your way up to the lightest.  Your values will make or break your painting so make sure your range and contrast are there.
6.  Keep sizes small, you're working out ideas, not creating masterpieces.  5 x 7 or smaller work well.
6.  Once you're happy with the result, start your colour journey!

Studio time

 
Between teaching, writing curriculum and moving my mother into an assisted living home, I've lost a lot of painting time over the last week.  However, I was determined to fit in a few hours in the studio today and with another exhibition looming in November, I need to get some work finished.

Continuing in my Water People series I'm working on this piece called The Jumpers.  Its in oil on a 15 x 30 stretched canvas.   The interaction of adults and children with water is fascinating to watch as each approaches it differently. Children see it as a giant playground with little fear involved.  They create games with the water as these kids here are doing, jumping to avoid the incoming wave.  Adults tend to be more wary and less playful.  Obvious of course as the dangers of the ocean are known and appreciated more by adulthood.

I placed the children centrally in this but regretted it as it seemed a bit to stark, so the beach ball was added to balance the image and pull the eye around the composition.  One of the things that I talk about in my drawing and painting workshops is composition and its importance.  Balance, pattern, movement....all ensure the viewer stays in front of your image instead of moving on quickly.

How the eye tracks over a painting has been explored by several people and is quite an interesting subject that's worth artists reading.  If you know what attracts the viewer's eye, it can be another tool in your compositional arsenal when setting up a composition and palette.

This short video by James Gurney illustrated the movement of the eye over a painting.