"A man paints with his brain and not with his hands."Michelangelo

THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

The Elements of Design are the things that artists and designers work with to create a design, or composition. The Elements are: line, shape, space, value, color, and texture.

Line … The Graphic Unifier. Curved, Straight, Directional Thrust: Horizontal, Vertical, and DiagonalA curved line is dynamic, ever changing, and more natural, than the straight line, which is more static in character. Direction, while often listed as a separate element, is technically a part of the element "line". The diagonal line is more dynamic and is quicker to draw the eye. It can be used to create movement and depth. Horizontal lines are more static and tranquil therefore calmer, more passive. Vertical lines evoke strength, power, but less dynamic than diagonals.

Shape … Natural, Geometric. Positive and Negative. (The Golden Mean)Geometric shapes are more passive, decorative, and static than organic shapes. Repeated shapes can be used to create movement. Repeating geometric shapes increases the decorative effect. Look beyond the obvious shapes of heads, bodies, buildings, etc., and view your subject as abstract shapes. Change many of the obvious shapes and create new more interesting shapes. Try to find interlocking shapes. Keep the background shapes in the background, but look for places to connect the foreground and background.

Space / Size … Large, Medium, Small. Proportion or Scale. (The Golden Mean)The comparative relation between things. Employ large, medium, small concept. Size can be used to make things appear nearer and of greater importance. Size relationships can be used to create depth (Perspective).

Value … Light, Dark. (Value Patterns)Value can be used to create mood, i.e. dark and mysterious, light and airy, gray and dull. High contrast in value moves things forward; low contrast makes them recede. (Arial Perspective)

Color … Hue, Chorma, and Value. Hue is the specific name of a color, red, yellow, blue (primary colors). (The Color Wheel)Chroma, also called saturation, often called intensity, refers to a colors strength or weakness, bright or grayed.Color Value refers to the lightness or darkness of the color, not to its intensity or to a specific hue.

Texture … Rough, Smooth, Soft, Hard.Texture shows at the edges and in the play of light and shadow on the surface.

A COMPOSITION is an arrangement of all the elements, which achieves a unified whole. But alas, it is merely a tool to create form and content. Content relates to human emotion and the intellect and is the end result of the reasons for painting. Design is a means to that end.See: Types of Compositions and A Simple Approach to Good Design.

ATTRIBUTES are defined as the qualities that the art or design conveys to the observer.Emotional … Active, PassiveEsthetic … Realistic, Impressionistic, Abstract, DecorativeSpatial … Depth, Flat

Use these composition tips to create stronger paintings.

Strong composition can be very intangible. If the composition in a painting is done well you don't notice it initially, you just know that the painting has something about it that's particularly appealing. And when a painting's composition is done badly (such as when the subject is slap bang in the center, or squeezed into a corner) the painting just feels awkward. Initially you'll have to deliberately work at implementing these painting composition tips in a painting, but with practice it'll become instinctive.

Painting Composition Tip 1: Where's the Focal Point?The focal point should draw the viewer's eye to it. Place the focal point (the thing that's the main subject of the painting) on one of the 'intersection spots' from the Rule of Thirds, then check the other elements in the painting, which should lead they eye towards this point.

Painting Composition Tip 2: Did You Use a Viewfinder?Isolate the key elements in a scene and check their placement by using a viewfinder. See Composition Class: Using a Viewfinder and Composition Class: How to Make a Viewfinder.

Painting Composition Tip 3: Are the Values Varied? Do a thumbnail sketch of your painting's composition in just three values: white (light), black (dark), and grey (mid-tone). Now check how much of each value its got. For a strong composition, you want them to be in quite different amounts, not similar. Try this rule to start: "two thirds, one third, and a little bit." For example, two thirds dark in tone, one third light in tone, and a small area or object that's mid-tone.

Painting Composition Tip 4: How Many Elements are There?Have an odd number of elements in the painting rather than even. For the reasons why, see Composition Class: Choosing the Number of Elements.

Painting Composition Tip 5: How Are the Elements Spaced?It's rare to find neat and orderly arrangements of elements in nature. Just think of the difference between a natural forest, where the trees grow any which way, and a plantation, where the trees are planted in evenly spaced rows. Varying the space between the elements in your composition, the angles they lie at, and their sizes makes a painting more interesting.

Painting Composition Tip 6: Are Any Elements Kissing?Kissing, in this context, means just touching. Elements must either be definitely apart or definitely overlapped. No kissing please, as this creates a weak, connected shape which will distact the viewer's eye, causing a momentary pause as they puzzle it out.

Painting Composition Tip 7: Do Warm or Cool Colors Dominate?It doesn't matter whether the overall feeling of the color in a painting is warm or cool, it just shouldn't try to be both.

Painting Composition Tip 8: Is There Unity?Do the elements in the painting's composition feel they belong together, or are they separate bits that just happen to be in the same painting? Help create unity by glazing over the whole painting with a single colour; you can always touch up the highlights again if necessary.

Painting Composition Tip 9: Is the Underlying Composition Obvious?The painting isn't finished yet if the first thoughts of someone seeing your painting is going to be analytical: "There's the focal point, with a spot of yellow to highlight it, that line there leads my eye in, that object was placed there for balance, etc".

Painting Composition Tip 10: Is There Varity?Don't get stuck in a rut and use the same composition all the time, no matter how successful it is. Vary where you put the horizon line, where you put the focal point, swap between portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal) shaped canvases.

Painting Composition Class: Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds is a basic composition rule popular among photographers, but equally applicable to the composition of paintings. Applying the rule of thirds to a painting means you'll never have a painting that's split in half, either vertically or horizontally, nor one with the main focus right in the centre like a bull's-eye.

What is the Rule of Thirds?Quite simply, divide a canvas in thirds both horizontally and vertically, and place the focus of the painting either one third across or one third up or down the picture, or where the lines intersect (the red circles on the diagram).

