Tippette #15 - Mixing the Right Values

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

In my April 13 POST, I touched on the subject of Value and promised I'd spend more time on the concept in a future post, so here we are.

Mixing the Right Values

Value refers to how dark or light a pigment is.  You use value to accomplish contrast.

High key:  When a painting is mostly done with pastel colors like this one.

Low key:  When mostly dark colors are used.

Some artists rely on as many as 10 values in their paintings.  I suggest you not worry too much about keeping up with that.  I do, however, think that you need at least 3 values.  You need lights, mediums and darks.  So let me show you how to quickly create each.

I like to tell my students that a "dark value" has the consistency of cream when you create your puddle.  The "middle value" has the consistency of 1% milk and the "light value" has the consistency of tea (very see-through).  Easy, right?  If I know I need all 3 values, I mix my dark first.  Then I pull part of it over to the right and I add a touch of water (with my brush) to slightly thin it out. Then I pull some of that second mixture on over to the right again, and add more water.  That's it!

Creating 3 values of French Ultramarine Blue

Below, I'm showing you how my 3 French Ultramarine Blue values look when painted first into clear water (wet into wet) in the top row, and painted on to dry paper (wet into dry) in the bottom row.  

Dark, Medium & Light Values
Row 1:  I wet the paper first.  Allows softer edges but the paint is also lighter than when painted on dry paper.
Row 2:  Painted onto dry paper.  Ends up with harder edges and resulting color is darker (or at least more solid) than in Row 1.

If you want things to look closer to you, paint them darker.  Conversely, things that are further away should be rendered with paler values.  All this supports the concept of aerial perspective (a future topic?).

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

click HERE for details!

www.helenKbeacham.com

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Tippette #11 - Improving on your Photograph

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

Improving on your Photograph

"Before the Storm" by Helen K Beacham - Sold.

I improved this photo in several ways.  

- I straightened out the horizon line.  It must be straight (unless you want to cause your viewer to feel disoriented on purpose!)

- I made the wave break THROUGH the horizon line on the left for visual interest.

- I altered the wave formation so it's not so bland.  I took lots of photos that day and my painting is a combination of several of those.

- I obviously changed the colors.  I chose about 5 colors ahead of time and limited myself to those. I layered (or glazed) washes of color over previously dried layers.  You can see it in the detail below.  Some areas I painted wet into wet, and some were dry brushed (I'll touch on this in a future tippette).

Detail to show layering of washes to create movement and interest.

When I started painting 30 years ago, there was no such thing as a digital camera and even though Photoshop showed up on the scene 23 years ago (can you believe that?!), it didn't go mainstream for many years.  So, as a young painter, I had to deal with a lot of crummy photos that I took. I had to learn to improve what I saw on my photo, and I'm still in the habit of doing that today. 
Cameras may have improved since then, but photographs still "lie", so don't copy them without determining how you can improve them!  The shadows are usually too dark and the highlights leave a lot to be desired.  But, in addition to generally improving on my photos, I now try to interject an emotion or feeling into the scene that the camera just can't translate.  I'm the one that was there, absorbing the sunshine, or breathing the cold air.  I'm the one (as the artist) that can make you feel that sensation when you look at my work.  

www.helenKbeacham.com

                                                  READ MY LATEST POST HERE.