Let’s not call this homework. Let’s call it Independent Play!
Find more complex forms and paint them using only 4-5 values. I’m really excited to see what comes up here. Part of the delight in participating in a virtual classroom is that you are all spread out and you have access and interest in different subjects. What will grow YOUR mojo? The task here is to create a couple more paintings using only 4-5 values, but with shapes that are a bit more complex, and a bit more YOU. This can be a single object or a few objects grouped together. See what you can find in your home, or garage, or at a flea market that sparks your interest. It’s ok (and even better perhaps) to keep it simple – the objective is to get the drawing/sketching composed on your canvas, and to accurately describe the forms using value shapes.
Value sketches can also be done on an Ipad. I know we are here to paint, and it’s a good idea to wield that brush as much as you can – but if you find it easier to sketch out the values on an Ipad so that the concept it clear, I would say go for it. These exercises will:
- build your hand-eye coordination which improves your seeing/drawing skills
- strengthen and refine your ability to see what is lighter and what is darker in value
- help you understand how to modify shapes of light and dark to create form
- begin to see how those masses of lights and darks create your composition, which is ultimately the first and most important line of poetry in your painting.