What Difference Does the Rule of Thirds Make?Take a look at these two photos of a lion. On the one on the left, your eye is drawn straight into the centre of the image and you tend to ignore the rest of the picture. On the one on the right, where the lion's face is on one of the Rule of Thirds 'hotspots', your eye is drawn the the lion's face, then around the painting following the curve of the body.

How Do I Use the Rule of Thirds in a Painting?Until you're confident mentally visualising the lines, draw them in lightly on your canvas or piece of paper with a pencil so you can easily check that the placement of the elements in your painting adheres to the Rule of Thirds. If you do thumbnail sketches first, draw the thirds grid on top to check the composition.

Rule of Thirds in PhotographyWhen you're taking reference photos, remember the Rule of Thirds also applies to photography. See these examples of the Rule of Thirds in Photography from About.com's Photography Guide.

Rule of Thirds in DesignThe Rule of Thirds also works well for creating balance in a design. See these examples of the Rule of Thirds in Design from About.com's Desk Top Publishing Guide.

Painting Composition Class: Placing of Elements

If you're working on a painting which just doesn't want to go right, one of the things you should consider is whether the elements (objects) in the painting are in the correct positions. One easy way to test this is to cut out the shapes from either paper or card and then try them out in various locations on the painting. It's certainly a lot easier and faster than painting something in and then scrubbing it out again if it's not.

You can also use cutouts to test the postion of all the elements in a painting. Think of it as an initial step like sketching out a composition. You could do something similar on a computer too, in a drawing program, where you can sketch out the elements and move them around endlessly until you've got a composition that pleases you.

In the example shown here, the sky of the painting was too empty and your attention stayed anchored at the bottom of the painting with the trees and ground. There simply wasn't enough interest in the blue to get your eye to move up into it. I found a reference photo I had taken of a vulture flying, then printed and cut it out.

Then I tried it out in various positions to see where it would work best. I stuck it temporarily to the painting with some poster putty so I could step back and view the new composition from a distance. Putting the vulture on the right did bring your eye up into the top of the painting, but the right-hand side dominated too much also have two trees on that side.

Putting the vulture towards the left created a better balance, but in it needed to be higher up, rather than lower. Once I'd decided where I wanted to put the vulture, I marked it lightly in pencil, removed the cutout and painted it in.

Painting Composition Class: Choosing the Number of ElementsWhy having an odd number of elements in a painting makes for a more dynamic composition than an even number.

One of the first things to decide in a composition is how many elements or items there will be in it. And one of the simplest ways to make a composition more dynamic is to have an odd number in the composition, say three, five, or seven, rather than an even number, say two, four, or six.

This way your eye and brain can't pair them up or group them easily. There's some how always one left over which keeps your eyes moving across the composition.

With an even number of elements, such as in this basic composition, your eye instictively pairs up the trees, whether it's two left and two right or two top and two bottom.

Whereas the next two compositions, each with an odd number of elements, are more dynamic in terms of composition, because your brain can't pair up the elements. Why do we pair things up naturally? Perhaps it's because our body is designed in pairs: two eyes, two ears, two arms, two hands, and so on. (Okay, we've only one nose, but it's got two nostrils!)

Does It Make a Difference What I'm Painting?No, whether it's bottles, apples, trees, or people, the same composition rule applies. Of course, the number of elements is not the only thing to consider in a composition, but it's essential and quite a good starting point for developing a painting.

THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN AND PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

The Elements of Design are the things that artists and designers work with to create a design, or composition. The Elements are: line, shape, space, value, color and texture.

Line … The Graphic Unifier, Curved, Straight. Directional Thrust: Horizontal, Vertical, and Diagonal.

Shape … Naturalistic, Geometric. (The Golden Mean)

Space / Size … Large, Medium, Small. Proportion or Scale. (The Golden Mean)(Perspective)

Value … Light, Dark. (Value Patterns)(Arial Perspective)

Color … Hue, Chroma, and Value. (The Color Wheel)

Texture … Rough, Smooth, Soft, Hard.

The Principles of Design are achieved through the use of the Elements of Design. Each principle applies to each element and to the composition as a whole. The Principles are: unity, harmony, balance, rhythm, contrast, dominance, and gradation.

Unity … Echoes of all elements relating.

Harmony … Within each element and as a whole.

Balance … With the "weights" of the segments of each element.

Rhythm … Variety and Repetition.

Contrast … Alternation.

Dominance … Within each element. (Center of Interest, Focal Point)

Gradation … Modeling, (3-D effect), Transitions.

A COMPOSITION is an arrangement of all the elements, which achieves a unified whole. But alas, it is merely a tool to create form and content. Content relates to human emotion and the intellect and is the end result of the reasons for painting. Design is a means to that end.See: Types of Compositions and A Simple Approach to Good Design.

ATTRIBUTES are defined as the qualities that the art or design conveys to the observer.Emotional … Active, PassiveEsthetic … Realistic, Impressionistic, Abstract, DecorativeSpatial … Depth, Flat 

THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

The Principles of Design are achieved through the use of the Elements of Design. Each principle applies to each element and to the composition as a whole. The principles are unity, harmony, balance, rhythm, contrast, dominance, and gradation.

Unity … Echoes of all elements relating. All things are connected and belong to the whole. The distinguishable units and elements seem to belong to each other so that each contributes to the functioning of the whole. The work is complete when no element can be changed without detracting from the whole.

Harmony … Within each element and as a whole.Harmony can affect the emotional response to the composition.

Balance … With the "weights" of the segments of each element.An equilibrium of similar, opposing, or contrasting elements that together create a unified whole. Forms of balance: Asymmetrical Balance and Symmetrical Balance.

Rhythm … Variety and Repetition.Variety within the design of all the elements and principles, along with, the regular repetition of particular elements or stresses, also, the suggestion of motion by recurrent form.

Contrast … Alternation.Provide contrast within each element i.e. light, dark; soft, hard; warm, cool, etc.

