Your Artist's Brain Use the right side of your brain to draw and paint what you see - not what...

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YOURARTIST'SBRAIN

usetherightsideofyourbraintodrawandpaintwhatyousee—

notwhatyouthinkyousee

CarlPurcell

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AbouttheAuthor

CarlPurcellistheauthorofPaintingWithYourArtist'sBrainandDrawingWithYour Artist's Brain. He taught painting and drawing for thirty years at SnowCollege in central Utah, where he also served as a department chair. Hedeveloped thedrawingprogrampresently used in the college's art department,andhehelpeddevelopandstillteachesatwo-weekwatercolorretreatworkshopeverysummeratthecollege.

Carl is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society, an honormember of the Utah Watercolor Society and a member of the NevadaWatercolor Society. He is a popular watercolor and drawing workshopinstructor,andhisartworkhasbeenfeaturedinTheArtist'sMagazineandSplash(NorthLightBooks,1991).Hecanbefoundonlineatwww.carlpurcell.com.

Carlliveswithhiswife,Nan,inthesmallruraltownofManti,Utah.Theyhavefivechildren.

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TableofContents

TitlePage

SpecialOffers

Introduction

CHAPTER1lookingintoyourBRAIN'STOOLBOX

CHAPTER2gainingaccesstoYOURARTIST'SBRAIN

CHAPTER3searchingforLINEANDFORM

CHAPTER4seeingVALUE

CHAPTER5figureandgroundRELATIONSHIPS

CHAPTER6organizingpatternsOFVALUE

CHAPTER7

techniqueforPAINTERS

CHAPTER8seeingSHAPES

CHAPTER9seeingtheSHAPEOFSPACE

CHAPTER10seeingSHAPESOFVALUE

CHAPTER11buildingapaintingONVALUEPATTERNS

CHAPTER12ensuringastrongCENTEROFINTEREST

Introduction

SALISBURYWALKABOUT Graphiteonbristolpaper 11″×8½″(28cm×22cm)

If you've always wanted to draw and paint but believed you didn't have thetalent,don'tgiveup.Thegoodnewsisyoualreadypossesstheabilitiesneededtodoboth!

Learningtodrawandpaintissimplyamatteroftraining—trainingyourbraintoapplythefunctionsitusesforothertaskstothespecifictasksofdrawingandpainting.

ThebestdescriptionIhaveeverreadofthepurposeofdrawinginparticularwasmadebyartistFrederickFranckinhisbookTheZenofSeeing.Hesaid:

Itisinordertoreallysee,toseeeverdeeper,evermoreintensely,hencetobefully aware and alive, that I draw what the Chinese call ‘The Ten ThousandThings’aroundme.Drawing is thedisciplinebywhichIconstantlyrediscovertheworld.

I have learned thatwhat I havenot drawn, I havenever really seen, and thatwhenIstartdrawinganordinarything,Irealizehowextraordinaryitis,sheermiracle.

ThePurposeofThisBookIs:

1. Topointyoutothefunctionsofyourbrainthatmakedrawingandpainting

possible.

2. Tohelpyouaccessthosefunctionsintheserviceofdrawingandpainting.

3. Tomakeyouawareofthebuilt-inprocessesinyourbrainthathinderyourabilitytodrawandpaint.

Onceyouknowwhattotrain,howtotrainit,andwhatcausesproblems,youcanlearntodrawandpaintwell.Practice,ofcourse,willmakeyoubetterandfaster.

WhenI firstbegan to teachdrawingatSnowCollege incentralUtah, IusedaprogramsimilartotheclassesIhadattendedattheuniversity.Theresultswereterrible!Iwasonlyabletohelpafewstudentswhoalreadydrewfairlywell.

IreasonedthatifIcouldlearntodraw,thenanyonecould.Weteachbasicmathandwritingwithoutexpectingstudentstobecomemathematiciansandnovelists.Why couldn't we teach students basic drawing without expecting them all tobecomeartists?Peoplewhocandrawdonothaveanextra“talent”nodeontheirbrains.

Iinitiatedaseven-yearsearchtodiscoverwhichfunctionsofthebrainartistsusewhendrawingandthecausesofthemorecommonproblemsexperiencedbymystudents.Idiscoveredthattherighttoolsfordrawing(andpainting)arepresentineveryone'sbrainsbutwehaveothermentalprocessesthatsubverttheactivityof drawing. I developed a program that made students aware of what washappening in their brains when problems occurred in drawing. I then helpedthemtodevelopconsciouscontrolof their functioningspatialabilities tomakedrawingeasier.

Theresultswereastounding.Insteadofhelpingafewintheclass,Iwasabletohelpalmostallof them.Everyonewasdrawingbetter thanmymost“talented”studentsinpreviousclasses.Myowndrawingskillsalsoimproved—anaddedbonus!

I believe that understanding what's happening in our brains while drawing orpainting is the key to developing and controlling the necessary skills andprocessesthatcausemanytohaveproblemswhiledoingthesethings.

DRAWINGANDPAINTINGCANBEANDSHOULDBEFUN!

CHAPTER1

lookingintoyourBRAIN'STOOLBOX

APPLEBLOSSOMS SanguineContéonacid-freefoamcoreboard 12″×15″(30cm×38cm)

Drawingisfun!Why,then,doesdrawingseemtobesodifficultformostpeople,evenartstudents?Whyshoulditbe?Alltheinformationisrightinfrontofyou.It'sliketakingatestwithalltheanswersontheboard.Yetforsomereason,youstruggle to transfer that information to your paper. Drawing shouldn't be afrustratingprocessforanyone.Let'sfindoutwhyitsooftenis.

Likemostpeople, Iused to think that learning todrawwassimplyamatterofdeveloping drawing skills. This is only partly true. Developing these skillsrequiresyoutoknowyourproblems,andknowthemwell.Thischapterwilldojust that by explaining the sources of the most common problems you willencounterindrawing.You'veprobablyalreadyencounteredtheseproblemsandconsideredthemasevidenceofinability.Thisissimplynottrue!

Everyone who attempts drawing must, in one way or another, overcome the

problemsdiscussedinthischapter.Itmaybeeasierforsomemorethanothers.WhenIwaslearning,Iwasinthemiddle.Itwasn'teasy,butitwaseasyenoughthatIwasencouragedtoworkhardandkeeppracticing.Knowingwhatcausesyour problems will make it easier to overcome them, and you need look nofurtherforthesourceoftheseproblemsthaninsideyourbrain.

If you're frustrated with drawing, it's because you're using the wrong mentaltoolsforthejob.Canyouseewhatyouwanttodraw,butwhenyoutrytodrawwhatyousee,itcomesoutwrong?Let'sdiscoverwhatyourownbrainisdoingwrongandwhy.

Thetwoinformation-processingtoolsofyourbrain

Your brain processes visual information entering through your eyes in twodistinctlydifferentways:spatially(orvisually),andintellectually.Thefirstandfasteristhespatialprocess.Itsprimaryfunctionistokeepyouinformedaboutthe constantly changing space around you by recording where and how bigthingsare. Itperceives shapesandspaces,darkand lightpatterns,verticalandhorizontalorientation,sizerelationshipsandtherelativelocationsofshapes.

Thespatialpartofyourbraindoesnot identify theseas trees,carsandpeople;thatkindofidentificationcomeslater.Allofthisisdoneonautopilot,justatthethresholdofyourconsciousness.Whenyouparallelparkacarorwalkthroughacrowded mall, you use this spatial tool. Its primary job is to navigate youthroughspacesafely.

The analytical or intellectual portion of the brain processes the spatialinformationnotasvisualimages,butasdata.Whenyouidentifytheshapesyouareseeingas trees,cars,peopleandsoon,youareusingthe intellectualbrain.This is the right tool for just about everyother consciousactivityofyour life.Butwhenyouuse thispartofyourbrain todraw, the resultsaredisastrous. Itfirst translates thevisual informationithasreceivedfromthespatialbrain intodata,thencreatesasimplifiedvisualsymboltostandfortheinformation.

HowYourBrainProcessesWhatItSees

Complex shapes enter the brain through the eyes and are simplified by yourintellectual brain into symbols that merely represent the original item. Thesesymbolsarerecalledwhenyoutrytopaintwhatyousee.Additionalinformationabout these things isadded to theperceived information.Asa result,youmaypaint a person, animal or object as you think it should look instead of how itactuallyappears.

Howyourintellectualbraininterferes

Therearefourways inwhich the intellectualbraindistorts informationneededfordrawing,thuscausingthemostcommonproblems.

1. Itinterjectspreviouslystoreddataabouttheobjectintotheactivityofdrawing.

2. Itcallsupearlysymbolscreatedtostandfor(notlooklike)thecomplexvisualinformationitreceives.

3. Itcreatesnewsymbolsandgeneralizesinformationtomakeiteasiertostore.

4. Itfocusesonsurfacedetailsforwhichithasanameandignoresinformationthatexplainsthestructureofforms.

FROMTHEARTIST'SBRAIN

Drawingproblemsarisewhenweattempttodothejobwiththewrongtool.

POLPERROHARBOR Graphitepencilonbristolboard 9″×10½″(23cm×27cm)

PROBLEM1Theintellectualbrainimposespreviouslystoreddataintothedrawing.

Thisproblemisevidentwhenyoustarttodrawasimpleobjectlikeabox.Theconflict between what you know (analytical, intellectual) and what you see(visual,spatial)isveryclear.

You want to draw the box, but you're faced with a dilemma: The visualinformationdoesnotmatchtheintellectualinformation.Istheobjectmadeupofrectanglesoroftheseoddgeometricshapesperceivedbythevisualbrain?

TheDilemma

Does trying to resolve the conflict between visual and intellectual processingmakeyoufeellikethis?

PerspectiveIsNottheProblem

Mostpeoplecomplainthattheydon'tunderstandperspectiveandthatthislackofknowledgemakesitdifficult todrawasimplebox.It isnotlackofknowledgethatcausestheproblem.

What'sReallyThere

Thesearetheshapesthevisualbrainrecords.Itseesanobjectwiththreeplanes,each having a different shape. And not one of these shapes has a 90-degreeangle!

WhatYourSmartsSay

Yourintellectualbrainsays,“Ohyes,thatisabox.Icanseethreeofitsplanes.”And what does it know about those planes? It knows that the planes arecomposed of rectangles, four-sided geometric shapes with four right angles,especiallywithadjacentsidesofunequallength.

TheAnswer

Bothsetsofinformationaretrue!Oneisavisualtruthabouttheshapesastheyareseen,andtheotherisanintellectualtruthaboutwhattheshapesmean.Ifyouwanttobuildasimilarbox,measureitandusetheintellectualdata.Ifyouwanttodrawit,ignorethatdataandfocusontheshapesyousee.

However,sincetheanalyticalpartofyourbraincontrolstheconsciousactivitiesofyourlife,itnaturallythinksitshouldalsocontroltheactofdrawing.Andthisis thecauseof theproblem.Youare trying todraw thebox,butyourbrain issendingtwoconflictingmessages.Whatdoyoudo?Compromise?

IsCompromisePossible?

We're civilized people, canwemeet halfway between true visual informationandintellectualtruth?

TheSadTruth

Compromises in drawing do notwork. This is the kind commonly reached; itcontainselementsfrombothbodiesofinformation.

Yourintellectualbraincompromisesbyadmittingthattheanglesyouseearenotthe90-degree angles it knows are there, but it is unwilling to findout exactlywhattheyreallyare.Ittellsyourhandtoputinanyanglethatissomewhatclose.Yourtaskindrawingistoturnofftheanalyticalinformationandfocusonlyonthevisual.

For most people, drawing is a fight with the intellectual brain to adjust thedrawingbitbybittowardthevisualtruthofwhattheysee.

Problem1inAction

A container with a round opening presents another example of this classicconflictbetween thevisual informationsuppliedby theeyesand theanalyticaldatasuppliedbyyourintellectualbrain.

Iknowthismistakeistheresultofacompromiseandnotanerrorofperception:Inthirtyyearsofteaching,I'veneverseenastudentobserveanarrowellipticalopening and draw an even narrower ellipse. Invariably, students draw theopeningwider than they see it. If itwereonly amistake inobservation, somestudentswoulddrawatoo-narrowversionof theshape.Thiswasmyfirstcluethat something happened to the observed information after it entered the

student'sbrain,distortingitonaconsistentbasis.

Ifindthatmakingyouawareof thementalconflictsyouwillencountermakesyou look twicebeforeputtingpencil topaper.And that second lookgivesyouthe information you need in order to draw it right the first time. As a result,you'reabletodrawfasterandmoreaccurately.

NotJustBoxes

Doyouhaveproblemsdrawingsimplecontainerslikethisone?

Seeingvs.Knowing

Whatweseeofanycircularopeningisaforeshortenedview,anellipticalshape.Weknowitisacircularopening,andweknowwhatacirclelookslike.

WhyWeCan'tJustGetAlong

Thisiswhatthecompromisedrawingmightlooklike.

PROBLEM2Theintellectualbraincreatessymbolsintendedtostandfor(notlooklike)thevisualinformationbeforeyou.

Wecreatesymbolsforeverything.Itisamethodforcompressinglargeamountsof information into smaller packages. The digit “5” is a symbol for a givenquantity.TheYin-Yangsymbolstandsforacomplexculturalconcept.

The brain also creates symbols for the things we see, acting as shorthandversions. They are not meant to be a likeness of the item. For example, the

common symbol for mountains -^^^- is not meant to resemble a particularmountain,buttostandforallmountains.

Forachild,creatingsymbolsisamethodofcommunicatingfeelings.Youwillfindthatchildrenspendmuchmoretimecreatingsymbolsonblankpaperthantheywillspendwithcoloringbooks.Thepapergivesthemaworldinwhichtoexpressthemselves.Atsomepoint,mostpeoplebecomedissatisfiedwiththesesymbols and try to shift towards making their creations appear more like theindividualitemstheysee.Wecallthesepeopleartists.

Mostpeopleencounterdifficultiesandgiveup.For them,theintellectualbrain(whichhasreceivedalltheattentioninschoolandathome)isdominant.

Drawingisbasedentirelyonthevisualinformationsuppliedbythevisualbrain.Drawingsaretheproductofintenseobservation,notintellectualinterpretation.

TheSymbolsWeMake

ArtThatStandsforSomething

NochildthinksthisishowMommyreallylooks.Infact,whenaskedtheysay,“ThisisMommy,”not,“ThisiswhatMommylookslike.”

BuildingYourSymbolCollection

Betweentheagesofthreeandtenwecreateahostofsymbolstorepresentthethings around us. These symbols becomemore complex as we age, and newsymbolsarecreatedforallthedetails.

Problem2inAction

Ioftenseepeoplewhoarelookingdirectlyatapinetreedrawaversionoftheirchildhoodpine-treesymbol.Howdoesthishappen?

The intellectual brain is trying to control the drawing process. It recalls thechildhoodsymbol,anditcompromisesbychangingthesymbola little.Intenseobservationwouldrevealinformationaboutthetree'sshapeandedges,butthisnotonlytakestime,italsoputsyouinavisualmodethatshutstheintellectualbrainout.Ouch!

Apersonseessomethinglikethis.

Theintellectualbrainrecallsachildhoodsymbolfor“pinetree.”

Seeingthissymbolworkaswellasitdidinthethirdgrade,acompromiseisreachedinwhichsomeoftheobservedfeaturesaregraftedontothechildhoodsymboltocreateanewsymbol.

FromSeeingtoRemembering

Theimageinfrontofapersongoesthroughatransformationfromwhatisseentowhatisremembered,resultinginadisastrouscompromise.

PROBLEM3Theintellectualbraincreatesnewsymbolsandgeneralizesforbetterstorageandretrieval.

Accuratedrawing requires intenseobservation.Youcanassumenothingabouttheobject:Approachwithablankpageandthewillingnesstoseeitasitreallyis. That is far different than simplifying and generalizing the information foreasystorage.Thetwotasksaresimplynotcompatible.

There isnothingwrongwith thegeneralizingmodeof the intellectualbrain. Itprotectsusfromsensoryoverload.Wecan'tgothrougheachdaytakingnoteofeverylittledetail.Wewouldsoonburnout.Sowecreatebroadgeneralitiesthatdonotbotherwiththespecificvariations.Rosesarered.Bananasareyellow.

Symbol-makingisonewayofsimplifyingandgeneralizingvisual information.However,whenitinsinuatesitssymbolsintothedrawingprocess,aprocessthatrequirestherecordingofspecific,uniqueinformation,itbecomesaproblem.

TheBeginningsofaNewSymbol

When you look at these dried sunflowers, you identify them, store theinformationincaseyouhavetoidentifythemagain,andmoveon.Ifaskedabouttheircolor,theyarebrownanddark.Period!

However, if I tellyoutodrawthem,yourresponsemightbedifferent.“What?That's too difficult! They're too complex!” To help you, the intellectual brainwillcreatesomenewsymbolstosimplifythetask.Notsogoodofafriend!

WhatYourIntellectualBrainCreates

This symbol represents the essential information concerning the driedsunflowerswithout intenseobservation. It records thegenerallypricklynature,thecurveofthestemsandthefactthattherearelarger,triangle-shapedobjectsaround their perimeter.Thisdrawingdoesn't evenmention the leaves. It seeksgeneralinformationthatcanstandforalldriedsunflowers.

Typically, the intellectual brain does not care about the relationship of eachflower to the next one or about the peculiar twist in the dried petals or thespecificcurveofeachstem.Itsimplyasks,“Wherearethey?”andanswers,“Attheendofcurvedstems.”Itseeksasymbolforallpetals.Likewise,itcreatesasymboltostandforallthepricklycentersandselectsonecurvedstemtostandforallstems.

Problem3inAction

Doing a drawing that actually looks like these sunflowerswill require you tocreatemarksthatconveytheactualqualityofthesunflowers,andthatyouplace

allthepartsinthesamespatialrelationshipsthatexistintheoriginalforms.

Don't fall into the trap of letting the intellectual brain give you the “Tarzanapproach”toyourdrawing.“MeTarzan,youJane!”“Skyblue!”“Grassgreen!”“Sunflower prickly!” “Stems curved!”You can do a faithful drawing of thesesunflowers only if you turn off the symbol-making analytical brain and allowyourmoreartistic,visualbrain tohandle the job.Yourvisualbrainenjoys thecomplexitiesoftheimage.

SUNFLOWERS Graphitepencilonbristolpaper 9″×7″(23cm×18cm)

DrawingasaMeansofDiscovery

This drawing discovers the complexities of the forms, the brittleness of theleaves,thepricklyqualityofthecenters,andthelightsanddarksastheyrevealanedgeinsomeplacesanddissolveitinothers.Unliketheintellectualsymbols,this drawing cannot be repeated. Another drawing of the same subject wouldyield a different result. Even a slightly different view would produce acompletelynewsetofrelationshipstoexplore.

PROBLEM4Theintellectualbrainfocusesonthesurfacedetailsitcanidentify,ignoringinformationthatexplainstheform.

Acommonstatementbyadultswhoclaimnottobeabletodrawis,“Ican'tevendrawstickfigures.”That,ofcourse,isnottrue.Whattheymeanis,“Ican'tmakemystickfigureslookrealistic.”Well,ofcoursetheycan't—peopledon'tlooklikestickfigures!

It'soddthatinourcultureweassumethateveryonecan(andshould)learnbasiclanguageskillsalthoughonlyasmallpercentagewillbecomeauthors.Wealsoassume that everyone can learn math while only a few will becomemathematicians.However,weassumethatdrawingrequiressomespecialtalentpossessedbyonlyafewandtherestneednottry.

WhenIfirststartedteachingdrawing,Ihadnoideawherethesesymbolimagescamefrom.Studentslookedatasubjectrightinfrontofthem,buttheirdrawingsseemedtocomefromanotherworld.Andinasense,theywere.Thesubjectforthe drawing was in the visual world, but the symbol that materialized on thepapercamefromaworldofdatastorage.Drawingabilitywasovershadowedbyconscious symbol-making.Discoveringyourhidden talentdoesn'thave to takeyears.

Drawingwell requires you to reject the symbol proposed by your intellectualbrain and ask yourself, “What do I actually see?”There are no shortcuts.Theinformation cannot be generalized or memorized. It must be savored andenjoyed.

Like a good meal, an honest search for visual information in a subject isenjoyableandsatisfying.Onlyyourintellectualbrainthinksit'stedious.

PhotoReference

ThisgentlemaninEnglandwaskindenoughtoallowmetophotographhimforadrawing.

TheSymbolDrawing

Thisisatypicalsymbolapproachtodrawingahead.Noticetheattentionplacedonnameabledetails likeglasses, lipsandhair.But itpaysnoattention to theirshapes.Glassesareglasses;whybother toget theactualshapewhenasymbolwill do?The intellectual braindoesnotnotice thehair is dark (in shadow)ononesideandwhiteontheother.Also,theintellectualbraindoesn'tcareaboutthe

actualtiltofthehead,butincludesdetailssuchaseyelashesalthoughitcan'tseethem.Itonlyknowstheyarethere.

BeginningtoSee

This, on the other hand, is the beginning of a real search for observationaldetails. Notice the sighting lines that explore the vertical and horizontalrelationshipofthehairlinetotheglasses,theeyebrowtotheear.

Thiskindofsearchproducesalikeness.Thesearchnarrowsuntilitincludesthesmall anglesof the shadowsaround theeyes, the spotsof lighton theglasses'rims,andsoon.

AnAlmostCompletedSearch

Here the search has progressed to amore complete stage. I would finish thisdrawingbypushingthevalues(thelightsanddarks)anddecidingwhatIwantedtoemphasizeabouthim.

POINTSTOREMEMBER

Yourintellectualbraincan'tdraw—itsacrificesallthewonderfulinformation

that makes beautiful drawings. It interjects, symbolizes, generalizes andfocusesondetails.Workaroundittoseeonlyshapes.

