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Anonymous Painter
| | Posted on Monday, November 28, 2005 - 4:23 pm: |  |
I use that ZS moisture control mechanism, too. :) Except I use more paper towel, and wrap the toweling all the way around the roll. (Btw, it's great for figuring out if all the color is out of a rinsed brush before putting that brush away, as well as for controlling moisture.)
Value, for me, is an inseparable part of color; I can't really perceive it separately. Turns out that doesn't matter though: as long as I get the color right, the value will be right, too. Sometimes these days I do a preliminary sketch with w/c pencils. I use them if I need to sketch before painting anyway, but they also work well for me to plan a painting. In fact, all last year I used 15 w/c pencils (a tin of 12 Albrecht Durer plus 3 light Stadtler-Karats), but I just bought a full 60-pencil set of the Van Gogh w/c pencils. Color me happy!
Btw, the handprint site indicates the percentage drying shift for many pigments. Of course one doesn't want to go around with all those numbers in mind, but if one assumes a certain shift as the norm, it's helpful to note which pigments on the palette shift far more than 'normal' -- or not much at all. |
Eshkenazi
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - 4:44 pm: | |
I just usually keep a tissue in one hand to control the brush moisture. I have a good relationship with my boxes of kleenex. Next to my brushes, they're my best friends. :) |
Robert
| | Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 8:51 am: | |
Oh Marie--I agree--controlling themoisture in the brush is crucial. rather than use my jeans, I use the Zoltan Szabo approach:
remove the paper tube from the center of a roll of toilet paper and flatten the roll; get a two section sheet of paper towel and fold it lengthwise so it is the same width as the roll of toilet paper; wrap the
strip of paper towel around the toilet paper and tape the end down with masking tape. Touch your brush to this to drink up eccess water. Works beautifully. |
Robert
| | Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 7:02 am: | |
I read an analysis of Cotman's value plans in his landscapes once. Lets say he has a complex of buildings in front of a wall of trees. The tress are a dark value, even the highlights of the trees are in the dark range. The buildings are a light mid value and *all of the shadows in the building are still in the mid value range*--in other words he defines a plane or region (or "shape" if you are of the Whitney school of nomenclature) as having a certain value even the would be shadow areas. What you see is a big area of buildings against the trees and even the windows and shaded areas are of about the same value as the sunny part. It seems to work. |
marie
| | Posted on Friday, November 11, 2005 - 6:14 pm: | |
Thanks to everyone for the responses. I took a pastel workshop last week, and I realized that the pastel folks have it easy in some respects. They learn to observe/plan their values, and then all they have to do is to pick the piece of chalk that matches the value they want. A watercolorist, on the other hand, has to do the same work with observing and planning value, and then has a second battle with drying shifts and paint dilution. Just because you want value 'x' doesn't mean you're going to get it.
Here are some of my own rules of thumb:
* After I rinse my brush, wipe it on my jeans to regulate the amount of water. (I don't know why my jeans always work better than the sponge on my palette. :-) )
* Add water to my palette with a spray bottle instead of my brush. This also seems to help regulate the water on my brush.
* Test the very light and very dark values on scrap paper. This is not as necessary for me for middle values.
* I have never been consistent about which value to start with. Sometimes I start with a light value and sometimes with a strong middle value. Recently I have been having more luck with the middle value approach.
* I usually find it helpful to keep a single value wash going for as long as I can. I try to make each value one single shape (of course, that's not always possible).
* For most pigments, make a stronger mix than I think I need to account for the drying shift. If it looks a little wild, then it will probably dry just right.
* When I need a light valued blue, dilute it a little more than I think is necessary. The actual value of blue tends to be darker than my eye would guess. |
Eric
| | Posted on Friday, November 11, 2005 - 8:57 am: | |
The test to me is if the value sketch looks good, like Eugene said. If the value sketch doesn't look good, there's no sense in beginning the painting. From trial and error, I've found that the painting never succeeds when the value sketch stinks. I've also found that when the value sketch is good, the painting's half finished before I've picked up the brush.
I establish the darks pretty early in the process. That is, the darks that are in the center of interest, so I can key everything else to that area. Otherwise, there's no set pattern. Generally, broad areas with less detail are first, whether they're light, middle or dark values and I'll paint details last. (and hopefully, I'll know when to stop with the details-easy to get carried away) |
Robert
| | Posted on Friday, November 11, 2005 - 6:50 am: | |
Some of the best paintings I've ever done have been preceded by a value sketch. However, I seldom make one. I find the process tedious and a "buzzkill", though I am probably only hurting myself. |
Eugene
| | Posted on Thursday, November 10, 2005 - 8:38 pm: | |
First of all, I use a value sketch ONLY when painting in the
studio. Plein Air-- the values are right there before you.
I generally work from light to dark, simply because dark colors
will cover lights, and if your first rry is too light you can always
make it darker with a second wash.
By following your value sketch, you simply try to match the grey
values with colors of the same value. Chances are that if your
black and value sketch does't look good, your finished painting
won't either..Value sketches make you think and plan before you
lift the brush. |
marie
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 9, 2005 - 9:49 pm: | |
I am curious about what practical strategies you use to manage the values in your paintings. Assume that you already have a value sketch, and you have a good idea of what you want your values to be.
* How do you actually get the values you want?
* Do you use the traditional method of working from light to dark? Or do you prefer to establish your darkest value and then work out the middle and light values?
* Do you have any habits for managing the dilution of paint?
* Do you have any other tips for getting the value right? |
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