Down the Value Study Rabbit Hole

What's the best way to create a value study for me? I'm trying to figure that out. And how to paint from it once I've done it? I'm trying to figure that out, too. Been re-reading Ian Roberts' Mastering Composition. Have re-dedicated myself to working on a value composition a day (my original goal). He promises that a year of these daily compositions will make a HUGE difference in my art. Even with the few I've done, I'm seeing improvement and I'm asking a lot more questions, which I think means I'm on the right track for me right now.

Overall, I've done five value studies of the rose, and it's getting tedious. But each one had me asking another question, so I continued on. It was a great exercise, trying different methods. I should have done one last one, a pencil sketch, but I've run out of steam. What's interesting, though, is that they all look similar yet different. Referring to the quad image at right, the simplest studies (3 values, upper left with charcoal on gray paper and upper right with collaged black and white paper on gray) seemed too simple to me, but the first one done in Procreate (bottom left) was way too busy. A second version in Procreate (bottom right) uses five values plus a white highlight, but it seems like a little too much also.

I like the last one (above), done with the broad edge of Copic markers, because the markers forced me to keep it simple. I was also able to differentiate the rose compared to the background more easily. Today, this one looks the best to me. A year from now I might think differently.

Tomorrow I'll paint this rose one more time, following my copic marker value composition. I'm also going to use Roberts' color palette, which is definitely different than Dreama Tolle Perry's. I'm guessing that eventually I'll end up somewhere between the two, picking and choosing from both to get the colors I like to use. Following my own artist instinct. What a concept!

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Spring"Flow" Show Features Three of My Paintings

In January I embarked on a new self-imposed oil painting project/collection, with the goal of down-selecting three paintings for Dreama Tolle Perry's spring Flow membership art show. Picking a subject for a collection and staying focused was a challenge for me; my mind is usually racing around in a million artistic directions. I knew I wanted something static, that I could work on without it changing. Fake flowers as a still life were the perfect choice! They wouldn't wilt in the direct studio light, and I could make them do whatever I wanted. Still, I wanted it to be simple, so I refined my collection subject a step further. From left to right: Rose-Bauer Duet (oil, 6"x8"), Voodoo (oil, 6"x8"), and Peace (oil, 6"x6"). I own a single beautiful silk rose, bought at a specialty store last year. If I had to guess, it's modeled on the Peace hybrid tea rose. So I decided all ten of my paintings for the collection would be based on this single r

Mean Critic Meets Scary Progress

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Her Rose, My Rose

As mentioned in my last post, I've signed up for Dreama Tolle Perry's Flow class. My intention with this class is to watch one of her demos and replay it while I paint along with it, recreating "her" painting. Then I plan to take what I learned in that demo and create "my" version. Eventually, I'd like to paint my version in oil, acrylics, and watercolor...trying to figure out which medium I prefer. The first oil painting demo I chose to watch was a backlit rose in a small glass jar. I love roses, and when I ventured into oils the first time, I painted a lovely rose from my garden. This is the only painting from that era that I liked. As a side note, I have nine hybrid tea roses and four floribundas around the house. And since I'm in northern California, there are blooms on these plants for nine months out of the year! What a treat. I really should paint these beauties more often. I'm happy with both paintings but for different reasons. The p

Becoming an Artist

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