Payattentiontoshadows.Whenthesymbolcreationofyourintellectualbrainisunsatisfactory,ittriestoremedytheproblembyaddingdetails.Itstheoryisthat if thereisaproblem,moredetailswillsolveit.Ofcourse, it focusesonthedetailsforwhichithasnames:eyelashes,stains,bumps,holes,scratches,etc.Itwillignoreshadowsthatexplainhowtheformturnsinspace.

Problem4inAction

Thisoldgascanisagoodexampleofdifferentkindsofdetail.Ithasdecorativedetails thatmay enhance thevisual interest of thepiecebut donot explain itsform. But, it does have structural details that help us understand its form,structureandthree-dimensionality.Canyouseethedifference?

WhatMakestheShape?

IgnoringFormandLatchingOntoDetails

Lookfamiliar?Thisisatypicalbeginner'sresponsetodrawingandshadingthecan. You can tell the intellectual brain controlled the process. Notice theproportions:It's toowideforitsheight; thespoutandlidaretoosmallandtoofar apart.The bottom is not fully rounded, and the shadowed area is not darkenough.Thesecharacteristicswereignoredbytheintellectualbrainasitjumpedintothedrawingandheadedrightforthebulletholes.

Checkoutthosedarkbulletholes!Youcan'thelpbutnoticethem,canyou?Whyare they sopronounced? It's because the intellectual brain could identify themandputaname to them.Youcanalmosthear it say,“Hey,bulletholes! Icandrawthose.They'rejustblackdots.That'seasy!”Itdoesn'tnoticethattheholesareonlyalittledarkerthantheshadowedcan.

DrawingLikeItIs

Inthisdrawing,Ihaverenderedtheshadowalmostasdarkasthebulletholes.Thisisthecorrectvaluerelationship.Ihavealsodrawntheheighttowidthandother size relationships correctly. I checked the angles and the positionalrelationshipsofthehandle,thespoutandthelid.Avisuallikenessiscreatedbytheserelationships,notbytheaccumulationofdetails.

CHAPTER2

gainingaccesstoYOURARTIST'SBRAIN

MONTEREYTANGLE Graphiteonbristolpaper 9″×12″(23cm×30cm)Nowthatyouknowthecausesofyourmostcommonproblems,you'rereadytobecomeacquaintedwiththeabilitiesinyourbrainthatmakedrawingeasierandmorefun.Theseareabilitiesyoualreadypossessanduseeveryday!Youhaveusedthemuntilnowonasubconsciouslevel,hardlyawareofit.Theexercisesinthischapteraredesignedtoapplyyournaturalabilitiestocomparesizesandangles,andtoseepositionalrelationshipsintheactofdrawing.Yourhandisthephysicalextensionofyourmentaloperations,andassuch,candoonlywhatyourbraintellsittodo.Whenyourbrainshiftsfromnamingitemstoperceivingvisualrelationships,itwillsend

theinformationrighttoyourhand.Thehandwillthenrecordtheinformationinyourdrawing.

Thedrawingtoolsyoupossess

TherearefourmentalabilitiesthatyouandIpossessanduseeverydayofourlivesthatfacilitatetheactofdrawing.Everyartisthasadifferentnameforthemandtrainsthemwhethertheyrealizeitornot:

1. Theabilitytoseerelationshipsofangle.

2. Theabilitytoseerelationshipsofsize.

3. Theabilitytoseerelationshipsofpositioninspace.

4. Theabilitytoseerelationshipsofvalue(relativedarknessandlightness).

These are not abilities possessed by only a few “gifted” people— everybodyuses them all the time. If you focus your attention on searching for theserelationships,betterdrawingshappennaturally.Theexercisesinthischapterwillresultinyourartisticfreedom.Likethestudyofpiano,adisciplinedapproachtolearning the scalesandchords that form the structureofallmusic leads to thefreedom to play anything. Similarly, seeing in the right waywill create goodhabitsanddrawingwillbecomeeasierandmoreenjoyable.

Isn'tItObvious?

You'realreadyinpossessionofallthetoolsyouneedtodrawwell.

WAITINGFORTHEFISHINGBOATS

Ballpointpenonbristolpaper6″×7″(15cm×18cm)

Remember, you're not gaining new abilities, only putting ones you alreadypossesstouse.

Howyouusethesetoolseveryday

1YourAbilitytoSeeAngleRelationships

Whenyoustraightenapictureonthewall,youareusingyourabilitytocompareangles.Youlookattheedgeandcompareittotheclosestverticallineyoucanfind:thedoorframe,awindoworanotherpicture.Whentheyareparallel,youaresatisfied.Lininguppencilsandpaperparallelon thedeskuses thisability.Whenyouparallelparkyourcar,youarematchingtheangleofyourcartotheangleofthecurb.

Everydayinhundredsofways,youusethisspatialabilitytosee,compareandprojectangles inspace. Inmostof these instances,youcompareananglewithwhatyouknowtobeverticalorhorizontal,forwhichyouhaveabuilt-insense.Thisisanartisticability.

2YourAbilitytoSeeSizeRelationships

Whenyoupickupacanofbeansandopenthecupboardtoputitaway,youlook

foraspacethatisatleastthesamesizeasthecan.Doyoumeasurethecanfirst?Ofcoursenot!Youmentallymemorizeitssizeandscantheshelfforasimilarlysizedspace.Whenyoudecidethataparkingspaceislargeenoughforyourcar,youdon'thavetoblocktrafficwhileyoumeasureboththespaceandyourcar.Youcanlookatadrawingofaheadandtelliftheearsaretoobigbecauseyouareaccustomedtoseeingacertainsizerelationshipinpeople.Ataglance,youcanlookatagroupofpaintingsonawallandtellwhichisthelargest,whichisthesmallestandwhichtwoarehangingtheclosest toeachother.Youperformthese kinds of size relationship comparisons every day. Now you willconsciouslyusethisasadrawingskill.

3YourAbilitytoSeePositionalRelationships

When you describe something as being at “about eye level,” you project animaginaryhorizontal line inspaceequalwithyoureye. Insteadofusingactualmeasurements,weoftensaythingslike“thedogcomesuptomyknees.”Whenwereadthatthemanwas“standingjusttotheleftofthedooranddirectlybelowacarvedwaterspout,”wecanmentallypositionhiminspace.Mapsaresimplytwo-dimensionalrepresentationsofwherecitiesandtownsarelocatedinrelationtoeachother in real space.Onamap,vertical representsnorthandsouth,andhorizontal representseastandwest.Anessentialpartofdrawing is“mapping”the location of key points in relation to each other. Vertical and horizontalalignments are something we all understand. They are used constantly indrawing.

4YourAbilitytoSeeValueRelationships

Weareabletodistinguishoneshapefromanotherbecauseofvariationsoflightanddark.Wealsounderstandvolumebecauseofthewaylightfallsonanobject.Aschildren,welearnedthatifashadowonanobjectendedsharply,therewasasuddenchangeinplane,andifitchangedgradually,theformwasrounded.Lightandshadowarehowwereadshapeandform,butwedosowithoutthinking.Indrawing,youwillpaycloseattentiontothosechangesandhowtheyaffectyourperception.Recordingvaluerelationshipsisaskillthatmustbedeveloped.

Indrawing,three-dimensionality,depthorvolumeallhavetodowiththesamething:therelationshipsofvalue.

Achievingalikeness

Toachievea likeness indrawing,youmustusevisual solutions.A likeness isonly found in correct visual relationships. The only errors possible are asfollows:

1. Youhavedrawnanedgeorlineatthewrongangle.

2. Youhavedrawnalinetooshortortoolongcomparedtoanother.

3. Youhavedrawnsomethinginthewrongplaceinrelationtothethingsaroundit.

4. Youhavemadethevalueofanareatoolightortoodarkinrelationtoitsadjacentvalues.

Thereisn'tarightwaytodrawnoses,arightwaytodraweyesandanotherwaytodrawtrees.Everythinginthevisualworldcanonlybedrawnasshapesonatwo-dimensionalsheetofpaper.Youcandrawtheanglecorrectlyornot,makeashapetoolargeortoosmall,puttheshapeinthewrongplaceordrawtoolightor dark. That's it! Everything is made up of shapes, and those shapes have aparticular configuration because of the relationship of angles, size, position inspace,andvalue.Buildahabitofsearchingfortheserelationshipsandyoucandrawanything.

ReferencePhoto

Thisgentlemanwasniceenoughtoletmephotographhim.Peopleexpectartiststobealittleweird,soyoucangetawaywithaskingperfectstrangerstodothis!

SearchingfortheVisualRelationships

This sketch is a record of a search for relationships. There are no details;everythinghasbeenreducedtoangles.Curveshavebeenconvertedtoaseriesofstraightlinessotheanglescanbeseen.Sightinglineshelplocatepointsontheheadthatarehorizontallyorverticallyaligned.Thissearchcapturesthelikeness,butnonameableitemshavebeenoutlined.

ANENGLISHGENTLEMANGraphitepencilonbristolpaper5″×4″(13cm×10cm)

FinishWiththeValues

Here the values have been added and the sighting lines have been mostlycovered. The values provide the sense of three-dimensionality, or volume.Noamount of shading, however, can correct errors of placement, size or angle.Lavishyourtimeonthefirststageofthedrawing,notonthedetails.

Thefollowingiswhatsuchasearchlookslike.

TheStrategyofSearch

Our strategy in the remainder of this chapter is to focus attention on threerelationships—namelyofangle,sizeandposition.Putasidecommonnotionsofdrawing and replace themwith this:Drawing is aprocess of searching: It's asearch for the spatial and visual relationships of angle, size and position,followedbyvalues.Mydrawingistherecordofmysearch.Themorefocusedmysearch,thefinerthedrawing.

Makeasignofthepreviousstatementandhangitwhereyoudoyourdrawing.Remind yourself of it daily. If you stay focused on these relationships, yourintellectualbrainwillnotbeable to intrude.Youwilldiscover thatdrawing iseasierandmorefun.

OneRelationshipataTime

Good drawing habits are a matter of noting a relationship, recording it, thenmoving on.Even themost complex subjects are handled one relationship at atime.

DORNOCH,SCOTLAND 6Bgraphitepencilonbristolpaper 5″×8″(13cm×20cm)CatchtheSpirit

Mydrawingsof theplaces Ivisitcapturemuchmoreof thespiritof theplacethan the photos I take. I still take my camera along, however, because somethingsgobytoofast.

Seeingshapesinsteadofthings

Everything in the visual world is made up of irregular shapes that vary incomplexity.Youdon't have to learn to draw shirts, rocks, eyes,etc.Youonlyhave to learn to draw shapes. Take comfort in this, for there are millions ofdifferentthingsoutthere.Anythingyoudrawmustbetakenjustasyouseeitatthatmoment,fromthatvantagepoint.Ifyoumoveoveronefoot,theshape,theangles, thewidth in relation to theheightand the relativepositionofpoints inspacewillchange.Howdoyougettheanglesandsizerelationshipsrightonallthese different shapes? One of the most useful tools for checking theserelationshipsistheoneinyourhand:yourpencil.

UsingYourPenciltoFindAngles

Beforeyoubegintodrawthispear,lookatitnotasfruit,butasashape.Lookattheanglesofitsedges,theangleofthestem,itsheightandwidth,andwherethestemisinrelationtoitssides.Usethepenciltocheck.Propthebookupinfrontofyou.

SeeingYourSubjectinTwoDimensions

Imagineasheetofglassbetweenyouandthesubject.Ifyouweretocloseoneeye and draw with a marker on the glass exactly what you see, you wouldduplicatewhatyouseeonyourpaper—convertingthree-dimensionalmaterialintoflatshapesonaflatsurface.

DeterminingtheAnglesoftheEdges

Thesearetheanglesyoushouldsee.

Usingapenciltomeasure

1MeasuretheLeftEdge

Beginbydrawingalinerepresentingtheleftedgeofthepear.Don'tworryaboutthe small undulations; focus on the angle of the whole edge. Now hold yourpenciloutasthoughplacingitflatonawindow.Keepingoneeyeclosed,tiltthe

pencil until it corresponds to the angleof the left edgeof thepear.Withbotheyes, lookbackandforthfromthepencil totheline.Thepencil isat thesameangleastheedgeofthepear.

2EstablishtheSize

Thesizeisarbitrary—thisfirstlinedeterminesthesizeofeverythingelse;therest will be in relation to this line. Mark where the first angle near the topchangesdirectionandatthebottomwhereitturns.

Next,Iusuallyaddanadjacentangle;inthiscase,theanglealongthetopedgeoftheshape.Don'tbotherwiththecurveuntiltheproperangleisestablished.Ifyouestablishthedirectionfirst,thevariationsofcontouralongtheanglecanbeputinwithconfidence.Lookattheangleoftherightsideofthepear,visualizeitalreadydrawn,thendrawit.Holdupyourpencilalongthatangle,lookatyourpencil'sangle,lookatyourline,andadjustitasnecessary.Themostimportantthingisangle,sizeandplacement.

3FindtheSizeRelationships

Whencomparingsizes,it'sabsolutelynecessarytokeepyourarmextendedandlockedintoplace.Anychangeinthedistancebetweenyourpencilandyoureyewillinvalidatethecomparison.Placethetipofyourpencilatthepointwheretheangle of the top edge changes direction and curvesdown toward the left side.Moveyourthumbalongtheshaftofthepenciluntilitismarkingtherightendoftheangle.

4CompareSizes

Keep your arm rigidwhile your thumbmarks the length on your pencil, thenrotateyourhanduntilthepencilisparallelwiththeleftside,andthetipofyourthumb is at the bottom of the first edge you drew. Seewhere the tip of yourpencilcomestoonthepear.Moveyourhandandpencilupuntilthetipofyourthumbisat thatpoint.Notewhere the tipof thepencilcomesagainandmoveyourthumbuptothatpoint.Thelengthyoumarkedoffonthepencilwithyourthumbisone-thirdofthefirstedge.

5CorrecttheSizeRelationship

Gotoyourdrawinganddividethefirstlineyoudrew,theonerepresentingtheleftside,intothirds.Younowknowthelengthofthetopangle.Nomatterhowlongyoumadethatfirstline,thesecondlineisonethirdaslong.Youareusingthe pencil to get the same size relationship in your drawing— not an actualmeasurement,butacomparison.

6CheckSizesandAngles

Useyourpenciltoseetheangleoftherightedgeofthepearasbefore.Drawtheline,thenholdyourpencilbackuptothesubjectandrepeattheprocess,lookingback and forth from your pencil to your drawn line.When you are satisfied,checkitslengthwiththefirstedge.Thefirstoneisalittlelonger.Makethisonealittleshorterthanyourfirstandgototheangleofthenextedge.Comparethewidestwidthwiththelengthofyourfirstedge.

Angle,EdgeorLine?

MostofthetimeinthischapterwhenIspeakaboutanangle,Iwillbereferringto theangleofanedgeonashape.Yourability to recognize theseangleswillhelpyoudraweverylineasitrelatesverticallyorhorizontallytothedrawing.

7FindPositionalRelationship

When you complete the shape, your rough drawing contains the essentialelements—theproperwidth toheight, theattitudeorgeneral tiltof theshape(often called “gesture”), and theway it sits on the surface.Now let's add thestem.

8MeasuretheStem

Holdyourpencilinfrontofyouvertically.Movethepenciloverslowlyuntilittouchestherightsideofthestem.Sightalongyourpenciltoseewherethatlinetouchestheedgeoftheshapenearthebottom.Markthatpointanddrawalightlineverticallyupthroughtheshape.Younowhavethelocationofthestemandalsoknowthatitleansslightlyleftfromvertical.Thistimeyouusedthepencilasaplumblinetocheckverticalalignment.Youcanalsoholdithorizontallytosightandfindhorizontalalignments.

9AddaSightingLine

Holdyourpencilhorizontallyandbringitupuntilit'stouchingthewidestpointon the right sideof thepear.Sight along thepencil and seewhat's on the leftside.Thelinegoesrightthroughthemiddleofthefirstedge.Drawthatsightingline;itwillbehelpfulinrefiningtheshape.

10RefinetheShape

Roundoutthecurveswherethegeneralanglesmeet.Canyouseehowimportanttheanglesare?Thecurvesfallintoplaceiftheanglesarecorrect.Notethemoresubtlecurvesanddirectionsofthecontour.

Theadditionofvalueswilleliminatemostofyouranglelinesandsightinglines.Thosethatremainareevidenceofanhonestsearchand,inmostcases,onlyaddtothedrawing'sintegrity.

Strengtheningyoursearchmuscles

Athletesdopush-upstostrengthentheirmuscles.Likewise,youcandoexercisestotrainyourmindtoseeandrespondtothesespatialandangularrelationships.I've heard it takes twenty-one days to create a new habit. So get ready toexercise. If you practice these exercises once every six months, don't expectmuchtohappen.Ifyoupracticethemforhalfanhoureachdayfortwenty-onedays,you'llimpactyourdrawingskillsforever.

Whendrawingtheedgeofashape,scanthesubjectquicklyforotheredgesthatarethesameangle.Parallellinesaretheeasiestrelationshipstosee.Lookatanedgeuntilyouseeitasanangledlineinspace,thenlookaroundthesubjecttospototheredgesatthesameangle.

Let'sGetPhysical

Likeanathleteormusician,you'llonlygetbetteratyourcraftwithpracticeandexercise.

Exercise1:FindingSimilarAnglesWithinaShape

I have marked two edges that share a similar angle. You may find several.Seeingthemdevelopsyoursearchmuscles.Practiceonmagazinephotos.Getinthe habit of looking for angle relationships. You will eventually spot themimmediately.

Exercise2:FindingSimilarSizes

SeehowmanyedgesanddistancesyoucanfindinthisfigurethatarethesamelengthastheangleIhavemarked.Ihaveindicatedonetogetyoustarted.Thereareatleasteightmore.It'sbesttoscanfirst,thenchecktoverify.Thiswilltrainyoutoseethesesimilarities.

PointsofReference

Weusepointsofreferenceallthetimewhengivingdirections.Indrawing,theeasiestpointstolocateareinhorizontalandverticalrelationships.Someartistsrefertotheseaslandmarks.Theyareplaceswhere:

1. Anedgechangesdirection

2. Twoedgesoverlap

3. Asmallbutsignificantobject(aneye,forexample)islocated

4. Anobjectterminates,e.g.theendofapoleorshoe

WhenIdrawthecontoursofanobject,Ibeardownalittleonthepencilatthoseintersectionstofixtheminmymindandmakemepause.ThenIseewherethatpointisinrelationtootherfixedpoints,especiallyhorizontallyandvertically.

Theeasiestsizerelationshiptoseeistwothingsofthesamesize.Thelengthofoneedgemaybethesameasthewidthof thesubject,or thedistancebetweentwopointsmaybeequaltothelengthofanedge.Lookatyourselfinthemirror.Noticethatthespacebetweenyoureyesisthesamewidthasoneofyoureyes.

Exercise3:FindingHorizontalandVerticalPositionalAlignments

Compare the photo of the gardening lady with this drawing of her. I have

indicated three horizontal and three vertical alignments that were crucial ingettingthisfigureright.

Fourmethodsofsearch

METHOD1

ComparingShapestoFindRelationships

Togetalikenessofanysubject,theedgesoftheshapesmustbeatthecorrectangle,theproportionsmustberight,andeverythingmustbeintherightlocation(positional relationships). Let's look at four of the most common approachesartistsusetoapplytheserules.

Allofthefollowingapproachesdevelopanunderstandingoftheform'sinherentstructure, eliminate superfluousdetails, and finally, use linenot as ameansofoutliningshapes,buttoprobeanddefinestructuralandspatialrelationships.

ComparingShapestoFindRelationships

Isetupthisstilllifespecificallybecauseallthestemsbendatoddangles.Beforeyoufollowthisdemonstration, takeamoment toscan thesubject foranylinesthatareatthesameangleaseachother.Seetheflowerstemattherightandthestemofthepear?Nowlookatthelowerpartofthatflowerstemandnoticethatthelittleoneatthetopisbenttheotherwaybutparallelwiththisone.Isthereanypartofastemthatisparallelwiththeedgeofthecan?Ispartofthepear'sedgeparallelwiththeedgeofthecan?Ifyounoticesomeofthesesimilaranglesbefore you start, you will be ready for them in the drawing. Look for somesimilarsizesalso.

1RoughIntheBiggestShapes

It's easier to relate a small shape to a bigger one. So let's start with the twobiggest shapes: the can and the pear. Begin the can with two vertical lines.Decidehowtallyouwant tomake it, thenseehowwide it iscompared to theheight.Ifoundthebodyofthecantobetwiceastallasitiswide.

Whereisthetopofthepearinrelationtothecan?Thestemisasclosetothecanas it can be without touching it. Now you can check the length of the pearagainst the can. Find thewidth of the pear and you can block in the contourswithstraightlines.

Everytimeyoudrawaline,markitsendpointandglancetoseeifanythingyou

havealreadydrawnisdirectlyacrossfromit,thenglanceupordowntoseeifitis directly above or below something.Moving the point at this time is mucheasierthanmovinganentiresectionofthedrawinglater.Thissimplecheckcansavemanyablunder.

2DrawUsingthePear'sHeightandWidth

Thelengthofthepearstackedontopofthecan(notthelid,justthecan)reachesuptoalineevenwiththebottomofthelargestflower.Thepearatitswidestisthe same as the length of the largest flower. From the pear, you can get theflower'ssizeandlocation.Asyoucheckpositions,put insightinglines. Itwillreinforceyourgoodhabit.

3RefinetheEdges

Be exact about what happens along their edges. Look at the shapes of theshadows that define the forms.Check the relativewidthsof the stemsand thespacesbetweenthem.Addthecontoursofthepear.