Dominance … Within each element. (Center of Interest and Focal Point)Dominance provides emphasis. The center of interest is the area within the work to which the eye is drawn. The Focal Point is the point within the center of interest that catches the eye. It is this area and point that the artist emphasizes through the use of the elements.

Gradation … Modeling, (the 3-D effect), Transitions.Used in modeling or producing a three dimensional effect and in transitional effects. Gradation of detail from foreground to background. (Ariel Perspective)

A COMPOSITION is an arrangement of all the elements, which achieves a unified whole. But alas, it is merely a tool to create form and content. Content relates to human emotion and the intellect and is the end result of the reasons for painting. Design is a means to that end.See: Types of Compositions and A Simple Approach to Good Design.

ATTRIBUTES are defined as the qualities that the art or design conveys to the observer.Emotional … Active, PassiveEsthetic … Realistic, Impressionistic, Abstract, DecorativeSpatial … Depth, Flat

VALUE PATTERNS

Good compositions are generally an arrangement of three or four large masses (shapes). Remember to incorporate the principle of dominance. In order for a picture to have a design it must have value differences or simply light and dark masses that produce a "value pattern". Using only three values, the following basic value patterns are among the possibilities.

A dark shape against midtones.

A light shape against midtones.

A large dark and a small light against midtones.

A large light and a small dark against midtones.

A graded value pattern.

A checkerboard pattern.

Splitting the mid tone value into light and dark-mid tone increases the possibilities, but try to limit the basic masses to four values. That is not to say that there won't be other values, such as dark "accents" or light "highlights", but other than those try to place the existing halftones into one or another of the larger value shapes.Viewing your subject through colored sheets of acetate can help show value relationships and patterns. Try red, yellow and blue.Sometimes it is easier to spot problems when the work is seen in reverse. A mirror can be used to see in reverse and can help you judge your value pattern, proportions and composition. It can be placed to view

both your composition and model in the mirror at the same time. A black mirror can help in judging value relationships and value patterns.

VALUE SCALE

High Key Paintings with predominately lighter values are said to be "high key".Low Key Paintings with predominately darker values are said to be "low key".

COLOR VALUE

Colors (hues) are situated at different positions on the value scale.

 

THE COLOR WHEEL

The color wheel is an adaptation of the solar spectrum, red-orange-yellow-green-blue-violet. By wrapping the spectrum into a circle, red meets violet to form a red-violet not found in the spectrum itself. By using the color wheel, it becomes easier to understand the relationships between colors including locating a color's compliment.

Hue, Chorma, and Value … The three dimensions of color."Hue" is the specific name of a color, red, yellow, blue (primary colors). "Chroma", also called saturation, often called intensity, refers to a colors strength or weakness, bright or grayed. Color " value " refers to the lightness or darkness of the color, not to its intensity or to a specific hue.  

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary ColorsThe primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. Red, yellow, and blue are called "primary" colors because they can not be mixed from other colors. All other colors can be mixed using the three primary colors. The "secondary" colors, orange, green, and violet, are mixes of the primary colors. Colors such as red-orange, red violet, yellow-green, yellow orange, blue-violet, and blue green, are mixed from primary and secondary colors and are called tertiary colors.

Complimentary ColorsColors directly opposite each other on the color wheel are complimentary colors, each the compliment of the other. As a color's compliment is mixed with it, it will begin to gray the color, producing a "semi-neutral". As more of the compliment is added, the mix will reach a point where they gray each other out, and neither color can be seen. This is termed "neutral". Colors placed on the outside of the circle are pure, bright colors. Semi-neutrals, colors that are somewhat neutralized or duller are placed inside the circle, and the center indicates neutral. Placing complimentary colors next to each other enhances both, making them seem more vibrant or intense.

Local Color, Tint, Shade and ToneLocal color refers to the actual, true color of an object. Adding white to a color produces a "tint", a lighter version of the hue. In the case of watercolors, a tint is made by adding water to thin the paint thus allowing more of the white paper to show through. Using black or a color's compliment to darken the color produces a "shade" of that color. "Tone" refers to the value of a color, (Color Value)

Color TemperatureColors have a relationship to "temperature" and are said to be "warm" or "cool". This is the result of the wavelength of light that is reflected by the color. The color we see is the result of the wavelength of light reflected by the color. Infrared is on the warm side and ultraviolet on the cool side. The visible spectrum lies between the two.If we divide the color wheel vertically through the center, splitting yellow and violet, the red, orange side is

warm and the blue green side is cool. Red-orange the warmest of the warm, and blue-green the coolest of the cool.

Color RecessionColors come forward or recede depending on their warmth, intensity and value. Warm, intense, and dark value come forward, cool, grayed and light value recede. However, recession is also affected by color keying, or what color the color is placed next to. According to Eliot O'Hara, "The law for keying a color or value is always the same, an area will vary in a direction opposite to its immediate surroundings." (The Watercolorist's Complete Guide to Color by Tom Hill.)

 

COLOR SCHEMES

MonochromaticA monochromatic color scheme is a one-color color scheme. However, the color can be neutralized by adding its complement to lower the intensity of the color. Black and white can also be used to darken and lighten the value of the color.

ComplementaryIn this color scheme any two complements, all the semi-neutrals and the neutral they produce can be used. Black and white can also be used.

AnalogousAny three adjacent primary, secondary, or tertiary colors are analogous colors and can be used in an analogous color scheme. Each can be neutralized by use of its complement, and black and white can be used. Analogous colors "harmonize" well and produce a definite mood to a composition.

Split ComplementaryAny three adjacent primary, secondary, and tertiary colors can be used, plus the complement of the middle hue. This complement is used subordinately and to produce semi-neutrals of the three colors while maintaining color harmony. Black and white can also be used.

TriadAny three colors equidistant around the color wheel form a triad and can be used in this color scheme. Semi-neutrals are mixed using two of the colors in the triad and the third can be added to further neutralize the pair. Black and white can also be used.

Color harmony is assured if you choose a color scheme and stay with it.

