Transferring Value System from Reference Photo to Painting February 5, 2001
Aside from shapes, values are the most important part of our painting. They are also the part we most often misjudge and paint incorrectly. First we must know that value has nothing to do with color. Value is how much or how little we allow the white of the paper to show through. Light values have enough water in the pigment to allow a lot of white to show through hence a pale color. Dark values contain sufficient pigment to block the white. That is how we paint value.
The way we see value is important too. Locating our lightest values and our darkest values correctly will give us emphasis, directing the viewers attention to the place we want it to go. If we decide that our reference photo does that to our satisfaction, our job is to transfer the values from that photo to our painting. Values are dark, light, and medium. When we look at the photo and squint our eyes we see only the light and dark values. A good way to start. Early on we like to establish our dark and medium values.
It is important that we leave white those areas which are white on the reference photo. We can always glaze a little color on some of them later. Once we have transferred a dark value to the paper, we use that as a benchmark for the next dark value remembering that watercolor dries 30% lighter than when it is wet. We must overpaint value by 30% if we expect it to dry as we want it to. As the painting progresses, we continue to shift our eyes from the photo to the painting, matching dark, medium and light values. Following this method will make our values fall into place and our paint work.
If you have questions email us at rlwatercolor71@aol.com.
Enjoy painting!
Robert and Sharon
Robert Long Watercolors
12273 Emerald Coast Parkway, Unit 120 • Destin, FL 32550
Phone (850) 837-3220 • Fax (850) 837-3770
E-mail us: rlwatercolor71@aol.com
http://www.robertlongwatercolors.com