4AddtheValues

Studentsarealwayshesitanttoputinsightinglinesbecausetheyarenotpresentinthesubject—yetnoticehowfewofthemremain.Somebecamepartofthestems,andtheaxislinesofthepeararecompletelysubmerged.

Thissteponlyinvolvedputtinginvalues;itdidn'tinvolveaddingmoredetails.Ifyou want to lavish attention on something, get the exact configuration of theshapes.We will cover value relationships and how to render them in a laterchapter.

Fourmethodsofsearch

METHOD3

Simplifying,ThenRefiningShapes

Thishasbeenastandardapproachinfiguredrawingclassesformanyyears.Ifyouhavetodrawtheheadasaspherewithattachedthree-dimensionaltriangleformsfor thenoseand jaw,youwon'tbecomeensnaredbyeyelashesand lips.Thisapproachneatlysidestepstheinterferenceoftheintellectualbrain.

ReferencePhoto

It'seasytogetabsorbedinthedetailsandlosetheform.I'veseenthishappensomanytimesinfiguredrawingsessionsthatIbelieveittobethenormratherthantheexception.

1ReducetheFiguretoGeometricShapes

Visualize the major portions of the body as geometric shapes that are linked

together.By forcing the attention on volume and structure, the detailswill beignored.Thisplanar structure is essential if thedetails on the surfaceof thoseplanesaretomakesense.

2DefinetheContours

Like the first approach, thismethodmoves from a general statement of formtoward amore specific description, introducing the surface details at the veryend.

3AddtheValues

Any addition of value, whatever the technique, must be preceded by anunderstandingofthevolume,sizerelationships,positionalrelationshipsandtheanglesoftheformsinspace.Anythingshortofadedicatedsearchwillresultina

faulty construction that no amount of shading and surface details will everresolve.

Method2:Ellipses

Notethatineachcase,youwillstillseetheplumblinesandhorizontalsightinglinesthatensureeverythingiswhereitshouldbe.

ReferencePhoto

Thisgooseisanexcellentsubjecttopracticeconvertingformsintoellipsesandgeometricconstructions.

1DrawtheGeometricShapes

Drawthelongaxisoftheellipseattheproperangle.Nextaddtheangleoftheneck,thenbreakitdownintoacoupleoftriangularforms,thetoponeinverted.Noticehowthebaseofthelowertriangleextendsdownintotheellipse.Addthetriangular block that forms the beak anddrop a plumb line from its tip to seewherethefeetareinrelationtothatpoint.Finally, thelegscanbeseenastwoangledlineswithtriangularformsattheends.Payattentiontowherethepointsofthetrianglesareinrelationtoeachother.

2DefinetheContours

Withthestructureanalyzed,it'stimetopayattentiontothecontoursandtoplacetheeyeandgettherightangles.Isn'titfunnythatthegoosefitssonicelyintotheshapeofoneofitseggs?

3CheckYourAngles

Neverstopcheckingthethreebigrelationships.Youcanseethevestigesoftheinitial angles, my pentimento lines. I double-checked the angle by lookingclosely at the plumb line from the tip of the beak. It comes very close to theouter edge of the left foot. I also dropped a plumb line from the eye andconfirmedthatthefootshouldbemovedtotheright.Itpaystocheckratherthanassume.

Likealldrawing,thismethodrequiresyoutolookforpositionalrelationshipsbydropping plumb lines from key locations to ensure that things are verticallyaligned.Also,checkbysightingalonghorizontallinesfromkeypointslikethehandorshoulder.Donotignoresizerelationships.Ifyoudon'talsosearchtheseout,youmayanalyzethestructureoftheformbuthaveitinthewrongplaceatthewrongsize.

Method2:Analysis

Itdoesn'tmatterwhetheryouanalyzethestructureasgeometricformsoragroupof circles. The important thing is that you begin with such an analysis. Any

methodthatshiftsyourfocusfromdetailstorelationshipsisgood.Youwillfindyourselfgravitatingtothemethodthatsuitsyourpersonality.

ReferencePhoto

GeometricBlocks

Thisisananalysisoftheformasgeometricblocks.Itemphasizesthesolidityoftheformsandtheplanes.

OverlappingCircles

This approachbuilds the formuponoverlappingcircles to represent themajorpartsof theanimal: thehindquarters, themidsection, themassiveshoulderand

chestareaandthehead.Thelegsareaddedtothesebasicshapes.

AngularConstruction

This ismyusual approach,onebasedon thebasic angular constructionof themajorshape.Iseetheformasonelargeshapewhoseedgesarerepresentedwithlinesattheproperangle,therightlengthandintherightplace.

TheFinishedProduct

This is the final stage of adding the values. Most of the sighting lines havedisappeared,butslightvestigesoftheanglelinesandacoupleofsightinglinesremainasevidenceofthesearch.

Keep asking yourself the important questions. (And I don't mean “Why am Idoingthis?”)Questionslike,“Howcloseistheangleofthisobjecttovertical?”“Are any of the subject's dimensions the same?” “Where is this in relation tothat?”Everythingisarelationshipofsize,positionorangle.Ifsomethinglookswrong,theproblemandsolutionliesinoneoftheserelationships.

Fourmethodsofsearch

METHOD3

FittingtheSubjectIntoOneShape

Allofthesemethodssimplifythesubjectmatterandorganizeitintomanageableparcels. Think of it as similar to creating an outline for awritten article. Theoutlinedoesnotpresentanyofthesupportingdetails,butitorganizesthemainideastobestsupportthethesis.Likeanoutline,thesemethodsorganizethetaskofdrawingandpresentaframeworkonwhichtohangthesupportingdetails.

ReferencePhoto

Sometimes a single figure fits nicely into an easily defined shape. This shapethenprovidesaframeworkforthewhole.Canyouseetheshapethatthisfigurefitsinto?

SeeItSimply

Anythingcanbemadetofitintoasimplershape!

FindingtheShape

It'snotoften thata figure fits sonicely intoanequilateral triangle,as thisonedoes.Butbeaware,oftenacomplexfigureorgroupoffiguresfitsperfectlyintoarectangle,triangleorsquare.Ifyouarelookingatlips,jewelryorhairstyles,youwillnotseetheseshapes.Ifsomepartsdon'tfitperfectlyatthisstage,don'tworry.Atleastthemajorityofthefigureisorganizedforyou.

Method3:SubjectasaTriangle

IntypicalRenaissancetraditionthisbeartrioformedintoastabletriangleshape.Wecanusethatshapetobeginoursearchforimportantrelationships.Raphaelwouldhavelovedthis!

ReferencePhoto

Iwas fortunate tobe at the zooonedaywhenaproudpolarbearmotherwasstrikingaclassicMadonnaandchildpose—exceptthisMadonnahadtwins.

1RecordtheShape

Record the triangle shape that encompasses most of the grouping. This is ascalenetriangle;ithasnocongruentsides.

2 Fit the Figures Into the Shapes Note where each of the figures extendsbeyondtheboundariesofthetriangle.Ifwedropaplumblinefromtheapex,itpassesthecub'searandtouchesthegroundwherehishaunchesfitovertherock.Draw the angle of the line for the mother's eyes. If you extend the line, itpositionstheears.Doyouseehowthelittlecubnearesttousfitsintoanalmostidenticalbutsmallertriangle?Checkforsimilarlyanglededgesandsimilarsizerelationships.Allthisispartofthesearch.

3AddtheValues

Whenyouaresatisfiedthattheshapesandangleoftheedgesareright,andthesizes are correct in relationship to each other, then you can begin adding thevalues.Ifanyoftheaboveiswrongandyouadddarkervalues,it'salotofworktoerase.Ipromisewewillgettovalueslater.Justhangonfornow.

Method3:SubjectasaRectangle

Remember,thesemethodsareorganizationaltools.Usethemasaframeworkforyourdrawingsandgeta feel for theshapes.Eventually,youwon'tevennoticethedetailsatfirst.

ReferencePhoto

Ifyou try todraw these liliespetalbypetalyouwillprobablyget frustrated. Iwould! Let's simplify the process into more bite-sized steps. See how neatlythesebloomsfit intoarectangle?Determineitsheight-to-widthratio.Hint: thelengthisoneandtwo-thirdstimestheheight.Tilttherightsidedownward.

FillingtheRectangle

Nowdividetherectangleinhalfandnoticethattheleftbloomfitsintoacirclethattakesupthefirsthalfoftherectangle.Thesecondbloomfitsintoanellipse,withthethirdbloomfillingintheremainderoftherectangle'slength.

Make'EmFit

Visualizethisladyfittingintoashape.Whatdoesitlooklike?

IdentifyingtheShape

Seehowwellshefitsintoarectanglethatisjustalittleoverthreetimesashighasitiswide?

Awordofcaution

Onecaution Iwouldgive inusing the first three approaches:Don't look for amagicformulathatresultsinagreatdrawingeverytime.Youcan'tmemorizeasetofrelationshipsbecausethesevariableschange.Youcan'tmemorize,period.Everytimewemoveafractionofaninch,therelationshipsofallobjectstooneanotherchange.

Some subjects present a general overall shape that makes it easier to see thewhole. In thatcase,Method3 isan idealway tobegin.Othersubjectsmaybemore easily mastered by seeing their geometric construction as inMethod 2.

Somesubjectshavenooverallshape,soyou'llneedtocompareoneshapewiththeothersasinMethod1.Becomefamiliarwithallthemethodsincasetheneedarises,whichitwill.

UseWhatYou'veGot

Allaroundyourownhome,therearehundredsofwonderfulthingsyoucanusetopracticedrawingskills.Tryapairofscissors,atapedispenser,thetelephoneorapaperbag,anddon'tneglecttherefrigerator.Thisonionisperfect!

WhyAllTheseSteps?

Afteryearsofdrawing, I askedmyself, “If I candrawa shapegenerally, thenadjustituntilitiscorrect,whycan'tIjustdrawitrightthefirsttimeandskipthegeneralstage?”Itriedanditworked.

MywifegavemeawonderfulChristmaspresentacoupleofyearsago.ItwasthebookAllaPrimabythegreatoilpainterRichardSchmid.Hehadcometothesameconclusion.Hewrites, “If I could see the colors and shapesof a subjectwellenoughtocorrectthem,thenIcouldalsogetthemrightthefirsttime,andthuseliminate thealmost-right stage!All Ihad todowasbeverypickyabouthowIlookedatmysubject,andwhatwentonmycanvas.”

However, this accuracy from the get-go requires discipline—assumenothingaboutthesubject.

1GettheGeneralShape

Thissubjecthasacircularshapethatwillhelpusifwegetitcorrect.Butbeforeyou draw the circle, determine if it's a full circle, more elliptical, straight ortilted.Thendrawit,butnotwithadarklinepresseddeeplyintothepaper.Holdthepencillightly,andwithafullarmmovement,lightlyblockintheshape.Igoaroundanumberof timesuntil it evolves into the shape Iwant.This circle isabout aswide as it is tall, and its axis is tilted to the right. It ismore like anellipsewithalittleaddedtothetop.

2RefineandAddOtherShapes

Useyoursightinglinestoplacetheshapesandtheanglesofthestem.

3AddEdgeDetailsandStructuralLines

Lookattheedgesoftheshapes.Thereisnosubstituteforrealobservation.Nowisthetimetocorrectanyerrorsofplacementorangle.

4PlacetheValues

Evenwiththevaluesadded,theshapesarewhatreallymatter.Howdarkisoneshapeinrelationtoanother?Whatistheactualshapeoftheshadow?Doesitendabruptlyorgradually?Thinkshape!

Fourmethodsofsearch

METHOD4

DrawingAdjacentShapes

Youmaywanttotrythislastmethodafteryouhavemastereddrawingshapes.Itrequiresyoutobeginwithoneshapecorrectlydrawnthenmovetoanadjacentshape,drawitcorrectly,andsoonuntilthelastshapeisdrawn.It'slikeputtingapuzzletogetherpiecebypiece.

ReferencePhoto

Thetemptationwouldbetostartwiththeboat.Butlookagain—theboatisnotan easy shape to see. It'smade up ofmany little shapes, and your intellectualbrainwilltrytoinsertinformationaboutlengthsandproportions.Thenearendofthedarkbuildingatthetopisabetterplacetostart.That'sashapeevenIcanhandle.

1GetOneShapeDownRight

Visualize the completed drawing on your paper. Place the all-important firstshape somewhere near the top.Draw the right edge of the shape the size youwant it.This is the easiest line in the drawingbecause youget to decide howlongitwillbe,andtheangleisvertical.Measureonthephotographandyouwillseethatthreemoreofthoselengthswilltakeyoutothebottomoftheboat.

Checkthelengthof theedgeof theroof.Ifyoudon'tcountthepart thatsticksbeyondtheedgeof thewall, it's thesamelengthas thefirst line.Thewidthoftheshapeisalittlemorethantwicethelengthoftheedge.

2ProceedtotheAdjacentShapes

Takeeachshapeandrelateitssizeandpositiontothefirstshape.Ifyoucheck,youwillusuallyfindthatasizerepeats.Theheightofthegraybuildingminusitswhitecapisthesamelengthasthefirstlinedrawnandtheroofangle,asisthelengthoftheroofridgeandtheheightoftherightedge.

Whenyouputyourpencilpointonthepaper,pausetoseeifyouareintherightplace.Youwouldn'tswingahammerandthenchecktoseewherethenailis.

3 Finish the Buildings Each shape has to be seen in relation to every othershape, whether drawing a scene or a portrait. Also, each shape has its ownspecificdimensionsandconfigurations.Don'tguess!Drawingfromlifeisaboutaccurateobservation.

4BuildtheForeground

Theveryfirstlineyoudrewwillhelpyoutopositionthelargeboatandgetitssize correct. And the width of that first shape will give you the size. Noguesswork!

Also,decidewhatnottoinclude.Theapartmentbuildingisn'tneeded.Lowertheconnectingbuilding,extenditabit,thendropitintosometrees.Theshapeofthelandwillexpandasitmovesintothepicture.

BUDLEIGHSALTERTONHARBOR6Bgraphitepencilonbristolpaper8½″×10″(22cm×25cm)

5FinishtheDrawing

Keep thinking shape: How does the major dark shape of land end? Can youmakeitbetter?Ifyouincludepeople,italwaysaddsinteresttoalandscape.

Look for any flaws in the composition. Your eye movement along the upperbuildingstowardtherightsideischeckedandredirecteddownwardbythemastof the smallboat.Thepost andgroundpickup thatdownwardmovementanddirectitbacktothelefttowardthelargeboat.

POINTSTOREMEMBER

Visualize the subject asadrawing.Youdon'thave to seeall thedetails,buttranslateitfromanobjectintoadrawing.Whatwillitlooklike?

Askcriticalquestionstohelpyoudrawwell:Isthereageneral,overallshapethatwill helpme relate all the parts?Are there any edges or lines that areparallel? At what angle? What is the general attitude of the subject? Is itvertical or tilted at an angle? If so, what angle? Are there any key pointsdirectlyacrossfromeachother?Whatistheverticalalignment?

CHAPTER3

searchingforLINEANDFORM

ED Acrylic,Contécrayonandpastel 17″×13″(43cm×33cm)

Theprocessofsearchisthesameforeverysubject.Likemanyartists,youmayhave avoided some subjects because they seemed too complex. However, thesearchrequiredtodrawapearaccuratelyisthesameasthesearchtodrawthehuman figure accurately. Develop the habit of searching for relationships ofangle,sizeandpositionandyourprogresswillamazeyou.

Atthispoint,weneedtoaddresstheedgesorcontoursofformsandthequalityoflineweusetodefinethem.Complexformsprovideuswithoverlappingedgesthat make the form appear to turn in space. As we refine the search forrelationships, we will want to firmly state these overlapping edges throughcontoured lines.Thischapter introduces thecontour lineasanexpressive toolfordefiningedgesandeventuallyappliesthistothecomplexformofthehumanfigure.

Rememberthatallformsaremadeupofsimpleshapes.Complexformsjusthavemoreshapes.Whendrawingtheseforms,thejourneymaybelonger,butyoucanstillonlytravelonesegmentatatime.Drawingthecontourlinesoftheseformsisadecisiontoslowdownandsavorthescenery.

Contourlinedrawing

TheEssenceofLine

Innaturewedon'tseelines,onlyedgesofforms.Lineistheconventionartistsusetodescribetheseedgesonatwo-dimensionalsurface.Butapartfromitsroleindescribingedges,thelinehascharacterofitsown.Itcanbeboldordelicate,energetic or graceful. Lines can be very expressive, both of the subject beingdrawnandofthepersondrawing.

Most people starting out in art are unsure of themselves and fearful about thelinestheyputdown.Knowingtheyaregoingtomakemistakes,theyminimizeerrorsbyonlycommittingtoshortlinesegments.Theresultisthatsketchylinesocommoninbeginningdrawings.Ifdrawingafurball,thislinewouldactuallybe effective, butwhen drawing solid objectswith clearly defined edges, theselineslookhesitantandtimid.Practicingcontourlinedrawingwilldevelopyourdrawing confidence, allowing your lines to be deliberate and correct, evenbeautiful.

BeConfident

Eveniftheshapeisaccurate,asitisinthefirstpear,thelinessaymoreabouttheartist's hesitation than they do about the edge of the object. In the seconddrawing,thelinesdefinethecontoursofthepearandsuggestthefullnessofitsform.Inaddition,eachlinelooksdeliberate,asifplacedexactlywhereintended.Even if the shape is a bit inaccurate, we assume it is right because of thesurenessofthelines.

ExpressMoodandEnergy

Payattentiontotheenergybehindeachstroke.Thetoplinesconveyaflowing,gracefulmovement.Thesecondrowismoreexplosive,likeaboltofelectricity.Youcannotmakelineslikethiscarefully.Thethirdrowcombinesdelicateandboldlines.Imaginethevarietyofsubjectsthesedifferentlinescanexpress.

WhatIsContour?

Contour moves with the edge of a form, defining where a plane changesdirection,orwhereonepartoverlapsanother.It'snotconfinedsolelytotheedgewhere shape meets space, but often moves into the interior of the form. Anoutline,however,istheoutsideedgeofaform,theedgethatwouldbedefinedinasilhouette.

ReferencePhoto

Organic shapes like this make excellent subjects for contour line drawingbecausetheyhaveedgesorcontoursthatoverlapandmovefromtheouteredgeintotheinterior.

Silhouette

Asilhouettedefineswheretheentireformmeetsspace.

Outline

Likethesilhouette,anoutlineonlydefinestheoutsideedgeoftheform.

ContourLine

The contour lines here follow the edges of the forms as they move throughspace.Theselinesaresharpandcrisp,justlikethebrittleedgesoftheleaves.

Point-to-pointcontour

Contour line drawing is a slower, more deliberate kind of drawing thatemphasizeshand-eyecoordinationandempathywiththedrawnforms.

Mypreferredmethodiscalledpoint-to-pointcontour.First,placethetipofyourpencilatagivenpointonyourpaperwhereacontourwillbegin.Then,lookatthe subject to determine the point where the contour changes direction oroverlapsanothercontour.Picture thatpointonyourpaper, thenpull thepencilline along the contour,matching each bump and changewith a correspondingshiftintheline.Pausewhenyoureachthepoint.Withthepencilstillincontactwith the paper, find the next point and continue the contour. Lift your pencilonlywhenyoureachtheendofacontour.Findthebeginningofthenextcontouranddothesame.

Exercise:PullingaLine

Tapedownapieceofpapersoitwon'tmove.Placeanumberofrandomdotsonthe page. Then, using a 4B or 6B pencil held between your thumb andforefinger,pullalinebetweentwoofthedots,pause,locatethenextpoint,andpull the line to that point.Tryvarying the linebetweenpoints by twisting thepencilasitmoves,orchangingthepressure.

Don'tholdthepencilasifyouwerewriting.Writingiscomposedofshortlinescreated by the movement of the fingers. You want longer, more fluid linescreatedbythemovementofyourwholearm.Drawfromtheshoulder.

PayAttentiontoYourLine

Emphasizethepointofdirectionalchangewithaslightlyheavierpressure.Youarestrivingforbeautyofline.Useyourarminsteadofyourfingertips.Youuseyour whole body when you dance, not just your feet. The same is true here.Practicepullinglineswithsuddenchangesinlinedensityasshownhereontheleft.Discoverthelinevarietiesthatarepossiblebytwistingthepencil,layingitdowntopullsideways,andpressingdowntopullupthetip.

Challengeyourselfwithavarietyofsubjects

A number of subjects are good for contour drawing. Organic objects usually

provide a lot of contours and make an interesting drawing. However, don'toverlookyourhouseholditems.Toolsandtoysmakeexcellentsubjects,aswellaseggbeatersandoldshoes.

ReferencePhoto

Subjects likethis twistedpieceofwoodareexcellentbecausecontoursemergeonlytodisappearbehindothercontours.Outsideedgesbecomeinsidecontours.Someoutsidecontoursmovethroughtheformandemergeontheoppositeside.

UsingLinetoExplaintheForm

This drawing emphasizes the contours of the twisted wood and is completewithout the addition of values. The line alone explains the turning of form inspace.

FoldsofFabric

Clothingmakes an excellent subject for contour line studies because, like thetwistedwood, it featuresedges thatbegin in the interior,move to theexterior,thendisappearbehindanothercontour.

POINTSTOREMEMBER

Beconfident.Itwillshowinyourcontourdrawing(actually,anydrawing).

Imagineyourpencilpointisincontactwiththecontourofthesubject.

Goslow.Don'tletyoureyegetaheadofyourline.

Letthemovementcomefromyourarm.

Donotliftthepenciluntilyouhavereachedtheendofacontour.

Between points, look only at the subject. Don't watch your pencil draw theline.