 

THE GOLDEN MEAN

The Golden Mean, 1.61803398874989…, represented by the Greek letter phi, is a naturally occurring number, like pi, that repeatedly occurs in various relationships. Like pi, it is an irrational number. Unlike pi, it clearly and regularly appears in the growth patterns of many living things, like the spiral formed by a seashell or the curve of a fern. It is in fact the only growth pattern that, if continued, is not doomed to failure. It was derived by the ancient Greeks and was used by them and the ancient Egyptians in the design of their buildings and monuments. They had discovered they could create a feeling of natural order, as well as structural integrity, in their works. Artists since have used it for the same reason, to create a feeling of natural order in their works. It is thought by many people to describe the most aesthetically pleasing rectangle.

Leonard of Pisa (1170-1250), better known as Fibonacci, introduced the Fibonacci Series, a sequence of numbers; 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, … in which any number is the sum of the two preceding members.

 0 + 1 = 11 + 1 = 21 + 2 = 32 + 3 = 53 + 5 = 85 + 8 = 13 etc.  

The Fibonacci Series and the Golden Mean are intimately connected. The Fibonacci Series numbers increase at a rate equal to (actually, oscillating round) the Golden mean. (The larger the numbers, the closer to the Golden Mean.)

A rectangle whose sides are related by phi (such as 13 x 8) is said to be a Golden Rectangle. It has the interesting property that, if you create a new rectangle by swinging the long side around one of its ends outward from the rectangle, to create a new long side, (in combination with the short side), then that new rectangle is also a golden rectangle. In the case of our 13 x 8 rectangle, the new rectangle will be 21 x 13. We see that this is the same thing that's going on in the Fibonacci Series.

Starting with a Golden Rectangle whose short side equals one, and swinging the long side around forms a line (in combination with the short side) made up of two sections having lengths of phi and one, respectively. This division of a straight line into a phi proportion is what is actually meant by the term Golden Section.

Proportion is the relationship of the size of two things. Arithmetic proportion exists when a quantity is changed by adding some amount. Geometric proportion exists when a quantity is changed by multiplying by some amount. Phi possesses both qualities, and as such, is considered perfect proportion, also referred to as the Divine Proportion.

From the Fibonacci Series and the Golden Rectangle we realize that: phi + 1 = phi x phi. If we start with a Golden rectangle having a short side one unit long, then the long side equals the short side multiplied by phi, or phi. If we swing the long side to make a new Golden rectangle, The short side of the new rectangle is phi, and the long side is that side times phi, or phi x phi. This is a Geometric proportion. We also know from simple arithmetic that the new long side equals the sum of the two sides of the original rectangle, or phi + 1. This is an Arithmetic proportion. Since these two expressions describe the same thing: phi + 1 = phi x phi. From this relationship, we can calculate the value of phi. Thus we see that the Golden Mean proportion is both arithmetic and geometric. Graphically it is the place(s) where the curved line of multiplication crosses the straight line of addition. 

 A SIMPLE APPROACH TO GOOD DESIGN

1. The Ideal Size. The most natural and pleasing size ground upon which to draw or paint is a Golden Rectangle, or a rectangle whose dimensions are 1 unit by 1.62 units.

2. Divide the rectangle into thirds. This will aid us in locating the “sweet spots” in which to place the center of interest. Do not divide the picture into equal spaces. This is boring, and can lead to producing four pictures in one painting.

3. Lead the viewer’s eye around the composition by providing a path to follow, such as the one shown. The path you provide can vary from the one shown. It could be more oval, or another shape such as a pentagon. The path should connect with the top, bottom, and sides of the picture, and should provide an entrance to and an exit from the picture. The entrance is most often at the bottom of the painting. The exit you provide is an area that is progressively less important. A door, window or patch of sky can provide a place to “rest” the viewers' eye, a subtle exit. The path should, of course, lead to the center of interest. If the path begins to point out of the picture, adjust it accordingly, using a bending twig, a shimmer in the glass, a cloud, or whatever trick you might come up with to lead the viewers' eye back to the path.

4. Putting the concepts together. These concepts will help us remember

 

 1.

 2.

 3.

how to quickly adjust our picture for a good design, and help locate the center of interest in a pleasing location. Lightly draw these grids on your paper to help place your center of interest, and develop your pathways around the composition. Remember, one of the “sweet spots” must dominate, (Center of Interest).

5. Draw a grid, (like rectangle #2) on a 4” by 6.5” sheet of clear plastic or an overhead transparency sheet with a suitable marking pen. Use it to help locate the center of interest and pathways on your thumbnail sketches. Or, hold it up and view a scene through it. It should help you analyze the compositional elements of the scene.

 4.

Simplify! Simplify! Simplify! Cut out the junk that can complicate your composition. Eliminate anything that doesn’t express your feelings simply and clearly. Subordinate, combine, delete.

 

PERSPECTIVE MACHINE, USING A FINDER, AND USING A GRID

Albrech Dürer (1471-1528) Draughsman Making a Perspective Drawing of a Woman, 1525. Etching. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

PERSPECTIVE MACHINEString a grid in a frame, (preferred is a grid dividing the frame into thirds or a multiple of three, and a frame in golden proportion or the same proportion as your paper), fix it in place between you and your subject, as shown in Durer's etching. Use it along with a similar grid on your paper to aid in producing an accurate layout of your subject matter. Note that the relationship between your eye, the frame and the subject must remain constant. Useful when dealing with foreshortening or when accuracy of proportion is important to the layout.A variation of this that works somewhat differently, in that you draw directly on the picture plane, is to place a piece of clear Plexiglas fixed in place between you and your subject, you can now draw your subject on the Plexiglas. Use a suitable maker, one that will clean off, and rough in your sketch. Now transfer the drawing to your paper using tracing and transfer papers, or transfer and enlarge using a grid. Gauze stretched in a frame can be used in place of Plexiglas, and if the size is right, can make it easier to transfer the rough sketch to paper or canvas.

