Monday, May 2, 2011

Capturing Value

On the Bluff oil 12 x 16

Here is a new trick I'm trying.  Value and its structure is one of the more important components of a painting.  I love using color and sometime lose the light and dark pattern in my work. Or I get caught up in the details instead of the big shapes. Look at Sargent's paintings.  He is a master at the big shapes and value placement.

I am using my photo editing program to change my color photos of my work (not the reference photos) to black and white.  It is useful if you have trouble translating value to color. From there I can simplify values if they aren't working and make sure that they lead the eye. Sometimes this trick helps. At other times, the painting wasn't planned well from the start and it is beyond help!
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2 comments:

  1. Joanne HansonMay 5, 2011 at 9:03 PM

    I would have thought the blue mountain in the background was darker. Value in colors is tough for me to see still! Yellow aspen against a blue sky often seem lighter, but look through a red filter and they are often the same. I know someone who has a digital camera with a B&W setting, and she will photograph her reference that way while painting plein air to help her get the values right. Good idea!

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  2. Kate KieslerMay 5, 2011 at 9:42 PM

    It is tricky and it can be difficult because temperature (as in your aspen/sky example) can also provide contrast in a painting.

    The B&W setting is probably helpful and not a bad idea, especially if you are still learning to see value. The only problem with it, is that then you tend to stay faithful to what is in the photo instead of arranging value to make a better painting! That is why I use the trick with my paintings in progress--hopefully I've adjusted the real values to create something even better.

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