Erasingintensifieserror.Drawthelineagainifyouwant,withouterasing.

CapturinganedgeWITHCONTOURLINE

Therearetwowaystodefinetheedgeofanyform:withvaluechangesorwithline.Wheneveryoucreateadrawingthatutilizesboth lineandvalue,youwillhavetodecidewhichwillbedominant.Iamprimarilyavalueartist,butIlovethebeautifullineworkofsuchmastersasRicoLebrunandKatsushikaHokusai.Iutilize contour drawing in two instances: to define some of the edges wherefigureandgroundarethesamevalue,andwhenIdon'thavetimeforacompletevaluedrawingofascene—inwhichcase,Idoacontourlinedrawingofalltheshapes involvedand fill in the values later.Themost difficult part is knowingwhentostop.Icouldusesomeonetosnatchmypencilaway.

ReferencePhoto

IlikethewayshapesofshadowdefineAlmaLarson'sfaceandhand.

1DefinetheShapes

Aftertheinitialsearchforrelationships,myfirstuseofcontourlineistodefine(lightly) the shapes that will be left as white paper. Instead of drawing eyes,nose, mouth and fingers, draw the shapes of light value. If you have troubleseeing them, squintuntilyou seeonly the shapesofvalue.Draw those shapesslowlywithadeliberateline.Becarefultonoteeachturnandundulationintheedge.

2LayIntheValuesandDefinetheEdgesTheideahereistohavethefigureemerge from the dark shadows behind him. Put in the value and let the lightshapespopout.Applypowderedgraphiteusingapieceofthickpianofeltasabrush.Layinthebackgrounddarkandcarryitacrossandintothefigure.Itdoesnothave tobe recognizable, justdark.Don't let thephoto tellyouwhat todo.Define the intricateedgeswithablendingstump.Liftoutsmallpiecesof lightsuch as the edge of the hat brim and the brass buttonwith a kneaded eraser.Someedgeswillbelost.

ALMALARSONPowderedgraphiteandgraphitepencil16″×12″(41cm×30cm)

3SelectAreastoBeDefined

Toomuchcontourlinewouldruinthisdrawing.Tokeepthedominanceonvaluecontrasts,carefullyselecttheareastobedefinedbyline.Resistthetemptationtodefineeverything.Leaveinlostedges,choosingthecontoursthatbestdescribetheform.

UsinglinetoFIGUREOUTAFIGURE

When I askworkshop classeswhat theirmost challenging subject is, themostcommon answer by far is “people.” As children, we developed an extensiverepertoireofsymbolsaboutpeople.Later,whenweattemptedtodrawthem,thesymbols were substituted in place of observation. Even though we are veryfamiliarwiththefigure,weneverhadtocreateone.Inordertoreconstructit,we need to forget about the hair, nose and other specific features and focusinsteadonshapesandtheirrelationships.

ReferencePhoto

ThiskindlygentlemanhadbeenthefurnituremakerattheestateofCockingtonVillageinEnglandformanyyears.

1BeginYourSearch

Beginyoursearchwithasimplevertical line.Thisgivesyouthecorrect tiltofthehead(it'sananglerelationshiptoyourverticalline).Followwithlinesfortheangles of the eyes andmouth. Then set up thewidth and height of the head,whichwillbecomethesizecomparisonforeverythingelse.(Example:Theheelof his shoe and the bottom of the chair are four head-lengths down from hisface.)

This stage in the search is aboutgetting thecorrect tiltor angle to the shapes,locating landmark points and getting the right sizes. It is not about eyeballs,wrinklesandsuch.

LeaveYourMark

I firmly believe that a drawing should look like a drawing. If I want a

photograph, I will take one with my camera. Drawings go beyond photos,capturingnotonlyalikeness,butalsotheresponseoftheartisttothesubject.Itisthatintangiblebitoftheartistintheworkthatmakesitartandgivesitlife.Intheend,theartstandsapartfromwhatthesubjectwas.

2RefinetheShapes

This second step is like the first: a search for the relationships of shapes.Theonlydifferenceisnowyounarrowthesearchtosmallershapeswithinthelargeshapesyoudevelopedinstepone.Theemphasisisnotonfinalappearancebutondrawingshapesatthecorrectsize,setatthecorrectangleandinthecorrectplace.

THEFURNITUREMAKER Graphitepencilonbristolpaper 12″×9″(30cm×23cm)

3TheFinalStage

Focusonwhatthedrawingisabout—theman'sfaceandthedoglookingupathim.Makecertainthatthevaluesintheseareaslookright.Asyoumovefurtherfromthisfocalarea,askyourselfifcertainshapesneedmoredetailtomakethedrawing complete, and if not, don't add them.Notice how the shoeswere leftalmostastheywerefirstlaidout.

Youmaywant toaddasuggestionof thestonewall. Itgivesasenseofspace

andlocationandavaluecontrastforthelightareaofthedog.Leavethesightinglines—theyarepartoftheprocess.Adrawinghasitsownlife.Intheend,ithastoliveasadrawing,notasacopyofthesubject.Theselinesareapersonalpartoftheartist'sresponseandareasmuchapartofthedrawingasanything.

DRAWINGAPORTRAIT

Disciplineyourself toconductanhonestandthoroughsearchforrelationshipsandnosubjectwillbebeyondyou.Youwillbefreetodrawanything.

ReferencePhoto

InEngland,wetookasmallboatridefromthepierinDartmouthHarbourtothecastleattheharbor'smouth.Thismanwastheboat'scaptain.

1CompletetheInitialSearch

Beginwithacurved line indicating the line through thecenterof the subject'sforeheadandcurvingdowntohischin.Useasecondlinetofindtheanglefromoneeyetotheother.Establishtherelationshipofhischin,thebridgeofhisnoseandwherehisforeheadmeetshishairlinewithathirdline.

2RefinetheSearch

Refineasneeded,butdon'tdefinesmallcharacteristicssuchasteethortheiris.Resisttheurgetogetintodetails.Theycalltoyousoseductively:“Oh,lookatme,Iamsobeautiful.Pleaseputmeinyourdrawing.”Ignore them!Focusonthesearch.

3CompleteYourSearch

This is still not the time to get involved with wrinkles, eyelashes and othersurface details. Refine smaller shapes. What are some of the smaller shapeswithinthelargeshapeoftheeye?Whatistheexactshapeoftheothereye?Theupperlip?

HAVINGAGOODDAYGraphitepencilonacid-freefoamcoreboard14″×12″(36cm×30cm)

4AddRefinementsandValues

Define the value relationships, aswell as the smaller shapeswithin the largerones:thesmallshapesofdarkandlightwithinthehair,theshapesthatdefinetheteeth(notanoutlineofthem),theshapeofstrayhairthatcrossestheforehead.Thesearen'tdetails,butrefinements.Ifyoursearchhasbeenthorough,theresultwillbearealisticdrawing.

POINTSTOREMEMBER

Makeeverydrawingasearchforrelationships.

The only thing you can really draw is a shape, and the onlyway to get theshape right is to faithfully record the angle of its edges, its size relative toothershapes,andthepositionofitskeypointsinrelationtootherpoints.

Yourintellectualbrainwilltrytosubstitutepreviouslystoreddatainplaceofasearch.Don'tletitcontroltheprocess.

Noamountofdetailwillcorrectunderlyingproblems.

It'sOKtoleaveyoursearchlinesastheyare—arecordofyou,theartist.

CHAPTER4

seeingVALUE

AUTUMNHARVEST Charcoalandcoloredpencilonbristolpaper 15″×20″(38cm×51cm)

The term “value” refers to the quality of lights and darks in a work of art.Peoplespeakofcolorsintheirdailyconversations,butrarelyspeakofhowdarkor light something is in relation to its surroundings. It isbecauseof lightandshadow that we are able to see anything at all. The degree of value contrastbetweenanobjectanditsbackgroundiswhatmakesitvisible.Ablackcatinacoalbinisdifficulttosee.Ablackcatonasnowbankishardtomiss.

Valueplaystworolesinourvisualworld.First,itmakesshapesvisible.Second,thegradationsofvalueinaformprovideuswiththeinformationtounderstanditsvolumeandplanes.Whenyouharnessthepowerofvaluechangesandvaluecontrast,youwillbeamazedattherangeofpossibilities.Inthischapter,wewillexplore thewonderfulworldofvalueshiftsas theysimulate theeffectsof lightandlearnhowtomakethemworkforusindrawing.

Seeingvaluecontrasts

Value alone does not make something visible; it is the contrast between theobject's value and the surrounding value that does. In nature, camouflage isaccomplishedby reducingvalue contrasts.Awhite rabbit ismorevisibleon apileofcoalthanasnowbank.

ContrastCreatesClarity

These branches are a good example of how things are visible not because ofwhattheyare,butbecauseofthedegreeofvaluecontrast.

ValuesAreRelative

Valueisapowerfulcompositionaltool.Ifyoumakeashapethesamevalueasitssurroundings,itdisappears.Valuecontrastwillmaketheshapevisible,whileastrongvaluecontrastmakesitvisuallyirresistible.

Bycontrollingvaluecontrast,youcandirect theviewer'sattentionto theexactspotyouwant.Youcanalsotaketheattentionoffotherareasbydecreasingtheamountofcontrast.

LightAgainstDark

We have no trouble seeing the shape of this hill because it's surrounded byshapes with darker values. Even the lighter value of the foreground is darkerthanthepartsof thehillbathedin light. It isparticularly thedarkshapeof thebackgroundhillthatmakesthelighthillsostunning.

Dark Against Light This scene features a dark shape against a lighterbackground.Iftheskyweredark,thecontrastwouldbeminimalandtheeffectlessdramatic.

Usingvaluetodefineform

Variations of value provideuswith all kinds of information.For instance, theillusion of texture can be created by small changes in value on what wouldotherwise be a surface of uniform value. In the illustration below, the texturebeneath the crack on the third rectangle looks like carefully rendered detail.However,all Ididwas rollakneadederaseracross thearea,and then Iaddedshadowsbeloworabovethelightenedareastocreatetheeffectoflightacrossatexturedsurface.

Whenrenderingtheeffectsoflightandshadowthatdefineaform,don'trelyonsomequick,glibbitofinformationsuppliedbyyourintellectualbrain.Nothingcantaketheplaceofcarefulobservation.Askquestionslike:“Whatistheexactshapeoftheshadowarea,andwhatdoesittellmeabouttheform?”

Therearesomanyvariablesforthebehavioroflightthatacompletelistofruleswouldbeimpossible.Drawwhatyousee,notwhatyouthink,expectorknow.

FindingtheInformationinValueShifts

Lookatthesethreerectanglestoillustratehowwe“read”thevalueinformation.Allthreearethesameshape,butbecauseofthedifferingconfigurationsoflightsanddarkswithinthem,weperceiveeachdifferently.

Howtoseevalues

Themostdifficult technicalproblemyoufaceindrawingisgettingthevariousvaluesright.“Rightvalue”meanstherightrelationships:howdarkor light thevalue of one area or shape is compared to another. In order to see theserelationships, youmust compare them. Inorder to compare them,youneed tosimplify them. How do you simplify them? The answer is squinting, animportantskilltoucheduponinthelastchapter.

Lookatyoursubject,thenslowlycloseyoureyesuntilyoucanstillseethelargeshapesbutnottheconfusinglittledetails.What's leftareeasilygraspedshapesof value. You'll be able to see which is darkest, which is lightest and thegradationsbetween.

Ifyoulookatthesubjectwithyoureyeswideopen,youririsesadjusttoallowformaximumclarityintheareaofyourfocus.Onadarkarea—oneinshadow,forexample—youririsesopenwidertoaccommodateforthelackoflight,andyouwillseemorevarietyinvalue.Themoreofthesedetailsyousee,themoreyouwillmissofthelargershapeanditsvaluerelationshiptoothershapes.Ifyoushift your focus to a lighter area, your irises contract, allowingyou to see thesmall variationswithin that area.You end up seeing far toomany changes invalue — more than you need to describe the forms, more than the drawingneeds,andmorethanyoucancopewith.

ReferencePhoto

Ifyousquintenough,theprintonthispagewillbecomeblocksofgrayandtheindividual words will disappear. That's what you want. Squint at the largegeneralshapesinthisphoto.Theskyisalightgrayshape.Thebackgroundhilllosesitsdetails,andyouseealargedarkshape.Thelighthilldividesitselfintotwoshapesofvalue:shapesoflightandshapesofgray.Theforegroundbecomesamidtone.Squintingsimplifiestheinformationintoamanageableform.

SquintingtoSimplify

Thisiswhatyouseewhenyousquint.Inthisinitialstageofthedrawing,Ihaveleftout thedarkaccents,whichareeverywherein thephoto.IfIputdownthelarge shapesofvalue first, I can thendecidewhere Iwant thosedarkaccents.Liketheaccentpillowsinyourlivingroom,theyaremeanttoaccent,ortoplaceemphasis. Ifyou throw themalloveryour roomor alloveryourdrawing, theresultischaos.

AddingtheDetails

In thisfinalversion, thebasicvalueshapeshavehardlybeenaltered.Thedarkaccentshavebeenaddedstrategicallytocreateacenterofinterest.Superfluousvalue changes in themajor shapes have not been added. Squinting helps youavoidthetrapoftheselittledetails.

Findingvaluerelationships

Threethingsaffectthevalueofanysurface:

1. Thelocaltone,ortheactualvalueofthesurfacefreefromtheeffectsoflightandshadow.

2. Thebrightnessofthelightsource.Evenadarklocaltonecanhaveahighlightfromastronglightsource.

3. Thedirectionofthelightsource.Surfacesatrightanglestothelightsourcereceivethemost.Asaplaneturnsaway,itreceiveslesslightandbecomesdarker.

CapturingTheseRelationships

Therearenumerousways to render thechangesofvalueyousee.Themethodyouchoose iscompletelypersonal,aresultofyour likesanddislikesandyourchoiceofmedium.

Don'tworryaboutdevelopingapersonalstyle.Learntoseevaluerelationships,become familiar with the variousmediums, and your personality will imprintitself on your drawings naturally. Later, I'll teach you how to render theserelationshipsusing themostcommondrawing tool, thegraphitepencil, soyoucanfocusyourattentiononseeingtherelativevalueinthesubject.

EverythingIsRelativeValuesareonlyevidentinrelationtoothervalues—alightobjectwillappearlighternexttosomethingdark,andviceversa.

1Highlight:Theareareceivingthemostdirectlight.

2Light:Thesurfaceareareceivingindirectlight.

3Shadow:Wheretheformturnsgraduallyawayfromthelightsource.

4Coreshadow:Themostconcentratedareaofdarkonthesphere.Sinceitisparalleltothelightsource(whichiscomingfromaboveright),itreceivestheleastamountoflight.

5Reflectedlight:Lightbouncedbackfromnearbysurfaces.Reflectedlightisstillpartoftheshadowedareaandassuchisneverlighterthantheshadowareaonthelightedsideofthesphere.

6Castshadow:Theshadowcastbytheobjectisalmostalwaysdarkerthanthecoreshadow.Thelengthofthecastshadowdependsonthepositionofthelightsource.It'sdarkestanditsedgesaresharpestclosestto

theobject.

TheDifferentAreasofValue

Ablackandwhitesphereisagoodillustrationofthesixdifferentareasofvaluesthatformunderalightsource.

Makingavaluescale

Itisimpossibletocreatewithanymediumthefullrangeofvalueshiftsthatyou

can see in nature. Simplifying the range is a necessity. Most artists use thestandardvaluescale,whichdivides therangesofvalue intonine increments:amiddlegray,fourgradationsofdarksandfouroflights.Thismaynotseemlikealot,butit'sactuallyaboutasmanyasmostpeoplecaneasilydistinguish.

Creatingyourownvaluescaleisausefulexerciseforlearningtoadjustavalueto the values around it. Divide a 9-inch (23cm) rectangle into 1-inch (3cm)segments.Usinga2Hpencilandvery littlepressure,shade thefirstsegmentaverylightgray.Switchtoa6Bpencilandmakethelastoneasblackasyoucangetit.Nowshadeeachoftheremainingsegmentsinevenjumpsbetweenthesetwoextremes.Youmaywant touseablendingstumptoevenout thevalue ineachsegment.

Twoproblemswillarise:First,thetransitionfromonesegmenttothenextmayvary—youmighthaveaminorjumpinoneplaceandahugejumpinanother.If you adjust one, you have to adjust all the rest.Note: it is easier tomake avaluedarkerthanlighter.

Second, the value in one segment may become lighter as it approaches theborder of the next. Thiswill cause you to shade the next segment incorrectlybecauseyou'rebasingitonthebordervalueandnottheinterior.Asalways,it'shelpfultostepbackandsquint.

TheValueScale

PracticeWithYourScale

Gatherafewsimpleitemsthatarelightinvalue.Holdupyourvaluescaleandfind the square thatmost closelymatches thevalueof an area.Comparison isoneofthemostimportantabilitiesneededindrawing.

PracticeWithYourPencil

Hereisagreatsubjectfordrawingvaluerelationshipsandtheeffectoflightonacurvedsurface.Squintanduseyourscaletocapturethevaluescorrectly.

RENDERINGSHAPESOFVALUE

All forms, frompeople to trees,aremadeof shapesof varyingvalue.Someoftheseshapesareverydistinctandsomehaveblurrededges.Accuratedrawingrequires seeing and recording the configuration of each value shape, theirrelativevalues,andtheedgeswheretheseshapesmeet.Thisgullismadeupoflight,grayanddarkshapes.Forgetaboutthebirdandfocusonthevalue.

ReferencePhoto

Yourintellectualbrainseesbirdsintermsoflegs,feathers,eyesandbeaks,notshapesofvalue.Takeyourfocusoffthesenameableitemsandputitonshapes.

1 BeginWith a Search for Angles Begin with the angle of the shapes, therelative size of each shape and the relative position of key points. After that,you'rereadytoconductasearchforrelativevalues.

2EstablishaRangeofValues

Thereisnorightplacetostartaddingvaluetoadrawing,butifyou'recomparingvalues(andyoushould),establishastandardtocomparethemagainst.Ilookforoneoftheextremesofwhiteorblackandbeginthere.Comparethelighterrangeofvaluestothewhiteofyourpaper.Thissubjecthasablackshape.Perfect!

Whenyousquint,youseethattherearetwotonesinthedarkshape:blackandadarkgrayastheroundedplaneofitsbackturnstowardthesky.Putthisblackinwitha6Bpencil.Nowyouhaveastandardofcomparisonforthegraytones.

3EstablishtheMiddleGrays

Thisiswheresquintingiscrucial.Yourintellectualbraintellsyouthatthebirdisblack and white. Beginning students typically accept that information andhesitate to violate the white very much. Consequently, the shadow area isrenderedfartoolight.Squintandcomparethevalueonthebackofitsneckwiththedarkgrayofthelight-struckback.Ahighlightontheblackshapeisthesamevalueastheshadowonthewhiteshape!

Everydipandturnintheshapeofthegrayisimportant:Eachturn,eachchangeintheedgetellsyouwheretheformturnsinspace,whereitdipsorbulges.

4FinishWith aRefinement of ShapesWhenwe put in the dark of the eye(withitsblurrededgejustasweseeit),theshadowarealookscorrect.Nowaddthevalueofthelegs,feet,post,andsoon.Seeingshapesofrelativevalue,notdetail,isthekey.

You don't squint to see the exact value of an area; you squint to see therelationshipof thatvalue to thevalueof adjacent shapes.Squintingeliminatesdetailsandallowsyoutoseethebiggershapesofvalue.

Methodsofrenderingvalue

Themethodyouchoosetocreatevaluesusingagraphitepencilisyourchoice.Some prefer crosshatching, some prefer to blend, and some (myself included)prefer to create the value with strokes that also define the shape. This lattertechniqueiscalledbroad-stroke.

Forthebulkofmydrawing,Ilikethedirectnessofadjustingthepressureofthepencil to achieve the correct value. It's similar to allowing paint strokes tobecomepartofthefinishedworkinsteadofblendingthemperfectly.

Gettingthevaluerelationshipsrightisfarmoreimportantthanthemethodyouchoose.But, so you can see how thesemethods appear in a finished drawing,I'vedonethesamedrawingthreetimes,eachemployingadifferentmethod.Inallthree,thedarkestandlightestareasarethesame,aswellastherelationshipofgrays.Onlythetechniquediffers.

Blending

Graphitecanbeblendedandrubbedtoachieveanearlyphotographiceffect.Inthis drawing, I used a 2Bpencil for the darker areas and anHBpencil to laydownthelightervalues.Ithenwentoverthestrokeswithablendingstump.

Crosshatching

Crosshatchingisaseriesofstraightparallellines,overlaidbymorelinesrunningin opposing directions. These are built up gradually to achieve gradations oftone.Crosshatching shouldbe used for gradations in tone, not to establish theshapeoftheroundedform.

Broad-Stroke

Thisstrokediffersfromcrosshatchingintwoways.Insteadofusingasharpenedpoint,theendofthegraphiteissandeddownatanangletocreateachiselpoint.Also, the strokes follow the plane and vary in length. This is my personalfavorite foruse inmysketchbookbecause it's fastandreinforces theplanes in

thesubject.

BlendedGraphiteMethod

CLOVELLYDRYDOCKIHBand2Bgraphitepencil9″×12″(23cm×30cm)

CrosshatchingMethod

CLOVELLYDRYDOCKII0.5mmgraphitepencil

9″×12″(23cm×30cm)

Broad-StrokeMethod

CLOVELLYDRYDOCKIII6Bgraphitepencil

9″×12″(23cm×30cm)

VariationsinvalueANDDEFINEDEDGES

After our eyes process the scene in front of us, the image is sent to theintellectual brain for clarification and identification. When it's finished, webelievewesawitinperfectclarity.Butwedidn't.Forourarttolooklikewhatwesee,wemustfocusonthevisualinformation.