USING A FINDER  When viewing a subject, especially a landscape, it can be difficult to select what to include and what to exclude from the composition. If you find this to be the case you might try using a "finder" to assist in selecting that portion of the universe to include in your composition, and in its placement on your paper.  You can make a finder from a piece of cardboard. Cut a rectangular opening approximately 3.5"x 5". (This is approximately the same proportion as a sheet of watercolor paper, if you are using some other size paper adjust the proportions of the rectangular opening to match your paper.) Hold this frame in front of you and closing one eye and moving the finder, study the arrangement of shapes you see in the finder. Move the finder around until a suitable arrangement is found. Once you have developed the "habit of selection" you will find it is no longer necessary to use the finder.  A photographic slide frame can be used as a finder, however, because of its size, you will need to hold it rather close to your eye.

  John Pike's "Wonderful Perspective Machine" is such a finder with some extra features. It is a blue plastic frame (blue to aid in judging the values by neutralizing the color) with gird lines marked on it and moveable thin steel strips that can be lined up with building or other angles and are then held in place by the magnetic frame border. This allows you to set the strips and then judge the angle in relation to the grid on the finder and the same grid lightly marked on your paper.

USING A GRID to Enlarge and Transfer a DrawingDraw a grid on a sheet of clear acetate and fasten it over the top of your small sketch. Lightly draw a similar but larger grid on your larger paper. Note where lines of your subject cross the grid lines and draw those points in their respective places on your larger paper.

__________________________*************____________________________

OIL PAINTING EXERCISES ~ Values within Colors 

Seeing Values Within Colors is Important In this exercise the colors are seen only as lights and darks (or values). This painting will teach you to paint more complex forms than the previous exercise and it will teach you to see a color's value. Print out the source photo or create a colorful still life of your own to paint from. Value is the relative lightness or darkness of a color.  A color's values create our perception of three-dimension. (See Creating Form) Because we create form by first dividing a color into it's light, middle and dark values it is important to recognize each color's values. 

For identifying particularly difficult color values a VALUE SCALE is useful. The value scale is placed over the questioned color.

You then determine which value it isn't. Clearly the value of the blue is not # 9 or # 1. It's not #'s 8,7 or 6 because the blue is darker than these. The true value of a color will be between too light and too dark on the value scale. The blue is lighter than #2 and darker than # 4. Its value is #3. 

Which is too light and too dark here? (It's a #7 value) 

With these things in mind we will paint this subject. Using only black and white mix several values of gray on your palette. 

The drawing is made with thinned white paint on a toned canvas (See Canvas). White is used because it will create the least contamination of subsequent colors. The drawing should remain simple because a complex drawing would soon be painted over and lost. 

The pure white patches are the highlights. They are put in first here to keep them as clean as possible. The highlight on a shiny object is a distorted picture of its light source. The light value for this pepper is placed around the highlight and wherever else the light value appears. 

Next the darks are placed. 

If it's not the light and not the dark it's the middle value. 

The middle and light values are blended with a Flat brush. 

The pepper is blended using parallel and curved strokes with Flat bristle and Flat sable brushes. 

The first pepper was the lightest in value. This second pepper is the darkest in value. In the three values we use for this darker pepper the light value is the same as the middle value of the first one. Once again the light value is placed around the highlight. 

The darks are put in. They are darker than the darkest darks of the first pepper. 

The middle values are put in wherever the lights and darks are not. A Flat bristle brush one inch wide was used. 

The blends are mostly made with curved brushstrokes using a Sable Flat. 

The right hand pepper is a value between the first two. Each of these peppers has its own set of three values.  

The cabbage is begun. Its value shapes establish the form first. 

The cabbage is loosely blended to strengthen the illusion of three-dimension. 

The texture of the cabbage leaves is then established working wet paint into wet paint. This is one of the advantages of a slow drying paint. 

The other cabbage is a different set of three values but it has the same form. 

The texture is applied to the second cabbage using wet paint into wet paint. 

Cast shadows are the absence of light so their values are dependent on the surface value and the strength of the light. Bright light makes dark shadows. 

The background cleans up the edges. Thus you have seen the importance of the values within the colors and how they alone create the illusion of form. Plus you have used the paint in new ways.  

BASIC INFORMATION ~ Creating Form 

All Forms are Created From Five Basic FormsThere are only five basic forms from which all other forms are created. They are the sphere, the cone, the cylinder, the cube, and the doughnut shaped torus. Parts of these forms combine to create everything we see. Imagine a half cylinder on top of a cube and you have the shape of a mailbox, a half sphere and a cone make a teardrop form, a fir tree is a cone an oak is a half sphere. The cylindrical coffee mug has a half torus handle.

 Values Create Form

Each of these forms has distinctive light and dark value shapes that define them. Spheres are recognized by crescents and ovals. Cones have triangular light and dark value shapes. Cubes and flat surfaces are even blends. Cylinders are stripes. The torus is crescents and stripes. Concave versions of these forms have the same value

shapes but without reflected light. (See Shadows/Reflected light.) When you can paint these five forms you can paint all other forms. 

click on an image to enlargeA SPHERE is defined by CRESCENTS AND OVALS. Sphere forms are painted with crescent and curved brush strokes. (See Brushes) 

click on an image to enlargeCONES are defined by TRIANGULAR values of light and dark. Cones are painted and blended using triangular brush strokes. 

click on an image to enlargeCYLINDERS are defined by light and dark value STRIPES. Cylinders are painted with parallel brush strokes. 

click on an image to enlargeCUBES and all FLAT surfaces are governed by the same rules. GRADUAL EVEN BLENDS depict a receding flat surface. If there is a flat surface parallel to your canvas, it may be painted with a single color or value. CUBES are various receding flat surfaces. Each surface is a gradual blend. Cubes are painted with parallel brush strokes. 

click on an image to enlargeTORUS value shapes combine aspects of two other basic forms. They take the parallel STRIPES of a cylinder for the middle and the CRESCENTS of a sphere for the ends. The torus is painted using crescent and curved brush strokes. 

click on an image to enlargeHere you can see that value shapes are stronger than contour lines for the creation of form.  

