Tippette #26 - Switching Color

Tippette = Snippet of a Tip (in watercolor).  One per day...during April...right here!  Tell a friend!

Don't go long without switching colors

When people tell me that they like my art, it makes me analyze what aspects of my art really draw people in.  I'm convinced that part of it is due to the fact that I don't go very far with one color without introducing another color into it.  That doesn't mean that I don't have quiet, safer passages.  I do.  But I do find myself introducing another color about every inch or so...can't help myself.  Remember that, if we paint long & often enough, your painting style emerges...this happens to be my style.  I'm not saying everyone needs to do this.

With the use of close up examples, I hope you can see what I'm talking about.  Each of these squares below is a 1" x 1" section of different paintings.  They look a bit pixelated because I've enlarged them a lot for this post, but hopefully it lets you look into my process a bit.

All are 1" x 1" sections of my actual paintings.

Come with Helen K. Beacham and Kelly Medford to paint Venice this October...

Two Spots Left!

click HERE for details!

www.helenKbeacham.com

Tippette #13 - Think VALUE...not COLOR.

Tippette = Snippet of a Tip (in watercolor).  One per day...during April...right here!

We're almost halfway through our month of daily watercolor tippettes.  Do any of you have one that you'd like to share with my readers?  If so, write me and I'll give you credit!  Give me your tip, along with at least one image and I'll be extremely happy to share it with everyone here!  Now on to today's tippette:

Think VALUE...not COLOR.

When I demonstrate for my students, I often get asked what color I'm using to paint this or that.  It inevitably catches me off guard, because I don't think about the color as much as about what value I'm going to use. (Value refers to how dark or light the color is.)  You use value to accomplish contrast.  To make things look like they're receding into the background, use a lighter value for those things that are progressively further away.

Now, let's look at this black-and-white version of one of my paintings.  Without peeking at the image below it, try to envision which colors I've used to create this painting.  (For those of you that already "know" this painting, humor me!).  

Black-and-white of "Walk with Me" by Helen K Beacham

Could you tell that this is a sun-dappled path that leads from a somewhat shadowy, cool foreground to a sunny background?  Of course you can. Yet you have no idea what colors I've used.   So...what colors did I use? Green?  Yellow?  Brown?  Where did I place them? What other colors do you envision?  

Now let's scroll down and see the finished piece.  Are you surprised?  Why or why not?

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

"Walk with Me" by Helen K Beacham

My painting holds together, not because of the colors I chose, but because the correct values were used in the right spots.  If you're concerned about whether your paintings have the right values, either use a photo-editing software to convert a photo of your painting to black-and-white (or grayscale), or you can take a black-and-white Xerox of it.  Then really study it to determine whether your painting holds together based on your values.

In a future tippette, I'll discuss how I mix my paint to accomplish values - See you right back here tomorrow!  And thanks for sharing my tippettes with your friends!  I've enjoyed meeting many of them!

Come with Helen K. Beacham and Kelly Medford to paint Venice this October...

click HERE for details!

www.helenKbeacham.com

READ MY LATEST POST HERE.

SUSAN JANE WALP at Tabor de Nagy Gallery

www.helenKbeacham.com

                             

Susan Jane Walp 

Pummelo with Scrunchie, Knife and Rice Cracker
2012
oil on linen
9 1/4 x 9 1/4 inches

I find it interesting that this artist, SUSAN JANE WALP, has chosen to feature her main characters with brighter color while keeping the rest of the painting almost bland or even monochromatic in some cases.  Was it out of a desire to get off easy on the backgrounds?  I say not.  It's almost more difficult to paint "without color"(relying on VALUE rather  than on color as a crutch).

Ms. Walp's most recent paintings will be featured at the TIBOR DE NAGY GALLERY in Midtown Manhattan, through November 24.  You can read more about her exhibition on this blog:  THOUGHTS THAT CURE RADICALLY

.www.helenKbeacham.com

Read my latest post!