Andwhatdidwesee?Wesawshapes:somewithsharp, focusededges;otherswithvague,barelydefinededges;andedgesthatwerecompletelylost.Wesawthevaluechangefromonesideofashapetoanother.

ReferencePhoto

This old granary is a good example of thewaywe typically see.Someof theshapesarefairlywell-defined,liketheroofandthesideofthebuilding,givingtheimpressionthatit'sallinsharpfocus.Infact,wherethefrontofthebuildingmeetsthegroundisnotinfocus—there'sageneralfuzzinessabouttheshapesinthatarea.

Ifyou try todefineeveryboardandbladeofgrass,you'reheadedfordisaster.Forexample,youreallycan'tdistinguisheachboard.Tryingtodosowouldbelikecountingfleasonarhino.

1StartWithaShape

Beginthedrawingwithashapeyoucanreadilymanage,liketheroofshape.It'sskinny,andtwooftheedgesareparallel.Concentrateonthetwoanglesateachend. Drop lines down for the left side, and measure their length against thelengthof the roof.Establish thedistance to theother sideandput in theotherpitchoftheroof.Nowyoucanrelateallothershapestothat.

2SquinttoSeeShapesofValue

Squintatthephoto.Wherearetheshapesoflight?Whathappenstothevalueoftheshed?Doesitremainthesamefromtoptobottom,ordoesitchange?Findwhere theshape'sedge ishard to readbecause it's soclose to thevalueof theadjacentshape.Duplicatethatinyourdrawing.Resisttheurgetoclarifyit.

3DrawtheSpaces

Thisstepappears tobeoneof identification,but lookclosely. Ifyoudraw thedarker shapes of space, the lighter shapes will become recognizable. Manyartistsrefertothisas“negativepainting.”

Forexample,itistheshapeofdarkspacetotherightofthewagonwheelandthedarkshapesbetweenthespokesthatdefinethewheel.Whenyouputinthedarkwindow shapes, the boards in between are drawnbydefault.Your intellectualbraindoesnotseetheseshapes,onlyobjects.

THEGRANARY Graphiteonbristolvellum 7″×10″(18cm×25cm)

4MaketheFinalDecisions

Ifyoudrawshapesinsteadofthings,youwillalsoknowwhentostop.Youcanlook objectively at the value shape made by the entire drawing and adjustaccordingly.

Lookatthedrawinganddecidehowfarouttoextendtheshadowshapesintheweedsatthelowerleft.Addtheshapesofvalueinthetree.Leanthetreeintothesubject a little more to help direct the eye around the composition. The darkaccents to the left of the building and at its lower-right corner help to build acenterofinterest.Noticetherearenodarkaccentsintheperipheralareas.

SeeingshadowshapesINAPORTRAIT

Themorecomplex thesubject, themore fun it is todraw.Certainlyoneof themostchallengingandrewarding is theportrait. Inorder toachievea realisticlikenesstothepersonbeingdrawn,everyrelationship—size,angleandvalue—mustbecorrect.However,it'simmenselysatisfyingtodoaportraitthatalsocapturesthecharacterofthesitter.

ReferencePhoto

I met Billy Ayers years ago in Nevada. He's a Choctaw Indian and verypersonable.ItookthisphotoofBillyintheValleyofFirenorthofLasVegas.

1BlockIntheBasicShapes

Wheredoyoustart?Pickashapethat'seasytosee.Whatmakesoneshapeeasierto see than another? Simplicity— a triangle, for example, with well-definededges. Many shapes in portraits are indistinct or have a number of indistinctedges. Draw those edges lightly so you can create a soft edge later, withouthavingadarklinetocontendwith.Thedarkvalueshapesoftheeyeswerethemostwell-defined,soIstartedthere.

2AddtheValues

Values are just shapes! The shapes of value define the forms. Things in ourvisual experience are not defined by a black outline as they are in a coloringbook; they are defined by value contrasts. Ifwe draw these shapes exactly astheyareandgivethemthepropervalue,theywilldefineBilly'sfeaturesexactly.

3EstablishtheValueRange

Remember, every time you look at your subject, squint to see the valuerelationship.Establish thegeneral valueover an entire area, thenbreakup theareaintosmallershapesofdarkervalue—likethosethatmakeuptheear.

Putinagrayshape,notteeth.Manybeginningartistsallowtheinfluenceoftheirintellectualbraininthewhitesoftheeyesandteeth.Veryseldomdowereallyseetheseas“white,”becausetheyareusuallyinshadow.

BILLYAYERS,GENTLEWARRIORGraphiteonbristolvellum18″×15″(46cm×38cm)

4ChoosetheEssentials

Chooseonlytheelementsyouneedtoconveytheessential information.Ifyoudrawshapesinsteadofthings,thedecisionsareeasiertomake.InthisdrawingIchosetoblendthestrokes,andIusedablendingstumptodrawthevalueshapesintherobeandarm.

VALUESINLANDSCAPES

Likethefigure,alandscapeismadeofshapesofvalue.Squintandyouwillseethat a tree's foliage can be broken down into irregular shapes of lighter anddarkervalues.The tellingdetailsof leavesandbranchesoccurat theedgesofthese shapes. And, just like the figure, the complexity of a landscape can beconqueredbydrawingoneshapeatatime,eachoneinrelationtothelast.

ReferencePhoto

Mywife and Iwere driving inDevon,England,whenwe passed this countryhome.

1StartWiththeShapes

Beginwiththemostobviousshape:therectangularroof.It'stheeasiestshapetogetright.Thedistancebetweenthetopandbottomisexactlyhalfofthelength

ofthebottomedge.Addtheanglesattheendsandyou'redone.

Visualizethesceneasadrawing.Trytoanticipateproblemareasandsolvetheminyourmindbeforeyoubegin.Placetheroofshapewhereyouwantitonyourpaper.Nowtheothershapescanbedrawninrelationtotheroofshape,oneatatime.Don'tdrawthetrees:Drawshapesoffoliage.

2AddValuetotheShapes

Begininthecenterofinterestandestablishthevaluerange.Therockstepsbreakuptheareaintosmallershapes.Addfigurestoemphasizethecenterofinterest.

3ContinueShapebyShape

The topwindow really standsoutbecausepart of thewindowsill iswhite, theinteriorspacesareblack,andthese twovalueshapesaresurroundedbya lightgray.Wecanchangewhatwesee for the sakeof thecomposition:Lessen thecontrastalittle.

Study the foliage for its character, and then create similar shapes. Stay awayfromblack;saveitforthecenterofinterest.Edgesaretheonlythingneededtoidentifytheleaves.

DEVONCOUNTRYCOTTAGEHBand6Bgraphitepencilonbristolplate8½″×12″(22cm×30cm)

4PutItAllTogether

This is what I envisioned when I looked at the subject. Of course, I couldn'tvisualizeallthedetailsandeverystroke,butIknewtheoverallcompositionandthecenterofinterest.Addingthefiguresstrengthensandgivesalittlelifetothecenterofinterest.

Put in the value shapes for the trees on the left.As you add the shapes, keepbackingofftoseehowtheyaffecttheoverallshapeofthedrawing.Youwantavaried edge, loose andundefined.Ahard end is like stoppingmusic abruptly.Letittaperoff,andreservethedarkestaccentsforthecenterofinterest.

POINTSTOREMEMBER

The degree of value contrast between an object and its background iswhatmakesitvisible.

Astrongvaluecontrastmakesashapevisuallyirresistible.

Variationsinvaluedefinetextureandform.

Squintingwillsimplifythedetailsofasubject,allowingyoutobetterobservetherelativevalues.

Ashortcourseinbroad-stroke

Ihadtodiscoverthetraditionsofthemastersonmyown.Inthelibrary,IfounddrawingbooksbyErnestWatsonandTedKautzky.Ilovedtheirdrawings.Theypresented thevisualworld inaclean, freshmanner thatappealed tome.Theirpenciltechniquewasbroad-stroke.

Broad-strokedrawingisverymuchlikeoilpainting.Itisadirect,finish-as-you-gomethod. I adopted the broad-stroke technique for my own field studies. Itgavemeawaytoquicklysetdownthebroadershapesofvalueandameanstoskippastmyintellectualbrain'scravingfordetails.

Every year I fill at least one sketchbookwith quick drawings in thismanner.These drawings become the catalyst formany paintings. I usemy camera forgatheringcoloranddetailinformation,butthedrawingspreservethefeelingofthemoment, the inspiration that stoppedme and, yes, forcedme to draw.Mycameracannotcapturethatemotion(andneithercanyours).IsometimeslookataphotoandcannotforthelifeofmefigureoutwhyItookit!Ineverhavethatproblemwith a drawing because the drawing distills the essence of the formsandtheexcitingshapesfromthesubject.Iteliminatestheunnecessarytriviathatthecameramustrecord.

The following are some excellent uses for broad-stroke. It's a particularlywonderfultechniqueforcapturingroughandirregulartextures.

RockWalls

Indrawingrockwalls,youmustthinklikethemason—alternatethesizeofthestones to create an interesting pattern. He uses large stones at corners tostrengthen thewall and small stones to fill in the spaces.Amason achieves abetterbondbynotbreakingthejoints.

BrickWalls

Nothingcomparestotheknowledgeyougainbygoingoutandlookingatawall.And I mean really looking; not that quick glance for identification yourintellectual brain is famous for. Look at it as a drawing. Squint and see thepatternsofvalue.Takenoteofhowthevaluediffersbetweenindividualbricksorstones.Noticehowtextureaffectsvalue.Noticehowlightplaysacrossthetopsurfaceoftherocks.

SidingandShingles

First, squint tosee the relativevaluesof thewallsand roof.Lay ineachvalueusingstrokesofvaryinglength.

PineTrees

Thereare two things Iconsiderwhendrawing trees.One is thecontourof themasses of foliage: Is it a canopy, like an umbrella? Is it a raggedmass withundefinedcontours?Orisitlikeapinetree—amasswithspikyedges?Everytree has its own rhythm of branching, ranging from graceful elms to erraticaspens.Studythem.

Howoftenhaveyouseenrocksinpaintingsthatlooklikemarshmallows?Whataretheidentifyingcharacteristicsofrocks?They'rehard.Theybreakintosharpfacets with angular edges.Marshmallows aren't like that at all. So when youdraw rocks, go for themost characteristic ones you can find, not those worndownlikemarbles.

Practicingbroad-stroke

Makebroad strokemarksdeliberatelyandat a steadyspeed—not too fastortheywill looksloppy,not toosloworyou'll losecontrol.Donotmakestrokeswithfingermovement.Holdthepencilfirmlyinyourfingersandmoveyourarminstead.

Sharpenasoftpencil,a2Bor3B.Holditatanangletothesurfaceofaroughpaperorasandingblockandgentlyrubitbackandforthinonedirectionuntilyouhavecreatedachiselpoint.Holdthechiseledgeflatagainstthepaperandmakeastrokeasin“A”(below).Thestrokewillbewideandofonevalue.Afterpracticingflat,broadstrokesofsimilarvalue, tryacoupleofvariations.Ifyoutiltthepencilveryslightlytowarditspoint,itwillproduceastrokethatisdarkerandaccentedalongthatedgeandfadingoutalongtheotheredge,asin“B.”Tiltthepencilslightlyawayfromitspointtoproducethereverse,asin“C.”Rollthe

pencilvery slightly either towardyouor away fromyou, andhold it thatwayduringthestroketoproduceadarkerlinewiththesamepressure,asin“D.”Tiltthepencilupso that the tiprestson thepaper toproducea thin linesimilar toonemadewithapencilsharpenedtoaconicalpoint,asin“E.”

Broad-StrokePaper

Paperwithasmoothsurface,likebristol(platefinish),isbestforbroad-stroke.Formy sketchbooks, I find oneswith the smoothest surface possible. Try theblank book section of bookstores.Many sketchbooks in art stores have paperwithvaryingdegreesoftooth,whichdoesn'tworkaswell.

Practice

Trythefollowingexercisesasshown.

1. Fillarectanglewithstrokes,eachonetouchingbutnotoverlappingthepreviousone,toproducearectangleofflat,eventone.

2. Fillarectanglewithsimilarverticalstrokes,butthistimevarythelengthofeachstrokeandleaveasmallbitofwhitepaperbetweentheendsofthestrokes.

3. Doarectangleasin2,exceptthistimegraduallyreducethepressureonthepenciltocreateagradationintonefromlefttoright.

4. Fillarectanglewithstrokessimilarto2,butincludeafewplaceswhereyouintroducediagonallinesofvaryinglengths.

5. Trythesameapproachasin4,butgradethevaluesfromdarktolight.

6. Trythesamethingasin4,butwithshortcurvingstrokes.

You can see how a few broad-stroke suggestions of detail can create theimpressionofbrickwork,rockwalls,lateralsiding,verticalboardsorshingles.

CHAPTER5

figureandgroundRELATIONSHIPS

TIEDUPINBRIXHAM ColoredpencilandContécrayononplatebristol 9″×11″(23cm×28cm)

Thevisualworld isa complex tapestryof value relationships.Fortunately, it'snot beyond the scopeof ourpowersof observation—andgooddrawingsarerecordsofintenseobservation.Discoveringthesecomplexitiesthroughdrawingisawonderfulexperience.Whenyoureallylookattheworldaroundyouintheway that drawing requires, you discover that simple, ordinary objects are notonly extraordinary (as Frederick Franck said), but that they exist in awonderfully complex relationshipwith the space around them.Don't fear thiscomplexity;embraceit.Thedrawingsthatresultwillbeyourreward.

Therelationshipsbetweenobjectsandthespacesurroundingthemarereferredto as figure and ground (figure/ground) relationships. Some describe thisrelationshipaspositive/negativeorforeground/background.Inthischapter,wewillexplorethevaluerelationshipbetweenobjectsandthespacearoundthem.

Whenyouunderstandwhatyousee,youcanincorporatethatunderstandingintoyour drawings. It enhances their aesthetic sense and imbues them withconvincing reality. You can only get so skillful at putting marks on paper.Marking based on observation is the genie that puts real magic into yourdrawings.

Defining“figure”and“ground”

Sometimestherelationshipbetweenfigureandgroundisfairlysimple;however,mostofourvisual experience iswith complex figure/ground relationships thatrequiresortingout.ThesetwoexamplesdemonstratewhatImean.

Studythegroupoffiguresonthebenchbelow,andtakenoteofwhereafigureisborderedbyactualspaceandwhereitisborderedbyanotherfigure.Noticealsothe relationship of the values at these places. Youwill find that it constantlyshiftsfromafigurethatisdarkerthanthevaluenexttoit,toonelighterthantheadjacentvalue.Andsometimesthevaluesarethesameandyoucan'ttellwhereoneendsandtheotherbegins.Theselostedgesarepartofourvisualexperience;don'tfeelaneedtocorrectthem.

AnObviousRelationship

The relationship between figure and ground here is straightforward. TheScotsmenarethefigures,andallthespacearoundthemisground.Somepartsof

thefiguresarelighterthantheground,somedarker,butthefiguresareeasytodefine.

BlurredLinesBetweenFigureandGround

Thisisthevisualcomplexityweexperienceeveryday.Thebackgroundofonefigureissometimesspace,orsometimesanotherfigure.Forinstance,thespacearoundtheman'srightarmisnotspacebutisactuallythewomannexttohim.Inthiscase,hisarmisfigureandherbodyisground.Thewhitevaluebehindthewoman'shatisanother'shair,etc.Veryoftenapositiveitemcanserveasgroundfor another figureorobject. Just thinkof thevaluebordering the shapewhichyouarecurrentlydrawingasground,whateverithappenstobe.

Figure/groundvaluerelationships

Idon'twanttodestroyanybeloveddelusions,butthecoloringbookswegrewupwithlied!Therearenoclear,easy-to-stay-withinblacklinesaroundanythingin

thevisualworld.Everythingisdefinedbyvaluechanges,notlines.

Like human relationships, the value relationship between a figure and itssurrounding space (ground) can be boring or exciting, static or active. Whatmakes the difference? Interaction. If two people do not interact, there is norelationship. If a figure and its adjacent ground do not interact through value,there is no relationship. The following photos illustrate three levels offigure/groundrelationships:static,reversingandalternating.

Static:DarkFigure,LightGround

Thisisastaticrelationshipinwhichallthedarkvaluesareinthefigureandallthelightisintheground.Itmaybeveryclear,butthereisnogiveortake.

Static:LightFigure,DarkGround

Theopposite alsomakes for a static relationship.The light figure is separatedfromthedarkbackground.Itwouldmakeahorriblemarriage.

ValueReversal

Reversingtherelationshiptiesthetwotogether.Beginthefigureasdarkagainstlight, then switch.This creates an active partnership—common in the visualworld.

Value Alternation The most common visual relationship we encounter is analternating relationship. It represents the constant state of flux in the valuerelationships between figure and ground. This invites the most viewerparticipation.

Reversingthevalues

Your intellectual brain, the one that names the images and simplifiesinformation,alsoseparatesanobjectfromitssurroundings,andifforced,assignsa value to it. “Tree trunk, dark!” “Leaves, light!” It does not, however,acknowledgegradationsofvalueorrelativevalue.Thesearerecognizedonlybyyourartist'sbrain.

SeeWithArtist'sEyes

Arethelimbsonthisjunipertreedarkorlight?Seehowtheychangerelativetowhat is behind them? Look around and you will see this everywhere. I firstnoticeditinadrawing,havingneverevennoticeditintheworldaroundme.

AreasofTransition

Thisdrawingpresents the subject from the lastpage ina reversalofvalues. Itbeginsintheupperhalfwithalightfigureagainstadarkerground,thenswitchesjust below the can's lid to a dark figure against lighter ground. Notice thetransitions where the changes occurs. Like music, a new key is introducedthrough bridging measures that make for a smooth transition. Similarly indrawing,asuddenchangewouldbeawkward.

EitherWayWorks

Here, the upper half is darker than the ground and the lower half is lighter.Decidebeforehandwhicharrangementofvaluesyouprefer.Youwill find thatthinking of the background as areas of value that complement the figure willhelpfreeyoufromthetyrannyofthephotograph.Instead,youarethemasterofwhatadjoinsyoursubject.

Alternatingvalues

Valuereversalisthefirstlevelofcomplexityinfigure/groundrelationships.Asmuch as your intellectual brainwould like you to believe, the reality of yourvisualexperience isnotclearlydefined. Inorder to identify theobjectsaroundyou, your intellectual brain lifts them out of their context and resolves visualproblems(wherethefigureandgroundvaluearethesame),leavingyouwiththeimpressionofclearlydefinedsurroundings.

If you want your drawings to reflect visual reality, you have to sidestep thisintellectualtrapandlookforthevaluerelationshipsthatreallydefinetheobjectsyou see. The complexity of these relationships is the stuff of which beautifuldrawingsaremade.

EmbraceComplexity…

Ifyou lookpast theobvious (aman in agraycap,graypullover,whitepants,blackboots)tothevaluerelationshipsalongtheedgesofhisshapes,youwillseesomethingmuchmorecomplex.

…AndCaptureIt

Squintyoureyesandtakeatriparoundtheedgesofthemanwherehemeetstheground.Limitingthevaluescale to light,gray,darkgray,anddark,howmanychanges can you find along theway?There are over twenty. I have indicatedtwelve.Thisistherealinformationyouneedtobeawareofwhenyoudraw.

Value reversal is not a trick or an artistic gimmick; it is a fact of the visualworld.Lookandyouwillfindit.

Keepaneyeontheedges

Enjoy the shifts in figure/ground value relationships as you would enjoy theintricatetwistsintheplotofawell-craftednovelorthechangesinaBeethovensonata. One of the most overlooked and yet most important aspects of anysubject you choose to draw is the quality of the edgeswhere the shapemeetsspace.Theappearanceoftheseedgesisaffectedbymanyfactors:

1. Thenatureoftheform—whatit'smadefrom.(Cloudswillhavesofteredges,rocksharder,etc.)

2. Therelativevalueofanobject'sedgeandtheadjacentgroundvalue.Iftheyareinsharpcontrast,youwillhaveadistinctedge.Iftheyarethesamevalue,theedgewillbelost.

3. Thelighting.Asoft,diffusedlightwillnotproduceassharpanedgeasdirectbrightlight.

STREETMUSICIANContécrayononbristolpaper14″×11″(36cm×28cm)

ValueChangesAlongEdges

How many times does the value relationship change along the edge of thisfigure?

TryDifferentRelationships

This is an example of the alternating relationship applied to the same subjectused.Ifyouthink,“WhatkindsofvaluerelationshipsdoIwantalongtheedge?”insteadof,“Thisisthecanandthisistheleaf,”youwillbefreetoinvent.Youwill also be able to drawbetter because disciplined observation gives you thefreedomtodrawanything.

Todrawanedgecorrectly,youmustbeabletocompareit tootheredges.The

onlywaytocompareistosquint.

If you find yourself saying, “Oh, that's too complex for me,” don't listen toyourself.Thatisyourintellectualbrainspeaking.Yourartist'sbrainenjoysthisasmuchasyourintellectualbrainenjoyscrosswordpuzzlesorcomplexnovels.Drawwhatyousee.Asyougetinvolvedwiththevaluerelationshipsalongtheedges,youwillslipintoamentalmodemuchlikemeditation.

Onceyouareawareofthedifferentkindsofvaluechangesandtypesofedgesyouseealongtheforms,youarefreetocreateyourown.Youcancreateavaluerelationshipbetweenafigureanditsgroundassubtleordynamicasyouwant.

POSTERWALLBUSSTOP SepiaNupastelonsandedbristolboard 20″×15″(51cm×38cm)

CreateYourOwnRelationships

I photographed thismanagainst a busy street scene. I decided that I liked thecomplexityalongtheedgesbutdidn'tlikeallthebuildingsandpeople.Ibeganwithpiecesofvalueplacednexttothelighteredges.Theysuggestedatexturedwall.Noticehowmanytimesthevaluerelationshipbetweenfigureandgroundchanges.