Lighting can be misleading in seeing forms, particularly flat surfaces. Try to see the form first. Then see the lighting on it.

BASIC INFORMATION ~ Matching Colors 

How Do You Match That Color? 

A rainbow gives us pure examples of the basic colors of the visible world. The rainbow's colors are, in order, red-violet, red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, yellow, yellow-green, green, blue-green, blue-violet and violet. When this order of

colors is formed into a circle we have the COLOR WHEEL. The color wheel is an essential tool for matching colors. 

The Color Wheel 

The wheel is arranged with yellow, the lightest value color at the top and violet, the darkest value color at the bottom. From the top down on the right are yellow-orange, orange, red-orange, red, and red-violet. These are called the warm colors. From the top down on the left are yellow-green, green, blue-green, blue and blue-violet. These are called the cool colors.  

Complementary Colors

Any TWO colors directly across the color wheel from each other are called COMPLEMENTARY COLORS. Red and green are opposite each other on the color wheel and therefore are complementary to each other. Yellow and violet are each other's complements. Yellow-green and red-violet are complements. Complimentary colors when placed next to each other on the canvas intensify each other. Complementary colors when mixed together on the palette neutralize each other. In this chart the pure intense colors are on the outside opposite their complements. As we move to the middle, the complements are mixed together until they become gray, the least intense of all. 

Color Values

All colors come in all values. The pure spectrum colors are in the position of their relative values on this seven-value scale. 

With These Things in Mind, This is How to Match Any ColorWe have only to answer these three questions to match any color we see. 1. WHAT COLOR IS IT FROM THE COLOR WHEEL? (Its spectrum color)2. HOW INTENSE IS IT? (How much of its complement does it contain? More complement means less intense.)3. WHAT VALUE IS IT? How light or dark is it? 

This is How it Works

The colors in order on the palette 

Matching the Brown LeafThe spectrum color is a red-red-violet. White is added to match the value. Yellow-green, the complement of red-violet is added to reduce its intensity.  

Matching the Green LeafGreen is the spectrum color. Cadmium green is the base color. It is a little to the yellow side so its intensity is reduced using a red-violet (Quinacridone Rose). Yellow-green and red-violet are complementary to each other. White is added to match the value. 

Matching the Silver TapeBlue is the spectrum color. White is added to match the value. Orange, the complement of blue is added and the color becomes gray. 

Matching the Colors of a Three Dimensional Object In this case a bar of soap. 

The middle value is first. The spectrum color is yellow-orange. A small amount of its complement, blue-violet, is added to match the intensity plus a trace of white. 

White is added to the middle value to create a light value. Blue-violet is added to the middle value yellow-orange to create the object's shadow color. 

The soap's colors are matched. A color's complement will usually make the color's shadow value. For darker value shadows use the middle value color with less white. In some cases a color's compliment won't darken the color enough. This is when you add black to get the value. 

OIL PAINTING EXERCISES 

Master These Oil Painting Exercises and You're On Your WayOver the years of teaching people how to use oil paints, I have found that this set of exercises has the best results with the least amount of work in the shortest amount of time. Paint as loosely or tightly as you like, the principles of these exercises are the same in all styles.  At the end you will have had enough painting experience to start to paint your own masterpieces!

 Basic Forms

You will learn how to paint the five basic forms, the cone, cylinder, sphere, cube and torus. These forms are the foundation of all the objects you see. To be able to paint these then is to be able to paint anything. 

Values Within Colors

In this exercise the colors are seen only as lights and darks or values. This painting will teach you to paint more complex forms than the previous exercise and it will teach you to see a color's value. 

Color and Form

In this exercise you will practice mixing colors and painting these bright simple forms. 

Distance and Texture

In this exercise you will practice creating the illusion of distance with color. You will also learn to see the form within textured objects. 

OIL PAINTING EXERCISES ~ Distance and Texture 

Distance and Texture is Your Last Exercise In this exercise we explore form as it appears in heavily textured subjects and the way colors change as they are seen at different distances.  

Distance Changes ColorsAs the same colors are seen at different distances they change. When matching colors on your palette you will see that all colors acquire their complements when they are seen farther away.

Even in this short distance the middle reds of the tomatoes are different. The farthest one has the most of its complement (green) in it making it look farther away. Also the green tablecloth as it recedes has its complement (red) mixed with it.  

Here the intensity of the colors of the leaves creates the impression of near and far. The most intense colors are always in the foreground. 

Look For Texture Between Light and Shadow

Textures are most clearly defined at the transition of the light to the shadow. On smooth objects the edge of the highlight defines the degree of smoothness. On rough objects the change from light to dark defines the texture.

 

Spheres and cones from smooth to rough, the value shapes within the forms create the illusion of three dimensions. 

With these things in mind we paint this subject. 

The basic shapes and angles are drawn with thinned white paint on a toned canvas. 

Landscape paintings begin with the things farthest away in this case the values of the sky. 

The three values of the clouds are blended with a Flat and Filbert sable brushes, to create the softest textures. 

The ocean values are put in. As colors recede they become less intense so the blue ocean at the horizon has more orange in it than the blue ocean in the front. 

All receding colors become less intense. Their complements are added as their distance is increased. 

The grass in the distance is the same color as the grass in the on the hill but because it's farther away it is less intense. The yellow-orange of the grass has its complement, blue-violet, added as it is seen farther away. 

Texture begins. The edge of a Flat brush is used to begin the grass. 

The darks of the trees are placed first here to further define the drawing. The edge of a Flat bristle brush is used. 

Next the lights are placed. 

The middle values complete the form. 

The lights and darks for the foreground grass are put in. 

