Monday, March 13, 2017

Fear of Crowds


Click Here to Bid (6x6in.)

I tell my students all the time that they need to compare more values than just what's right next to each other (which is what we ALL tend to do) - that they need to look over the WHOLE scene. But lately I'm realizing that it's impractical to compare every single value! And that the most important values to compare are LIKE values. For example, if I'm trying to match a certain light value, like where the sun is hitting all the spots on these roses, I want to squint and compare all the light values. Which ones are the lightEST? How does the color change as those lights get subtly darker. In this way I can create a kind of map in my head and paint systematically, rather than feeling like I'm starting over with every little area, and every color I mix.

I say all this because value is the number one thing I help my students with, and that's because it's hard! So any time I come up with something that helps ME, I figure it might help you too.

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