ALTERNATIONDRAWING

I refer to drawings that exhibit constantly shifting relationship of values asalternationdrawings:thevaluerelationshipbetweenthefiguresandthegroundconstantly changes. It's necessary to simplify the variations in value to amanageablerange.Thevaluescaleincludesnineincrementsbetweenblackandwhite.Simplify these into threebroadranges: the lights, themiddlegraysandthedarks.

ReferencePhoto

Youcan'tposethiskindofsubject,andyoutakewhatyoucangetforthevaluerelationships. Ididmanage todoaquicksketchafter I took thephoto,but thephoto was necessary for a finished drawing. The figure/ground relationshipsaren'tideal,sonewoneshadtobeinvented.

1StartWiththeSubject

Fillintheexistingrelativevaluesofthesubject.Don'tbeafraidtosquint!

2AddAdjacentValues

Addvaluesinapatterndesignedtobringoutthesubject'sheadasalightform

againstdark.Envisionapatternthatcountersthemajorthrustofthesubject.Thelittlebirdisdominantlyhorizontal,soImadethepatterncounter inanobliquethrust.

LITTLEVISITOR 6Bgraphitepencilonbristolpaper 9″×7″(23cm×18cm)

3FinishWithAccents

In the final stage, I added dark accents in the pattern to suggest leaves andfoliage, thengavehimabranch to standon insteadof thewrought-iron chair,

whichoverpowershiminthephoto.

Manipulatevaluerelationships

Pick an object in the room, and note how many times the value relationshipchangesarounditsperimeter.Theremaybeasmanyasfifteenortwentyshiftsin value relationships around a single object. Include this constant shifting inyour drawings and you will mimic the dynamic complexity we see. If yoursubject is still lacking in complexity, go ahead and alter the actual valuerelationshipstomakethemmoreinteresting.Remember,don'tbeaslavetothephotograph.

ReferencePhoto

IspiedthismaninaquaintEnglishfishingvillage.Hewasniceenoughtoallowmetophotographhim.Incaseslikethis,youhavetosettleforaphotobecauseyoucan'tgetthemtocometothestudioandpose.

SEASALT 6Bgraphitepencilonbristol 9″×8″(23cm×20cm)

TheAlternationDrawing

The figure in the photo is great, but the ground is one single gray: It needs avaluepatterncounteringtheverticalthrustofthehead.Idecidedtosuggestboatsfromtheharbortoenhancehis“salty”appearance.Idecidedonalostedgeatthetopofhishat.Theemphasiswasonchangingthefigure/groundrelationshipasoftenaspossible.

WHATDIDWEBUY?

Charcoalonbristolpaper11″×14″(28cm×36cm)

WatchforLostEdges

Thisdrawingisbasicallyavaluereversaldrawingofthetwoshopperscheckingtheir purchases but has a number of lost edges and subtle changes. Even thepigeonintheforegroundisavaluereversalfigure.

UsingValueContrast

Even if we're aware of concepts like value reversal, when we look at thisdrawing, we see the flowers first. I even did the drawing, and still I see theflowers first and the visual concept second. That's because the stark white-against-dark background resonatedwithmewhen I first saw the flowers. Thedrawing emphasizes that contrast. I am always drawn to the same thing here:strongvaluecontrast.

POINTSTOREMEMBER

Drawingmakesyouawareoftheworld'swonderfulcomplexities.

Therearen'tblacklinesseparatingobjectsfromtheirenvironment.

Value changes not only describe the edges of forms, but can also tie thoseedgestotheadjacentspace.

Don't allowyour intellectual brain to oversimplify value relationships.Lookforinfinitevariationsandyouwillfindthem.

Youaretheboss.Don'tbecomeaslavetothesubjectortoaphoto.

CHAPTER6

organizingpatternsOFVALUE

GOINGTOCHURCH Contéandcoloredpencilonvellumbristol 13″×18″(33cm×46cm)Wehaveexploredsomeofthemostimportantconceptsindrawing:seeingrelationshipsofangle,sizeandposition,seeingtherelativevalueofshapesthroughsquinting,andfindingthevaluerelationshipsoffigureto

ground.Onelastareaneedstobeexplored—organizingtheareasofvalueinaformat.ItwasCaravaggiointheearlyseventeenthcenturywhofirstdiscoveredthetremendouspoweroforganizinglightsanddarks

inacomposition.

Theideaofeffectivevisualorganizationisnotnewtoanyofus.Landscapingafront yard is not the same as planting a garden. The garden is organizedintellectually,notvisually.Thefrontyardisorganizedvisually,usinglargerandsmaller shapesofdifferent textureandcolor,designed to leadvisitors toyourfrontdoor.Organizingtheshapesofvalueinadrawingisexactlythesame(butyoudon'thavetowaitforittogrow).Aswithayard,youbeginwithaboundedspace.Indrawing,thatboundedspaceiscalledaformat.Withinthisspace,aswiththeyard,youorganizeshapes.Onlyinsteadofleadingvisitorstothefrontdoor,youorganizetheseshapestoleadviewerstothecenterofinterest.

Whycreatevaluepatterns?

Call me old-fashioned, but I find organization more appealing than chaos,harmonymorepleasingthandiscord,anddesignmoreenjoyablethanconfusion.

Beautifulmusicisnotcreatedbyplayingrandomnotesbeautifully.Itscreationconsists of notes put together in beautiful patterns, organized and playedmasterfully.Ibelievethesameappliestodrawing.

It'sAllAbouttheOrganization

In the first format below, the three values are scattered randomly around thespacewithnoperceptibleorder.Your eyebounces all over seeking aplace toland, but finds none. The arrangement is the same as one created with anexplosion.Ifyoulookatthisforalongtimeanditbeginstofeeluncomfortable,gooutsideandgetsomefreshair.

The three values in the second format have been grouped together, but in aboringarrangement.Eachissegregatedfromtheother,andtheblackistoofarawayfromthewhitetocreateanycontrast.

Onthefarright,inthethirdformat,wefindthevaluesarealsogroupedtogether;thatis,allthegraysconnect,allthewhitesconnect,andthedarksareaccentsinonearea.However,inthisarrangementbelow,thethreevaluesinterconnect.Thelightspushupintothegraysandthegrayspushdownwardintothelights.Thedarksaregroupedformaximumeffecttocreateacenterofinterest,oneareathatismoreimportantthanalltherest.Squintatthedesign,andyouwillbeabletosee the two mega-shapes of gray and light that form the foundation for thecomposition.

WhatIsComposition?

Composition is simply the arrangement of shapes of valuewithin a format. Isthereaformula?Thankgoodnessthereisnot.

thingstodo:

1. Selectapatternthatdividestheformatintointerestingshapes.

2. Chooseapatternthathasvarietyinwidthandedgequality.

3. Createapatternthatleadstoyourcenterofinterest.

thingstoavoid:

1. Aboringdivisionofspace

2. Toomanyhardedgesthatdetractfromthecenterofinterest

3. Apatternthatistoopredictableinitswidth.Remember,thenumberofpossiblearrangementsofvalueswithinaformatisliterallyendless.

TheDifferenceaPatternMakes

Thesethreeformatseachhaveaboutthesameamountofmiddlegray,whiteandblack.Whichofthethreeisthemostinterestingandpleasingtoyou?

SomeoftheLimitlessPossibilities

Here are some possible value patterns. Each has a large pattern ofmid-valuegrayandasmallareaofconcentratedlightsanddarks.Therearemanyvariables.Thegraypatterncantouchone,two,threeorallfoursidesofthebox.Itcanbewideorskinnyanywhereintheformat.Thereisnoendtothepossibilities.

The one standard that applies to all of them is the gray values connect into asinglelargepattern.Eachshapeofwhiteeithertouchesanotherlightshapeoriscloseenough toconnectvisually.Adark shape is eitherconnected to thenextdarkshapeoriscloseenoughtobeseenasconnectingbehindthelightshapes.Thinkofthemasfamilies.Don'tbreakthemup!

Compositionwithvaluepatterns

Asingle object placed in a format doesnotmake a composition.To composemeanstoarrangewithinaspace,andyoucan'tarrangeonethingbyitself.

Trytothinkmoreaboutwhatthepatternofdarksisdoingratherthanwhattheobjectrepresents.Inotherwords,howarethedarksmovingthroughtheformat?Whatedgesdotheytouch?Howmuchofanedgedotheyembrace?Doestheirdirectioncomplementthedirectionofthesubjectinsteadofechoingit?Squinttoseethepatternsofvalue.

TheValueofaValuePattern

This little chicken has been placed in a format slightly off-center to the left.However, she's lost in the space and looks isolated and disoriented. A valuepatterndoesseveralthings:Itgivesthechickenaplacetoliveinsteadoffloatinginnothingness,anditbreaksuptheformatspace,makingitmoredynamic.

AddingthePattern

Ibeganbyaddingdarksnexttothelightoftheneck,thinkingoftheheadasthecenterof interest. I hadnoplan inmind exceptdefining the lightwithdark. Ithencarriedthedarkovertotheleftedgeoftheformatanddecidedtocontinuebehindthehead(butnotaroundit—ablackhalo).Ihadenvisionedalargedarkshapebehindthechicken'sheadgraduallybecominggrayasitreachedtherightsideoftheformat.Idon'tknowwhathappened.Noonewastheretostopmeandthedarkshape tookona lifeof itsownandbecameboardsandgrass.What Iended up with was a value reversal drawing. I may have gone a little bitoverboard,butthedrawingisstillmuchmoredynamicthantheoneofthepoorchickenlostinspace.Inthisversion,thepatternofdarkervaluesmovesacrossthe top of the format, down the left side, into the bottom of the chicken anddownintothegrassatherfeet.

PatternsDefineFeaturesandCreateEnvironments

In this drawing, I placed thehead slightlyup and centered it between the twosidesof the format. Ihoped toshift theweight to the rightbyhighlighting theleftsideofhisface(hisleftside)andsubduingthedetailintherightside.

Doyouseehowthevaluepatternperformsseveralfunctionshere?Itdefinesthefeatures,providesa livingenvironmentfor theheadandfills theformatwithadynamic push-pull between the lights and darks. Turning the drawing upsidedown helps you to see the shapes of value not as things, but as flat two-dimensionalshapesarrangedintheformat.

SeeValue,NotObjects

In the previous two drawings, the dark value pattern existed primarily in thebackgroundshapessupportinganddefiningthefigure.Inthisdrawing,thedarkpattern exists inside the subject as well as in the background. Value patternsexistseparately.Adarkorlightvaluepatterncanbepartfigure,partground.

Valuepatternsinlandscapes

I mostly work with subjects that have some good possibilities, not a perfect,completepattern:anicelightshapeagainstadark,agooddarkshapeagainstalight,thebeginningsofagreatpatternofmiddledarksoragoodcombinationoflightanddarkshapesamidagreatdealofvisualclutter.Mostof the time, thesubjectpresentsmoreshapesandareasofcontrastthanIneed,soIsimplify.

Thefollowingarethreesubjectphotosandthevaluepatterndrawingsdonefromthem. If you turn the book upside down and squint at the subjects and thedrawings, you will see the pattern that was taken from each of the photos. Iusuallybeginwith thecenterof interestandworkout to theedges. Idon'tgetinvolved in things that don't contribute to the overall pattern. I often hear thequestion, “How do you knowwhat to leave out?”My answer is, I leave outeverything that doesn't contribute to the major pattern. If I can spot a goodpossiblepattern,thenIcanvisualizethefinisheddrawing.

LightAgainstDark

This isagoodexampleofapatternof light shapesagainstapatternofdarkervalues.

OnlyKeepWhat'sNecessary

This pattern is the essential information from the photo of the shoppers.Yourintellectual brain would focus on explaining each item and would miss theoverall patterns. By looking at patterns instead of things, I am able to avoidgetting caught up in the signs, window dressings, etc. I use the parts of thepatternthathelphighlightthetwolightfigures.Icouldcreateaneffectivedesignwithevenless,butmorewouldbetoomuch.

Youmaycomeacrossasubjectwithaready-madevaluepatternjustripetobecopied—butdon'tholdyourbreath.Ifyouwaitfortheseperfectcompositionstomaterialize,youwon'thavetoworryaboutdoingmuchartwork.

ReferencePhoto

ThisscenefromtheIsleofIonainScotlandisoneofthosenearlyperfectvaluepatterns:adarkpatternsilhouettedagainstthelight.

TweakingtheValuePattern

Imadeafewminorchangestothephoto.Igroupedallthebuildingsawayfromtheedgeandaddedgrayin theskytobringout the lightpattern.Icut into thedarkrockattheleftedgetoavoidarectangleshape,andIleftoutsomeofthesmall, isolateddarkrocksonthebeachbecausetheycall toomuchattentiontothemselves.

Look for the value pattern, then add detail to enhance the pattern or build acenterofinterest.Don'tgetthisbackwardbybeginningwiththedetailandtryingtobuildavaluepatternlater.

ReferencePhoto

Thispastoralscenehasbeautifultreeswithplentyofvariationinvalue.Lookforgoodshapestobuildon.Youcanthenchangeordeletethemtostrengthenthemainone.

Thebackgroundmountainistoodark.Itstealssomestrengthfromthedarktree.The mountain shape is also a little too boring, but a bigger problem is theforeground. It consists of a few disconnected pieces of darker value that donothingforthesubject.Makethemwork,orfirethem.

MakingaPath

Themost obvious change in the drawing is the connection of themiddle anddarkvaluesintheforegroundintoapatternwhichleadsobliquelytothecenterof interest. The trees needed no changes. The highest peakwasmoved to the

right,soitwouldn'tbedirectlyabovethetrees,andthefar-leftmountainshapewascutoffsoitwouldn'tbeastallasthecenterone.Nowwehaveapathwayofconnecteddarksleadingfromtheforegroundbacktothecenterofinterest,andabackgroundthatsupportsthesubject.

Simplifyingthesubject

Moredrawingsandpaintingsfailfromhavingtoomuchdetailthanfromhavingtoo little. In composing the value pattern, youwill often need to simplify thesubjectbyeliminatingtrivialbitsoflightordark;seldomwillyouhavetoaddmore value shapes to your drawing. Grouping shapes of similar value into alargermega-shape isoneof themost effectivewaysof simplifyinga complexsubject.Ofcourse,that'safteryouhaveruthlesslyeliminatedthecompetition.

TheBasicValuePattern

This is an example of a subject with background clutter. First ask yourself,“Whatisthisdrawingabout?”Andthen,“Isthereasharedvaluethattiesmorethanoneshapetogether?”Squintatthesubjecttoseethebiggershapesofvalue.

FindtheImportantStuff

Start with the big picture. Decide what you want to make for dinner beforedraggingoutspicesandingredients.

Thisisthevaluepatternyouseewithyoureyeshalfclosed.Thisbigshapewilltellyouwhatelseisneededinthedrawing.

DeveloptheCenterofInterest

Afterdevelopingthecenterofinterest,IusuallyfindthatIdon'tneedmuchelsetocompletethedrawing.Thisdrawingisaboutthecoupletakingastroll.Wheretheyarestrollingisofsecondaryimportance.Ifoundthatsuggestingapierwasenough.

The fancy brickwork on the walkway, while important to the city, was notimportanttothedrawing.Thecityitselfisimportanttothosewholivethere,butnot the drawing about these people. The value of the lady's suit is far moreimportantthanthefabric'splaiddesign.Decidetheintentofthedrawingatthebeginning,andkeepitfirmlyplantedinyourmindtotheend.Thatwayenticingdetailswon'tlureyouofftrack.

DrawingaCOMPLEXSCENE

Have you ever avoided a complex subject like this because you feltoverwhelmed? I have!Don't let complexity keep you fromenjoyinga drawingactivity.Theonlythingthatcangethurtisyourego.

ReferencePhoto

Asubject like thiscanseemdauntingat first,butseeingpast thedetails to thebiggervaluepatternswillsimplifyitintoanenjoyabledrawing.

1FindtheValuePattern

Squintuntilyouonlyseethesceneasdividedintotwobasicvalues:allvalues

frommiddlevalueanddarker,andallthelightervalues.Thedarkscanbeseenasalarge“C”touchingbothsidesoftheformat.

2AddtheValueDetails

Drawthe largepatternofdarkervalues, leaving the lightareasaswhitepaper.For this big pattern, use a big tool: a carpenter's pencil or a stick of graphiteratherthanthesmalltipofapencil.Usingalargertooltolayinthepatternalsodiscourages the tendencytopayattentiontodetails thatwill lureyourdrawingintotheheapoffailedworks.

3DeveloptheCenterofInterest

Adddarkervalues in thecenterof interestand reallypush thevaluecontrasts;addsomedetailswealllove,butkeepyoureyeonthewhole.

If Ihadbegunbydefining thebackground, Iwouldn'thaveknownhowmuchdefinition it should receive because I wouldn't have the center of interest tocompare. Laying in a value pattern first, then developing a center of interest,maysavethedrawing.

Exercisesinspottingpatterns

Exercises are part of every serious discipline. Here are some exercises todevelopanawarenessofvaluepatternsandyourabilitytoreacttothosepatterns.Practiceonaregularbasis,andyou'llimproveyourabilitytoarrangethevaluesinadrawing.

Upside-DownReferencePhoto

Turnthebookupsidedownsoyoucanseetheimage.Now,lookatthevalues.Squint! The lower right quadrant has an area where all three values worktogether:white,grayandblackshapesinterlock.

IsolatetheDesign

TwoL-shapedpieces ofmat board or any stiff paper can be used tomake anadjustable format. Move it around your photo until you find a design with amovementoflightshapesagainstdark.Squinttoseethepattern.Selectthemostinterestingarrangement,andtapeitinplace.

Exercise1:CropanUpside-DownPhoto

Turnsomephotosupsidedownandgothroughthemsquinting.Findonethathasan area inwhich values of gray, black andwhite are all present. Tape it to aboardupsidedown.

DrawtheValuePattern

Draw the image fromyour cropped photo on a piece of drawing paper.Don'tmakeittoolarge—aboutthesizeofacreditcardisperfect.Usea6Bpenciltoroughlydrawthegraysandblacks,leavingthewhitespace.Don'tduplicatethephoto; respond only to the value patterns. The photo is a springboard. Thisexercisewillgiveyousomegreat ideasforcompositionsyoumaynot thinkofotherwise.

POINTSTOREMEMBER

Youcancreatemovementthroughyourdrawingbyarrangingshapesofsimilarvalueintoapattern.

Many shapes of different values placed haphazardly throughout a drawingcreatevisualchaos.

Compositionisthearrangementofshapesofvalueinaformat.

Simplifythevaluesinyourreferencetoformmoreeffectivepatterns.

Valuecontrastcreatesacenterofinterest.

Lookforunderlyingvaluepatternsinseeminglycomplexsubjectsandrespondtothosefirst.

Youwillbecomemore“patternconscious”withpractice.

Exercise2:Bridging

Oneofthegoalsofcompositionistodirecttheviewer'seyesaroundtheformattostopthemwhereyouwant.Youencouragemovementwithshapesofsimilarvalue, and you bring it to a stop with value contrast. Our eyes stop at theboundaries causedbya suddencontrast ofvalue. “Bridging” is the conceptofcreatingeyemovementfromonesideof theformat to theotherviaa“bridge”similarinvalueshapes.Theideaistocreatevariousshapesthattouchornearlytouch continuing to the other side of the paper. Vary the shapes to keep itinteresting.Don't define the edgesofyourpattern; leave thema little sketchy.Leavelightareaswherethetwolinescrossforacenterofinterest.

Bridging:It'sasEasyas1–2–3

Draw a rectangular format and divide it horizontally somewhere above thecenterwitha light line, thenagainvertically to therightofcenter.Where theycross is a good spot for the center of interest. Begin developing a pattern of

middledarks,as inRectangle1.Rectangle2 shows thecompletedbridge,andRectangle3showstheadditionoftheverticalbridge.Createasmuchvarietyaspossibleandthinkaboutleavingsomelightsforthecenterofinterest.

MoreBridgingChallenges

Provideyourselfwithchallengestosolveinbridgingfromsidetosideandtoptobottom.Herearesomeexamplesofsuchchallenges.

1. Touchthebottomtwiceandeachofthesides,butavoidthetop.

2. Touchthetopandtwosides,butavoidthebottom.

3. Touchallacrossthetop,downthesideandpartwayacrossthebottom.Moveintothecentralareaandcreateacenterofinterest.

4. Toucheachsideatleasttwiceandcomealmosttothebottom.

5. Beginabolddiagonalatthebottomthatmovestotheright,thenshiftstotheleft.

6. Isolatealightshapeandpushadarkshapeintoit.

7. Laygrayovertheentirearea,leavingapatternoflightshapesacrossthe

format.

CHAPTER7

techniqueforPAINTERS

LASTOFAUTUMN Watercolor 28″×30″(71cm×76cm)Beforewegetintousingyourartist'sbraintoproducenotjustgreatdrawings,butgreatpaintings,wemusttalkabouttechnique.Techniquemaybemoreimportantinwatercolorthaninanyothermedium,becausepartofwatercolor'scharmandfreshnessrelies

onallowingthepaintandwatertodowhattheydosowell,withalittleguidancefromus.Thiscollaborativeeffortbetweentheartistandthemediumisattheheartofgoodwatercolortechniques.

Lookatoneofyourpaintingsandchooseyourfavoritearea:thespotyouwishthe rest of the painting looked like. Now choose the area you feel is leastsuccessful.Chancesareyoulaboredthelongestintheleastsuccessfulspotandpaintedthatwonderfulareainonequickshot.Whatfollowsinthischapteraresome basic techniques that are essential for obtaining freshness of color andapplicationeverytime.Thesetechniqueswillhelpyougetthemostoutofyourpaintandbrushes.