And the middle value completes the form. Notice the change in intensity of the grass colors in the distance, on the middle hill and in the foreground. This is the first layer of paint. Oil paint is well suited to working in layers if you want to improve an area or add something else, wait three days for it to dry before adding new paint.  With your review of the basic information and the completion of these four exercises you should have enough different types of painting experiences to be equipped to paint anything you want. So what are you going to do? You can send me a photo if you like. 

QUESTIONS & ANSWERSIf there's something puzzling you, just ask. I'll try to answer your question in the coming weeks. If I don't know the answer, I'll post it. We'll learn from each other. 

Submit Your Questions Here  THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: From Tina in Toledo Ohio:Q. My big brother gave me a set of student grade oil painting supplies. I'm having difficulty duplicating your results. Could the materials be the reason? Could you also rate the quality of oil paints?A. Yes, your materials could be the reason. I'm sure your brother had the best of intentions but even I have a harder time painting with inferior paints and brushes. I think student grade materials are a disservice to students. They seem to save money but if it takes two coats of student paint to cover what one coat of better paint will cover, where's the saving? If a cheap brush only lasts half as long as a good one have you actually saved anything?  Perhaps this will help. I have just added the list of what I'll replace my used-up and worn-out materials with to the site. It's called Bill's Store. Per your request, the following is an unscientific and biased assessment of oil paint brands I have used (in the order of their quality):

Old Holland ~ the best, but not twice as good for twice the price Blockx ~ excellent but still expensive Winsor & Newton ~ the best combination of quality and price, I use these Gamblin ~ fairly good quality Shiva ~ usable but thin Grumbacher ~ OK for most colors but the reds are weak Sennelier ~ too much oil not enough pigment Permanent Pigments ~ good acrylics but bad oils Rembrandt ~ barely adequate Van Gogh ~ inferior Winton ~ I wouldn’t like to see them used by a friend Yarka ~ I wouldn’t like to see them used by a stranger

 PAST WEEKS' QUESTIONS: From John in New York:Q. Many books on oil painting techniques recommend a coat of Lead White as the foundation layer for an oil painting. I notice you don’t. Why?A. Health comes first. Lead paint is poisonous. Second, before you put the Lead White on, the canvas must be sealed and gessoed. Lead White (also known as Flake White) is then applied and six months later it’s ready to be painted on. The thinking behind the use of Lead White as a foundation for oil painting is that oil paint itself is the best surface to paint on. I prefer not to wait six months, so the first paints I put on are for the drawing and the underpainting. These provide an equally agreeable painting surface but let me see the painting sooner. And they’re not poisonous. From Lillian in Little River, CA:Q. Can I use my watercolor sables for oil paints or will it ruin them?A. You can and it won’t ruin them. If the brushes are thoroughly cleaned with soap and water after each use you could even switch back and forth. The sable hairs for watercolor brushes and oil brushes are the same. The difference is in the way the brushes are made and the jobs they’re meant to do.

 Sable hair is narrow at both ends and wider in the middle. Sable oil painting brushes crimp the hairs above the middle. This makes a stiff brush that will maintain its shape with oil paint on it. Watercolor sable brushes are crimped below the middle of the hairs. This makes a brush that can hold lots of water but will not hold it’s shape with oil paint on it. Only in the small sizes of watercolor brushes is there enough spring to use them for oil paint. From Tim in Florida:Q. My friend says you're supposed to stand while painting in oils. I get too tired to stand for a long time. Do I have to stop my painting when I'm sitting down?A. You don't. Oil paintings are best painted vertically so standing facing the painting is a natural attitude. However there is no reason you can't paint while sitting down. The great advantage to standing is the ease of stepping back to assess the painting's progress. If you paint sitting down be sure to get back occasionally to see your painting from a distance.  From Bill in Albuquerque:Q. When I'm looking at a gray I can't tell what color it is on the color wheel. How do you know for sure what its color it is? A. I can't always tell a neutral color's place on the color wheel either. What I do is I see is what it is not. Eliminate all the colors it definitely is not. What's left will be the right color. Test it to be sure though. From Louise in New York City:Q. Why can't I paint on paper with oil paint?A. You can. The paper must first be made non-porous. Shellac, fixative or rabbit skin glue will seal the paper for oil paint. If the paper is not sealed the oil will soak out, discolor the paper and eventually ruin it. From Brian in London:Q. I notice you don't use the earth colors in your palette, Is there a reason for this?A. There is. The earth colors are Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber and Burnt Umber. These are colors made from Italian dirt. They have long been used to create neutral browns and yellows. The disadvantages of these colors are that they are recessive in a way that looks fine up close but weak at a distance. The earth colors have often been used to create various flesh tones. Up close these flesh colors look healthy but from across the room you want to call the doctor. Also Burnt Umber has a strong tendency to crack especially in the top layers. The earth color tones can easily be matched with the spectrum colors. The spectrum mixtures look good at all distances and don't crack. From Jessie in San Francisco:Q. I'm an absolute beginner, should I be buying student quality paints and brushes?A. When I was a student I used student quality paints. When I had learned how to paint, I used better quality materials. I was surprised at how much harder it had been using the cheap stuff. And I used up more paints and brushes than I did when I was using quality materials. In the long run I don't think I saved any money using "student" materials. Use good quality it's probably cheaper. From Marguerite in Alaska:Q. I use a paper palette. I notice you don't mention them in your Palette section. Why?A. Most paper palettes are too porous for oil paint. They soak out the oil and change the consistency of the paint making it stiffer and more difficult to blend. They also are

usually white which makes distinguishing your dark colors more difficult. The only advantage I see in a paper palette is the ease of clean up. From Audrey in New Mexico:Q. I'm making a painting with many multiple blends, Is there a way to extend the drying time of oil paint so I can work on blending the colors for a couple of days?A. Yes, there is a way. Oil paint normally should not be touched after 12 hours because it has become too dry to move around. However, there are situations where you just need more time. Mix two drops of CLOVE OIL (available from a pharmacy) into a one-inch circle of a mixed color and it will extend the working time to about a week. It will take four weeks to dry. Be sure it's totally dry before you paint over it. Try not to paint much on top of this layer because there is a high risk of the new paint cracking. From Marge in Topeka:Q. A sign painter told me I should use a mahl stick for my details. What does that mean?A. A Mahl stick is just a stick with a padded end. It is used to steady your hand while working on small spots or near areas of wet paint. The unpadded end is held in the left hand with the padded end resting on the edge of the painting or on a dry part of the painting. Your right hand rests on the middle of the stick above the area you're painting. A mahl stick shifts the control of your brush from your shoulder, arm or wrist to your finger tips. 