Materialsandstudiosuggestions

Therearenumerousbrandsofwatercolorpaper.Whatmakesonepreferable toanotherisprimarilydeterminedbytheindividualartist'stechniques.MypaperofchoiceisArches140-lb.(300gsm)rough,foritstextureanddurablesurface.

Ifnotstretchedbeforehand,watercolorpapercanbuckleandwarpastheappliedpaint dries.To prepare the paper for painting, I soak it inwater for about tenminutes,thenstapleitdowntooneofmypaintingboardswithanofficestapler.Myboardsaremadeof12-inch(30cm)or¾-inch(19mm)foamcoreboardthathave been covered with cotton canvas glued down with carpenter's glue andpaintedwithafewcoatsoflatexhousepaint.Ihavefoundthisboardprovidesenoughbodyforthestaplessotheywillnotpulloutasthepaperdries.

Paints

Don't save money by using the cheaper, student-grade paints. If it is worthlearning, it is worth learning on good materials. There are many brands ofexcellentquality,butsince I love transparentcolors, Ihavefallen in lovewiththe Quinacridone colors first introduced by Daniel Smith. These colors arevibrant,verytransparentandflowbeautifullyinawash.

Quinacridone Sienna, for example, is much more transparent and richer thantraditional Burnt Sienna.Most of my paints are Daniel Smith, but I also useWinsor & Newton and Holbein brands. Try different brands and colors todiscoveryourownfavorites.

Brushes

Generally, flats and large rounds areused to cover large areaswithpaint, andsmall roundsareused for smallerareasanddetails.Myrequirements for thesebrushes are: (1)Roundsmust come to a finepoint andhave a full body that'sabletoholdplentyofwater,and(2)Flatsmustbethickenoughattheferruletoholdplentyofwater.Idon'twanttorunoutofwaterthreeinchesintoastroke.Theflatsmustalsocometoachiseledgewhenwet.

It used tobe that theonly choicewaspure red sable—not anymore.Certainsyntheticbrushesandhair-syntheticblendsare justasgoodformymoneyandhave the advantage of being inexpensive. A few brands of rounds that IparticularlylikeareDickBlick2047series,Utrechtsablette220seriesandtheLangnickelRoyalKnight7250series.Whenthetipwearsout,andtheydoaboutasquicklyasasabletipdoes,youcangivethemtothegrandkidstoplaywithandhavenoheartburnfromit.

AViewofPartofMyStudio

I tiltmy drafting table to about 30 degrees. Just beyondmy table ismy slideprojectorandbeyondthat,myprojectionscreen.Iworkupmydrawingfromtheprojectedimage,thenclipthedrawinginfrontofme.Iprefertodothepaintingfromthedrawing,turningontheslideoccasionallyfordetailreference.Forthebulk of the painting I prefer to stand, as this gives me more freedom andpreventsmefromfocusingmyattentionontoosmallanarea.

OtherMaterials

I sketchmostwitha4Bor6Bgraphitepencil. I like thedarkvalues Icangetwithoutpressingintothepaperandleavinganindentonthenextpage.Ialsousethesetodrawonthewatercolorpaper.Icanleavealinedarkenoughtobeseenaftertheinitialwashcoversit,anditiseasytoeraseafterthepaintingisfinishedbecauseitisnotimbeddedinthepaper.

The other supplies you need to complete the projects in this book are: a hairdryer,paletteknife,spraybottle,papertowels,sketchbookandmaskingtape.

MyColorPalette

Thisismycurrentpalette.IhavethemarrangedinthisorderonmyJohnPikepalette.Youwill notice that it is a little heavier on the yellows and reds, andlighteron theblues andgreens.This is partlybecause Idon't likemostof thetubegreens, preferring tomixmyown, andpartlybecause I respond towarmcolorsmore.

MyBrushes

ThisphotoshowsthebrushesIusemost:twolargerounds(nos.12and14),twosmallrounds(nos.8and6)andarangeofflats,from2-inch(51mm)tohalf-inch(12mm).Likeallartists,Ihavealotmore,butIhavethemprimarilytomakemelooklikeanartist.

Masteringthegradedwash

The graded wash creates a soft transition of color and can be used in manydifferent ways.Mastering this and the other washes eliminates the frustrationbeginnersexperienceduringthepaintingprocess.Washesalsoarethekeytothefresh,sparklingqualityweadmireingoodwatercolors.

GettingStarted

Beforeapplyinganywash,moistenyourpaints.Saturatedpaintsareessentialtogood painting. Dry paint results in washed-out, anemic-looking watercolorpaintings.Squeezeoutplentyofpaintontoyourpalette.(Don'tbeconservative!)Be sure to keep the paints wet during the entire process of painting. Brushes

wear out quickerwhen scrubbing them on dry paint in an attempt to pick upenoughcolorforapainting.

When painting, match the brush to the shape. For a large shape, use a largebrush.Iftheedgeoftheshapeisintricateorotherwiseimpossibletopaintwithaflat brush, use a round brush. My rule of thumb is to use the biggest brushpossibleforaslongaspossible.Ifashapecanbepaintedwithonestroke,itwillalwayslookbetter.Toomanystrokesruintheshape.

Topracticethewashesonthefollowingpages,divideahalfsheetofwatercolorpaper into thirds with 1-inch (25mm) masking tape. In the first third draw arectangleapproximatelyteninches(25cm)highandsixinches(15cm)wide.Inthe middle section draw an abstract shape roughly the same size as the firstrectangle.Inthelastsectiondrawanotherrectanglelikethefirst,butwithintherectangledrawafewshapesorblockletters.

Mix a middle-value color wash on your palette. In this example I usedQuinacridoneSiennaandwater.Mixenoughtocovertheentireareaofthefirstrectangle.Thisisessential.Ifyouhavetostoptomixmorecolor,youwillnevergetthesamemixtureandthepreviousstrokemaybegintodry.

BegintheWash

Tilt the painting support at a 15-degree angle, and prop something under it tokeepitsteady.Toomuchslantwillcausethepigmenttosettleatthebottomofthebeadofpaint,resultinginstripes.Iftheboardliestooflat,thewaterwillnotpull thepigmentdownthesheet.Fully loadaroundbrushandpullastrokeofcoloracrossthetopofthefirstrectangle.Holdthebrushataslightangletothesurfaceof thepaper—notperpendicular.Youmusthaveenoughwater in thebrushtoformabeadatthebottomofthestrokeasshown.

PullDowntheBead

Quickly reload the brush with the wash. Touch into the bead and pull downanotherstrokeacrosstherectangle,rightbelowthefirststroke.Resistanyurgetogobackintothefirststroke.Youcannotmakeitbetternomatterwhatyoudo,youwillonlymakeitworse.Justpickupthebeadandcarryitdown.Ifafleckofwhitepaper showsup, leave it alone.Nomatterwhatproblemseems tobethere,donotpaintbackintothestroke.

AddWatertotheWash

Dipthebrushintocleanwater.Donotrinseitout,justaddwatertothecolorleftin the brush. Pull another stroke into the bead of the last stroke and continuepullingthebeadacross.Continuedownthepage,addingmorecleanwatertothebrushaftereachstroketograduallylightenthevalue.Thelaststrokeshouldbeclearwateronly.

PickUptheFinalBead

Lift the finalbeadofwaterat thebottomwitha thirstybrush.Createa thirstybrush by rinsing it in cleanwater and squeezing it lightlywith a paper towel.Thentouchthethirstybrushintothebeadofwater.Thiswillpreventbackruns,whereunnoticedlittlepuddlesofwaterattheedgeofthepapermaycreepbackintothedryingwash.Keeptheboardtiltedatthe15-degreeangleuntilthewashisdry.Useahairdryertodryitfaster.Ifinditusefultodrywasheswithahairdryer.Thisspeedsthedryingandpreventsbackrunsfromoccurring.

PaintaGradedWashWithinaShape

Trythesameprocedurewiththeabstractshapeyoudrewinthemiddleofyourpaper.Confine thestrokes to theareacontainedwithin theshape.Youcanusethis technique for smaller areaswithinapainting, suchasmountains,wateror

whereveryouneedagentletransitionofcolor.Remember,justpickupthebeadatthebottomofthepreviousstrokewithoutpaintingbackintothatstroke.

PaintaWashAroundaShape

In the third section of the paper, pull a graded wash down the rectangle, butleave the shapes you sketched within the rectangle unpainted. Keep severalbeads progressing simultaneously until they join below the shapes. Keeppracticingpaintingaround theseshapesuntilyou feelcomfortabledoing them.This skillwill come inhandy in almost everypaintingyoudo— forpaintingaroundbuildings,figuresandsoon.

ProgresstotheBottom

Join the beads again and continue painting to the bottom of the rectangle.

Removethefinalbeadwithathirstybrush.

MORNINGINCLOVELLY Watercolor 14″×10″(36cm×25cm)FinishedPainting

This study of a house in Devonshire, England, utilized a graded wash ofQuinacridoneGoldinthesky, leavingthewhiterooftopandrightedgesof thechimneys.AgradedwashofManganeseBluewasalsopulledfromlefttorightinthesky.Twogradedwashes,oneofManganeseBlueandoneofQuinacridoneRoseandQuinacridoneSienna,werealsousedfor thesideof thebuildingandthe boat. Small graded washes of Quinacridone Sienna and Manganese Blue

define the chimneys. The foreground is a mingled wash of Manganese Blue,QuinacridoneRoseandSapGreen.Thesewashesaddvitalitytothescene.

Layeringgradedwashes

Noothermediumisasadaptabletoproducingagradualtransitionincolorasiswatercolor.Itwouldtakehoursoftediousandcarefulbrushinginoilstoproducethegradualtransitionyouwillcreateasyoudothefollowingexercises.Thisissometimes called a glaze, but it is simply a graded wash on top of a driedpreviouswash.

Graded washes also can be painted wet-into-wet. Wet the paper with cleanwater, either with a brush or a spray bottle. Pull in the first graded wash asdescribed below, then immediately invert the board and lay down the secondwash;however,thefirstwashmustbecompletelywet.Ifithasstartedtodry,itwillcreateadisaster.

Thereareonlytwotimesyoucansuccessfullyworkintoapreviouslylaidcolor:whenitisstillverywet,orwhenitiscompletelydry.Whenitisdamp,leaveitalone.Mostmuddycolorsresultfromworkingintothisstage.

1UltramarineBlue

2QuinacridoneRose

3QuinacridoneSienna

BuildLayersofGradedWashes

PaintagradedwashonaquartersheetofpaperusingQuinacridoneRose.Afterthishasdried,turnthepaperupsidedownandpaintanothergradedwashusingUltramarine Blue. Complete the wash all the way to the bottom; do not stoppartway.Youshouldendupwithnearlycleanwateratthebottom.Afterthishasdried, pull another gradedwash of Quinacridone Sienna from one side to theother.

1QuinacridoneRose

2UltramarineBlue

3QuinacridoneSienna

TryAnotherVariationUsingtheSameColors

This time we will change the directions of the washes. Begin with theQuinacridoneRose inagradedwashfrombottomto top.Next,pullawashofUltramarineBluefromrighttoleft,andthenoneofQuinacridoneSiennafromleft to right. Notice that the Ultramarine Blue doesn't stain the QuinacridoneRoseinthelowerright,butallowsittovisuallymixwiththeblue.

AWordAboutPigments

Pigmentsrangefromquiteopaque(YellowOchre,NaplesYellow,BurntSiennaandCeruleanBlue) tovery transparent (AlizarinCrimson,QuinacridoneRose,PhthaloBlueandViridian).Afewcolorsaretermedstainingcolorsbecausetheysinkintothepaperandstainitratherthancreateathinlayerontopofthepaper.AmongthesestainingcolorsareAlizarinCrimson,PhthaloBlue,PhthaloGreen,PrussianBlue andCarbazoleViolet. Because they stain the colors underneaththemaswellasthepaper,itisusuallywisetousethemintheinitialwashesanduse the more opaque colors on top. Used in thin washes, these more opaquecolors create a thin veil of color that allows the color underneath to peekthrough.

EVENINGCALM Watercolor 10″×14″(25cm×36cm)AnUnderpaintingSetstheTone

The underlying wash (or underpainting) of Quinacridone Sienna provides awarmglowtoallthesubsequentlyappliedcolors.Thiscouldnotbeattainedinanyotherway.Notehowitwarmsall the landarea.Thegradedwashes in themountainrangesgiveahazyappearancetothedistanceandprovideatmosphericperspective.

Createexcitementwithmingledwashes

Replace those overworked areas with rich washes of mingled color and addrichness and vitality to your paintings.Mingledwashes are based on a visualrealitythatisoverlookedbecauseourintellectualbraingetsinvolved.

Inaneffort to simplify thewealthofvisual information it receivesminute-by-

minutethroughouttheday,theintellectualbrainwantstosimplifycolor.Itseesthegradationofcolorintheskyfromdeepcobaltblueaboveustowarmgreenatthehorizonandsays,“bluesky.”Itlabelsafieldas“greengrass”eventhoughit may have eight different greens, plus sienna and purple colors mingledthroughout.ItisratherTarzan-likeinitsshortreductionoffacts:“treegreen,”or“housewhite.”Ifwefollowthislead,wefallintowhatIcalltheone-item-one-colorsyndrome.

When we really look, we will see a myriad of colors present in almosteverything.Mingledwashesareawayofbringingoutthataspectbyoverstatingit justabit.PabloPicassosaid that theartist tellsa lie togetat the truth.Thiskind of lie is okay to tell. It helps people see the beauty in theworld aroundthem.

GettingStarted

Onaquartersheetofpaperdrawaverticalrectangle,andintheremainingspace,twoabstractshapes:one,agoodshapefortreefoliage,andtheotherashapeforground.Thenmixseveralpuddlesofwarmandcoolcolors,allaboutmid-value.

BeginWithaWarmColor

Anglethepaintingsupporttoabout15degrees.Beginpaintingwithoneofthewarm colors at the top of the rectangle. Give this stripe a varied edge. Useenough water in themix to produce a bead of color along the bottom of thepainted area. If you don't have a bead, youwill only get hard edges between

colors.

MingleDifferentColors

Rinsethebrushandloaditwithanothercolor.Withthebrushatanangletothepaper,andwiththetippointingupintothebead,pickupthebeadandcarryitdownward.Everytimeyourechargethebrush,dosowithadifferentcolor:firstusethewarmcolors,thenthecoolgreensandblues.

When you reach the bottom, remove thewater from your brushwith a papertowel.Pickupthefinalbeadbytouchingthethirstybrushintothebeadofwater;otherwise,itwillrunbackupintothelastcolor.

FinishedWash

Practicethiswithall thecolorsonyourpalette.Youwillfindthatsomecolorstravelmoreslowlyintothesucceedingcolor,whileothersvirtuallyexplodeintoothercolors.

PaintaMingledWashWithinaShape

Nowlet'strythiswashindifferentshapes.Thistimeaswepainteacharea,wealsowillfocusonvaryingtheedgeoftheshapesothatithasbothvariedcolorandvariededges.Thiswillbeveryimportantwhenyouapplythistechniquetotreesandothershapesinyourpaintings.

Continueontothenextshape.Asyouapplythefirstcoloralongthetop,anglethe brush horizontally to the surface and drag it along quickly to produce araggededge.Pointthetipofthebrushintotheshapesotheedgeiscreatedwiththeheelofthebrush.Ifthebrushispresseddownnearlytotheferrule,theheelofthebrushwillproduceamoreraggededgethanthetip.Thenaddmorecolorandincreasetheareaofcolor.Remembertouseenoughwatertoproduceabead.

MingleaNewColor

Withafullyloadedbrushofadifferentcoolcolor,pullthebeaddownintotheshape.

SoftentheEdges

Beforethewashhasachancetodry,useadampbrushtosoftenedgeshereandthere,creatingeye-pleasingvariation.Don'ttaketoolongorthebeadwilldry.Ifthebeaddries,youwillgetahardedgethatwillbemuchmoredifficulttosoftenwithout scrubbing it into submission. Grab the bead with a new color andcontinue.

FinishedShape

Younowhaveaninterestingshapepaintedwithexcitingcolorsandavarietyofedges.

Dothesamewiththeshapebelowit,thistimeusingmoregreensandyellows.Iprefer mixed greens to tube greens as they look more natural. Some of myfavoritemixturesareManganeseBlueandQuinacridoneGold,UltramarineBlueandQuinacridoneSienna,andManganeseBlueandQuinacridoneSienna.

To create a tree with foreground grasses and a fence, add a few calligraphicdetailsontopofthelastmingledwash.

AUTUMNPASSAGE Watercolor 11″×14″(28cm×36cm)BreakingFreeFromtheOne-Item-One-ColorSyndrome

Hereyoucanseehowmingledwashesenhancethetrees,groundandforegroundareas. Using mingled washes will free you from the one-item-one-colorsyndrome. Thewarm foregroundwash ofQuinacridone Sienna helps create asenseofdistance,sincewarmcolorsappeartoadvanceandcoolcolorsappeartorecede.Italsogivesthissceneawarmautumnglow.

Gettingthemostoutofyourbrushes

The twobasicwatercolorbrushes, thepointed roundand the flat,aredesignedespecially forwatercolor.Toooften theyare treatedasmerepaint applicators.They should be thought of as specialized tools designed to produce the best

possibleeffects.Whenusedcorrectly,theywillserveyouwonderfully.

Agoodwatercolorroundbrushholdsalotofwaterandisversatileinthatyoucanpaintwiththebodyofthebristlesorusethetipforfinelines.Aflatbrushhasmoreversatility thanonewould think, but it can also cover large areasofpaper quickly, with fewer strokes. Practice these strokes to see what yourbrushescando.

LoadingaBrush

Usingano.6orno.8round,mixapuddleofrich,darkcoloronyourpalette.Theconsistencyshouldbefluidbutwithplentyofpigment.Thenloadthebrush.Asyoupullitawayfromtheedgeofthepuddle,twistthebrushhandlebetweenyour thumband forefingerasyou liftup.Thisaligns thehairs togiveyou thebesttip.

TheControlledLine

Hold the brush as shown, perpendicular to the surface of the paper. Only averticalpositiongivesyoucontrolat thetip.Donotholdthebrushatananglelikeyoudoapenwhenwriting.Lettheheelofyourhandrestonthepaper.Thispositiongivesyouverticalstabilityandcontrolofthepressureatthetip.

Lockthewristandfingersinthisposition.Useyourarmtomovethebrush,notyourfingersorwrist.Paintaseriesofstraightlines,bothhorizontalandvertical.Practiceuntilyoucanconsistentlypulllinesofthesamewidth.Watchyourhandasyoudothis.Don'tallowyourfingersorwristtomove.

Now try somecombinationsofdiagonal andcurved lines, similar towhatyouwillfindintrees.Aslantingpositiontothebrushwillnotallowyoutocontrolthewidthofthecurvedlines,somaintainaperpendicularpositionforthebrushatalltimes.

PaintLinesofVariedWidth

Bypracticingproperbrushposition,youcontrolwhetherthestrokewillbethinorthick.Holdthebrushthesamewayasbefore,butasyoubeginthelinepressthebrushstraightdownintothepaperwhilecontinuingthestroke.Asyoupullthestroke,twistthebrushhandlebetweenthumbandforefingerasyoupullthebrush up to the starting position. Maintain the vertical position throughout.Practicethesestrokestogaincontrolandmasteryofthebrush.

Consider taking a brush calligraphy class; this is a great way to learn brush

control.

TheSide-DragStroke

Loadano.10orno.12 roundwith juicycolor (plentyofpigmentandwater).Thistimewewilllaythebrushdownanddragitsidewaysinsteadofusingthetip. Point the tip away from you and hold the brush almost horizontal to thesurface.Dragthebrushsideways.Varythelinelengths.Drag,thenliftandskipalittlespace.Thisliftingwillleavesomelights.

ABrokenWash

Drag another stroke along the bottom of the previous line. Each time yourecharge the brushwith color, vary the color. This produces a kind of brokenwash,which is great for grasses and foreground texture. Stagger the lights sotheydon'tlineupvertically.

SeethePossibilities

Addingafewlineshereandtherewiththetipofyourroundwillcompletethistexturalforeground.

TheStab

Loadabrushwithcolorand,holding itvertically to thepaper,press thebrushdown to the ferrule and then lift off. Try twisting it as you lift off. Thiswillproduceadifferentmarkeverytime,andcanbeturnedintochickensorusedinfoliageorforanynumberofotherpossibilitiesyourimaginationcancreate.

Spattering

Loadabrushwithcolor.Holdthebrushoverthepaperandtapitwithyourotherhand.Thisdistributesdropletsofpaintoverthepaper.

PaintaThinLine

Load a 1-inch (25mm) flat with color and hold it vertically above the paper.Withthelongedgepointingawayfromyou,beginpaintinga thinstrokeawayfromyou.Agoodflatbrushcanproduceafairlythinline.

ContinueWithaWideStroke

As you push the line up, lean the brush over and push down on the bristleswithout changing the brush position in your hand. This produces the wideststrokepossible.

FinishtheStroke

Finishthestrokebytwistingthebrushslightlyandliftingup,withthefaredgeofthechiselleavingthesurfacelast.

TryaVariationofthePreviousStroke

Beginwith thebrush in thesameposition,but this timepull thestroke towardyou.Asyoudo,begintwistingthebrushwhilepushingitdownintothepaper.

FinishtheStroke

Lift the brush as you twist it. Finish the strokewith just the corner tip of thebrush.Thisstrokeisusefulinanumberofapplications,especiallyforbuildingtheplanesinrockformations.