An artist using his mahl stick to paint the small stuff. From Howard in Oklahoma:Q. Can I gesso over an old painting and use the canvas again?A. Yes, but it's not the surface you would want for your most important works because there is some chance of cracking and separation of the layers. Scrape and sandpaper areas of old thick paint to level out the surface. Paint the gesso on brushing firmly in all directions to create good adhesion. Even out the gesso brush strokes. From Albert in Toronto:Q. I've only got Tuesdays and Thursdays to paint. I'd like to put on the second coat on Thursday. Is there a way to shorten the drying time of oil paint?A. There are ways. First, thin paint dries faster than thick paint. If your first coat is thin it may be possible to put on your second coat in two days.  Dry heat will speed the drying time. Lean the wet painting against a sunny window, put it in the back seat of your car on a sunny day or put it on top of your refrigerator. Don't use your fireplace, an open flame heater or your oven. 

COBALT SICCATIVE dries oil paint. A few drops in a color mixture will dry the paint in less than 8 hours depending on the thickness of the paint. (There is some risk of cracking and light colors can darken when this dryer is used.) From Jesus in Brazil:Q. Is there a way can I test a color without painting it on and having to remove it if it's wrong?A. Yes there is. Paint on the palette doesn't always look the same when it's on the canvas because of the adjoining colors so it's always good to test. You can put a small amount of a color on the canvas and then look at it with a magnifying glass to make it larger. That way if it's not the color, there is less to remove. If the painting is dry, transparent cellophane can be laid on the canvas and will stay in place with static cling. The color or technique can then be tested wiped off and tested again and again. When it's right take off the cellophane and paint it on with confidence. 

DRAWING GUIDE:-

STREAM

A few general notes:I recommend a soft pencil, range 2B-4B keep it sharp and using only light pressure you will be able to draw a clearly visible line.Draw the grid lines in very faintly to suit your own size of paper. The twelve rectangles must be square, four across by three down. If you use a quarter sheet of standard water colour paper i.e.. 15x11inches, the grid squares should be 3.5x3.5 inches, leaving a border of quarter inch top and bottom with half inch at the sides. Roughly but lightly copy the contents of each square - then view your drawing at this preliminary stage comparing shapes and lines relative to where the grid-lines intersect. If you feel the need to erase any part of your drawing - dabbing gently or rolling a fresh piece of blue-tack over the mistake will remove most of the graphite.At this stage study your drawing looking for lines and shapes that seem unstructured, disjointed, or appear to go nowhere.

Mentally paint the areas contained by your pencilwork i.e. the areas that form the sky, the hills, the fields and trees, etc. If you find that some parts of your drawing are difficult to understand compare that area with the above drawing making the necessary corrections. Now emphasise lines in the composition where necessary.By following these few basic procedures you should produce a reasonable drawing.When you feel the drawing is finished don't be tempted to erase the grid lines with an ordinary eraser as this will damage the surface, causing any colour-wash to soak deeper into the paper and show darker in the area erased. Carefully erase all visible grid-lines, using putty rubber or good quality eraser, after the painting is finished and only when it is totally dry.Be warned where the colour-wash is dark, erasing may cause it to go noticeably lighter - be gentle with the surface of the paper, all scrapes, knocks, scratches and greasy finger marks will show up on the finished work.

Print this page from your browser to use as a guide.

COLOURS#1-French Ultramarine#2-Alizarin Crimson#3-Light Red#4-Raw Sienna#5-Winsor Yellow#6-Winsor Blue#7-Burnt Umber COLOUR MIXES#1+ #2 = Mauve Lilac- ref: [ML]#5+ #6 = Pale Green - ref: [PG]#1+ #7 = Warm Grey - ref: [WG] #1+ #5 = Dull Green - ref: [DG] #3+ #7 = Dark Terracotta - ref: [DT]

First application:SKYClean water apply sparsely to top area only, add wash of French Ultramarine fade to nothing, preferably achieving dry brush effect just above horizon hills.Also use the same mix as the sky for the stream and pool. Allow to dry. HILLSMix of Ultramarine and Crimson -ie. [ML].FIELDSApply wash of #4 (Raw Sienna) into base of horizon hills which should still be wet, extend this wash down adding wet in wet washes of the following three separate colour mixes ie.[WG] [PG] [DT] to the bottom of the sheet, omitting the stream and pool. Allow to dry.

Second application:FIELDSApply wash of #4 to the distant field, charge it with [DG] repeat in the next field but instead - charge it from the left with [DT] and from the right with [PG] leaving a strip of untouched original colour below the hedgerow. Apply a wash of [PG] to the next field - charge it from the right with [DT]. The foreground field is a series of horizontal washes of [PG] charged with #3 : #4 and [DT] allow to dry - add detail using #7.

Third application:TREES & HEDGEROWSApply wash of [WG] to hedgerows, charge with #7 : #3 and [PG] missing the fence posts. Apply [DG] to the foliage area of the trees in a radial pattern leaving dry paper to remain as thin branches, charge this, liberally, with [ML] #3 and #7.Finally add detail ie. fence posts tree trunks and branches, reflections in water and foreground vegetation using a dark colour perhaps [WG] laced with #1.

[   the drawing   ] [   art class projects   ]

[   cardboard easle   |   basic materials   ]

www.watercolourclass.co.uk/art-class/