TheSide-DragStroke

Whenyoudragaflatbrushsideways,youwillfindthatthehairssplayoutandproducesomeaccidentaledges—wonderfulforfoliage.Press thebrushdownallthewaytotheferruleandquicklydragitsideways,pressingthecornerofthebrushintothepaper,nottheflatedge.

RaggedEdge

Noticethatthemostraggededgeofthestrokeismadebythepartofthebrushattheferruleend,notthetipend.

MakeaPracticeSheet

Makingpracticesheetslikethisonewillhelpyouseethepossibilitieswitheach

brush.Build your paintingswith a combination of basicwashes and carefullyplaced strokes.Use these strokes to suggest or reveal “things” as you bring astroke around a shape. Don't approach the process as an exercise in paintingthingsoryouwillendupsimplycoloringbetweenthelines.

SANDSTONEBUTTEWatercolor10½″×14″(27cm×36cm)

APaintingBuiltonWashesandBrushwork

Hereisanexampleofapaintingdonecompletelywithbasicwashesandappliedstrokes.Canyouidentifythedifferentstrokes?

CHAPTER8

seeingSHAPES

DESERTCATHEDRAL Watercolor 24″×33″(61cm×84cm)

The same information-processing problems that the analytical or intellectualpart of the brain creates for those who draw plague those who paint.Fortunately,thesolutionremainsthesame:Tobeagoodartist,youneedtorelyon your visual brain, or artist's brain. Training your artist's brain is really amatterofbringingwhatitnormallydoesonanunconsciouslevelintoconscioususe.Topainta treeyouneedtoconsciouslyaccess thevisual informationfirstrecordedbyyourvisualbrain.Youneedtoseetheactualshapeofthetree,thevalueandcolornuancesofthatshape,anditsrelationshiptotheshapesaroundit.Youdon'tneedthesimplifiedsymbolyourintellectualbrainstoredwhenyouwerefiveyearsold.Youdon'tneedtoknowtherearethousandsofleavesonit,orthatfoliageisgreenandthetrunkisbrown.Thesegeneralitiesreplaceactualobservation.Thisinformationactuallypreventsyoufromseeing.

Usesilhouettestofindinterestingshapes

Everythingyoupaint isashape.Youcannotpainta tree;youcanonlypaintashapeofcolorandvaluethatconveysthevisualinformationofatree.Youareworking on a two-dimensional sheet of paper.A tree or any other object is athree-dimensional form in space.As soon as you represent that formon a flatsurface,youhavedonesowithashape;therefore,itiscriticalforyouasanartisttobeabletoseesubjectsasshapes.

Tohelpyouseetheshapeofanyitem,askyourself,“IftheobjectIamlookingatwere cut out of blackpaper,whatwould its silhouette look like?”Seeing aformasasilhouettedshapeallowsyoutodiscoverifthatshapeiseithervisuallyinteresting or boring. Visually interesting shapes entertain the eye. Visuallyboringshapesarestatic,uniformsimplificationsorgeneralizationsoffacts.

Mostpeoplecantellaninterestingshapefromaboringone.But,whenwepickupapencilorpaintbrush,acuriousthinghappens.Iftheshapewe'relookingatisboring,wepaintit thatway.Wetendtowanttopainttheshapejustasit is,withoutchangingittomakeitmoreinterestinginourcomposition.

Looking at an object from several different points of viewwill help you findwhichviewpresentsthemostvisuallyinterestingshape,orsilhouette.

InterestingRockForms

Atthebaseofthisbeautifulwaterfallisacollectionofrocks.Asformstherocksareinteresting,butthatdoesn'tmeantheiroverallshapeisinteresting.Ilikedtherocksasavisualelementandtheirlocation,butnoticewhathappenswhenyousilhouettetheshape.

UninterestingRockSilhouette

Thisiswhattheshapewouldlooklikeifyoucutitoutofblackpaper.Iliketheplacement of these rocks, but their shape is unexciting— just slightly moreinterestingthanthatofamarshmallow.However,thesilhouettecouldlookverydifferentandmoreinterestingiftherocksareviewedfromanotherangle.

Howyourbraincanmakeaninterestingshapeboring

Sometimesyoumayseeaninterestingshapeinnaturebut turnit intoaboringoneonpaper.Eventhoughyourealizetheattributesoftheinterestingshape,thisdoesnotdeter the intellectualbrain fromaffectingyourability to re-create theinterestingshape.Letmeillustratewhythishappens.

WhatYouSee

Thistreeisaninterestingshape.Thereissomecomplexityandvarietytoit.

WhatYourArtist'sBrainRecords

Youreyesseethetreeinthephotoandthensendittoyourartist'sbrain,whichrecordstheshapejustasitis.Thentheimageissenttotheintellectualbrainforidentificationandnaming.

WhatYourIntellectualBrainProduces

Here the image links with previously stored information, including othersymbolsfortrees,andbecomessimplified.Allthevisualcomplexitythatmakestheshapeinterestingiseliminated.Asymboliscreatedtostandforthetree.Itisnotmeanttolooklikethetree,onlyrepresentit.Thissymbolisthensenttoyourhand for recording. If youdrawa symbol for a tree, it doesn'tmeanyoucan'tdraw.Itmeanstheintellectualbrainintervenedanddictatedthedrawing.

Modifyboringshapes

Whenpaintinganyitemaskyourself,“Istheshapeinteresting?”Thisisdifferentfromaskingiftheitemisinteresting.Itmaybeinterestingbecauseitbelongedtoyour grandfather; however, this does not make its shape interesting. Mygrandfather's pocketwatch is a very interesting artifact, but not an interestingshape.Ourchallengeasartistsisnotonlytoseeanitem'sshape,buttoanalyzetheshapeforitsvisualinterestanditsabilitytocontributetoourpainting.Someshapes are perfect and don't needmodification.Often shapes need just a littleadjustingtomakethemmoreinteresting.Othershapesneedafullmakeover.

GoodShapes

Shapesarelikepeople—someareinterestingandinteractwithothers,someareboringrecluseswhoavoidrelationships.Goodartistscreateshapesthatinteractwiththesurroundingspaceandallowthespacetomoveintotheshapes.

UninterestingShapes

Imagineyouwanttoincludearockandabushinyourpainting.Firstlookattheshapes.Iftheshapesareboring,astheseare,youneedtomodifythem.

InterestingShapes

These shapes aremore interesting than the first example.Neither the rocknorthe bush is predictable. These shapes have variouswidths; they are narrow in

some places and wide in others. Both shapes interact with their background,whichcreatesadynamicsenseofspaceonthepictureplane.

BoringBuildingShape

This littlebuildinghasquiteaboringshape.Notice that it is self-contained—there'snoplaceforthesurroundingspacetogetinandinteractwiththeshape.There are no parts of the shape that jut out into the space (the white of thepaper).All of the edges are the same. Its height andwidth are approximatelyequal.Ithasnovisualsurprises.

InterestingBuildingShape

There are several places where the building creates a sense of space orinvolvement: the chimney, the fence, the shadows in the foreground. Theseshapes breakup thewhite of the paper theway landforms jutting into the seacreateinletsandbays.Thisshapeiswiderthanitistall,againaddingvariation.It alsovaries inwidth fromnarrowat the top towide in themiddle, and thennarrow at the bottom in the foreground. The edges also vary; some are hard,crisp,ragged,softorevenlost.

Placeshapesintovisualcategories

Whenyounameitemsyouputthemintointellectualcategories.Wealldothis,but few people outside the field of art take note of an item's shape. Progressbeyond the intellectual category and train yourself to place shapes into visualcategories,suchas:

shapesoflightvalue

shapesofdarkvalue

shapesofcolor

shapesofspace

Youcan'tpaintgoodshapesifyouarenotawareofthem.Trainyourselftoseeinterestingshapesandyouwillrespondmoretothemwhenpainting.Buildingapaintinginvolvesorganizingshapesintoaunifiedvisualstatementwhereineachshape, like a piece in a puzzle, contributes to thewhole.Good shapes are allaroundus;however,beawarethattheytendtokeepbadcompany.Everywhereyoufindaninterestingshape,youwillusuallyfindaboringone,too.

Herearetwopaintingsthatwerebasedonstrongshapes.

ASHBURTONSIDESTREETWatercolor27″×19″(69cm×48cm)

StreetsideShapesinDaytime

Several interesting shapes caught my eye on this little street in Ashburton,England.Themostimportantwasthelightshapewiththearchwayattheendofthestreet.Inmypainting,Iincreasedthesizeofthearchwayforgreaterinterest.Thedarkshapeofshadowcastbythebuildingsontothestreetalsocaughtmyeye,asdidtheshapesofthepeople.Ilovedtheshapeofthespacewithsignsandchimneyspushinginto it.Littlecomplementaryshapesofblueandorangealsoaddinteresttothescene.

BADCALLBAY Watercolor 11″×28″(28cm×71cm) Privatecollection

SeasideShapesatSunset

Theintriguingshapeofthelight-struckseaasitinterlockedwiththedarkshapeoflandatsunsetwasavisualtreatformywifeandmewhenwearrivedatthisremotevillageonthenorthcoastofScotland.

Overcomecameradependence

WhenIdrawonlocation,Ibeginwithwhicheverinterestingshapefirstcatchesmy eye. Then I addwhat is necessary and change any shapes to improve thecomposition.A camera cannot do that.You can't rely on it because it doesn'tdiscerninterestingshapesfromboringones.

In the followingphotos I havepointedout someof the interesting shapes andboringones.Practicedoing thisyourself soyoucan editwith ease every timeyouselectasubjecttopaint.

DetermineInterestingandBoringShapes

Themostinterestingshapehereisadarkshapemadeupoftheshadowedsideofthebarn, the tree trunks, the foliage in shadowand the shadowon thegroundwith fence posts. But the overall shape of the tree is boring because it is tooroundand looks like a large,uniformoval.Thegrassyarea at thebottom is aboringlightrectangle.

Inapainting,Iwouldcreateplaceswherethespacearoundthetreewouldpushinto it, making the shape of the tree more irregular. I would push the darkshadowonthegrassdownintotheforegroundlight,creatingbettershapesoutoftherectangle.

ABoringShapeWithinanInterestingSeascape

Amongthebeautifulcoastalshapesinthisphoto,atree/shrubshapehasperched

itselfontopoftherocksandlooksjustlikeabighedgehog—acuteanimal,butnotthemostinterestingshapeintheworld.Inapainting,createabettershapebypushingsomeofthedarkoutintothespaceandallowingthelightspacetocutintothedark.Addinganothertreemightalsohelp.

DiscoverHiddenInterestingShapes

Someshapesarefascinatingjustastheyare;however,youhavetobeawareofthem.Mostpeoplewouldsimplypassupthisbeautifulshapeandnevernoticeit.

Practicealteringshapes

If we see everything around us as shapes, and see ourselves as arrangers ofshapes,thenwewillbefreeofthetyrannyofthephoto.Wewillfeelatlibertytochange any shape to suit our needs, move any shape to enhance ourcompositions,andaddanycolortoashapewhenwefeelitisnecessary.

Findagoodshapeanduseyourartist'sbraintoadjustitinseveralways.Explorethecharacteristicsoftheshapeandtryoutseveralpossibilities.Thisisthejoyofart.Theexcitementisnotinthefinalproduct,butinthejourneyyoutaketogetthere.

ReferencePhoto

The rocks in this photo create a very interesting shape; however, some areasneed changing. The background isn't doing anything for the rock forms. Thedarkshape is toobigand too faraway from thepointof the rocks.Theshapeneeds to be made more interesting and brought over where it can add to theexcitement of the rocks. The straight diagonal line at the bottom of the rocksneedstobebrokenupandgivensomeirregularity.

ExperimentWithThumbnailSketches

Startwitha linearexploration,orbasic linedrawingof theshape.Placeit inaformat to see how it divides up the space. Then try several variations, quickthumbnailstudiesthatshowwhattheshapewilllooklikeifyouvarysomeofitscharacteristics. In these sketches I have tried several types of the tree form,changedtheconfigurationoftherocksandmovedthetrees.Nothinginthephotoissacred;youwon'tgotojailforchanginganything.

NORTHERNEXPOSUREWatercolor22″×28″(56cm×71cm)Privatecollection

TheFinishedPainting

Thepaintingisnotthesameasthephoto.Doesthismakeitlessreal?No!Itisadifferent reality than the photo.Think of the photo only as a spring board forideas. The art occurs after you leave the springboard. In this new reality, themajor lines from the left lead to the rock forms,and thedark treesprovideanareaofstrongcontrastwheretherocksend.

ALessonFromaMaster

ThegreatMichelangeloisreportedtohavesaidaftercompletingastatueoftheDukeofUrbinofortheMedicitombs,“What,itlooksnotliketheDuke?Whowill know a thousand years from now?” After nearly five hundred years wecouldsafelyaddtothat,“Andwhowillcare,either.”Ifchangingtheshapewillenhancetheartwork,it'sOKtochangeit!

Resisttheintellectualbrain'scloningtool

AnyonefamiliarwiththecomputersoftwareprogramAdobePhotoshopknowswhatthecloningtoolis.Itallowsyoutocopyanysectionofaphotoandrepeatitsomewhereelse.Forexample,ifyouhadashortsectionoffenceinaphoto,you could clone it to make one long fence. However, every post would beidenticalinlength,width,height,colorandvalue.

Your intellectual brain has a similar feature— it can register a sequence andrepeatit.Remember,itisalwayslookingforanopportunitytoinvolveitselfinthepaintingprocess.Yougiveittheopportunitywheneveryoupaintasequencethatcanbe repeated—fenceposts, rocks, treebranches,bushes,grassblades,windowpanes and so on. Once you paint the first one or two, the intellectualbrainjumpsinandsays,“Igotit,letmedothat!”Anditdoes.

Thenext time the intellectualbrain tries to interject itsoversimplifiedversionsinto the painting process, deter it by basing your shapes on observation andassumingnothing.For instance, ifyouwere lookingatahouseanda tree,askyourself what you actually see. What happens along the bottom edge of thebuilding shapewhen itmeets the lighter or darker shape of ground?Atwhatangledo the tree limbs leave theirparentbranch, andwhatkindof rhythmdothey have?What variations in value and color do you see on the side of thebuilding?

HowYourIntellectualBrainWantstoPaint

The intellectual brain taints your visual thinking. Itwants to oversimplify andtake the easywayoutwhenpainting the images it interprets.The elements inthisimagearepaintednotfromobservationbutfrompreviousknowledge.

HowYourArtist'sBrainWantstoPaint

Careful observation and the ability to make visual revisions are the keys toovercomingtheintellectualbrain—theenemywithin.

Beacollectorofshapes

Master watercolorist Edgar Whitney is reported to have said that we shouldbecomecollectorsofshapesandinventorsofsymbols.Ihavediscussedthekindof visual symbols, based on observation, that I believe he was talking about.Nowafewwordsaboutcollectingshapes.

Somepeoplecollectstamps,whileotherscollecttoys,orbaseballcards.

Icollectshapes.Whenmywife,Nan,andIareontrips,shehastoremindmetotake“memorabilia”shots. Iamalways looking forgoodshapes thatwillworkwell in paintings. It requires a conscious shift in thinking for me to take thephotosthatgointoaphotoalbum.

Begin your collection of shapes now.Collect themwith your sketchbook andpencil,oryourbrush.Themoreyoutrainyourselftolookforinterestingshapes,the more natural it becomes. You will find yourself seeing the world a littledifferently.Whereasbeforeyoulookedforthingsofinterest,nowitwon'tmatterwhatthethingis,onlytheshapeithas.Hereareafewexamplesofinterestingshapesfrommycollection.

I collected these figure shapes with my paintbrush on a bustling street.Collectingmovingfigureshapesprecludesthecollectingofdetails.Respondtogeneralshapesofdarkandlightcolorwithdeliberatebrushstrokes,allowingtheshapestobleedintoeachother.

These wonderful overlapping shapes were collected in Clovelly, Devon,England,withpencil.

I really like the dark and light shapes formed by the light headstones and thedark tree. I balanced these with the light figure shape in the archway and asuggestionofthestainedglasswindowshapesontheleft.

FocusonshapestomakeaSTRONGERPAINTING

Here is a simple subject made of large shapes. Remember, you can eitherapproach it from an intellectual standpoint — allowing yourself to name thegrass, road and so on — or you can use your artist's brain to focus yourattention on the shapes, the colors within those shapes and how their edgesconveyessentialinformation.

MATERIALS

Arches140-lb.

(300gsm)rough

BRUSHES

Nos.6,8and12round

1-inch(25mm)and2-inch(51mm)flat

WATERCOLORS

CobaltViolet

ManganeseBlue

PermanentRose

Quinacridone

BurntOrange

QuinacridoneGold

QuinacridoneSienna

6Bpencil

Sketchbook

Hairdryer

Papertowels

ReferencePhoto

ValueSketch

Reduce the scene in the photo to three basic shapes. Each is interesting andneedslittlechanging.Thefirstshapeisformedbythegrassesontheleft,ending

with the buildings. The second shape is formed by the trees at the top of thecomposition,andthethirdshapeisformedbythegrassesontherightside.Drawthese shapes carefully rather than drawing objects.This allows you to capturethe heart of the scene— what gives it visual impact. Place the horizon linehigher in thecomposition toavoiddividing thepicture inhalf.ThiswillmeanshorteningtheheightofShape2.

1PainttheFirstShape

Load a no. 12 roundwith a juicymixture ofQuinacridoneBurntOrange andCobaltViolet.With the painting support tilted about 30degrees, paint the toppart ofShape1.There shouldbe a beadof color at thebottomof thepaintedarea;ifnot,youneedtousemorewater.

RinsethebrushandloaditwithQuinacridoneSienna.Beginpaintingalongtheedge of the bead, allowing the first color to run down into the new color.Continuethewashdownyourpaper,rechargingthebrushwithanewmixtureofQuinacridoneGoldandManganeseBlue.

At the bottom, carry the wash over to the dark shape of the rut in the road.Withoutabreakinthewash,carryitonupthisshapeuntilyoureachitspoint.You now have one single shape with varying colors. The top is geometric,revealing the silhouette of a building and fence. At the bottom edge of the

darkestpart,paintafewstrokesofadarkshadetorevealgrass.

2EstablishtheSecondShape

Loada1-inch(25mm)flatwithQuinacridoneSienna.Hold ithorizontallyanddragthecolorwiththeedgeofthebrushtoproducearaggededgeforthetreeshapeontheleft.Whilethatisstillwet,loadano.12roundwithQuinacridoneBurntOrangeandCobaltVioletandtouchthismixtureintothebaseoftheshapeyoujustcreated.

With a 1-inch (25mm) flat loadedwithQuinacridone Sienna, begin the largerportionofthetreeshape,movingfromlefttoright.Tiltingtheboardtomaketheleftsideabout30degreeshigherwillallowthepainttopuddleinthedirectionyouwill be traveling. As you carry the bead along this shape, charge it withsomePermanentRoseandQuinacridoneBurntOrange.ThenaddCobaltVioletfollowedbyManganeseBlue.Leavesomelightpatchesbetweentreetrunks.

Onceyou reach the right side of the tree shape, drag the brush along its edgeagaintoproducearaggededge.Thisgivestheimpressionoffoliagewithouttoomuchdetail.Extendthebottomoftheshapeuntilittouchestherightsideofthepaper.Nowwehavecreatedasingleinterestingshapethatreadsasanumberoftrees, with places where the surrounding spacemoves into it. The shape alsochangescolorfromverywarmonthelefttocoolontheright.

3MoveOntotheThirdShape

Thisshapeisnotasclearlydefinedinthereferencephoto,leavingitselfopentointerpretation.Ihavechosentodrawitwithsmallerintrusionsofwhitealongitsleftside.Thechoiceisyours,butitmustbeinteresting.

Load a1-inch (25mm) flatwith amixtureofQuinacridoneSienna andCobaltViolet and begin the shape at the right edge of the paper just below the treeshape.Touch just the tipedgeof thebrush toyourpaperanddrag it sidewayswith a somewhat jerky motion to produce a stroke of varied width. AbouthalfwayalongthebaseofShape2,mergethewashwiththetreeshapessotheyconnect. As you approach the left side of the shape, charge the brush withQuinacridoneGoldinadditiontotheothermix.Carrythebeadofcolordowntothebottom,changing thecolorsasyougoby introducingPermanentRoseandCobaltViolet.

Keeptheinterioroftheshapesimple.Nevergobackintoapreviousstroke;thiswillmuddyit.Breakuptheedgeoftheshapeinplaceswithstrokesindicatinggrass.Iftheedgesoftheshapearecarefullytreated,youwon'tneedmuchmoredetail.Noticehowwellyoucanreadthesubjectatthispointeventhoughtherearenosupportingdetails.Thepaintingisstrongbecauseofitsshapes.

ALONGTHEFARMROAD Watercolor 19″×27″(48cm×69cm)4AddtheFinishingDetails

Thinkofthedetailsasdecorationsonshapes—littletouchesthathelpexplainthe shape. Add a few calligraphic lines with a no. 6 round to describe treebranches.Addafewmoreintheopeningwheretheroadleads,andplaceatreetrunkonthisside.Ontherightside,addatreetrunkandlimbs.Alongtheedgeofthegrassshapes,addafewstrokestoindicategrass.

Withano.12round,painttheshadowsacrosstheroadusingCobaltVioletandManganese Blue with a touch of Permanent Rose. Make sure the shadowsundulate over the surface of the road, defining the road's contours. With apointed no. 12 round, paint some shadows at the edge of the snow withManganeseBlueandPermanentRose.

Addthebackgroundskylast.Witha2-inch(51mm)flatandalightmixtureofCobalt Violet and Quinacridone Burnt Orange, quickly paint the backgrounddirectlyabove the trees.Dry it immediatelywithahairdryer tominimizeanybleedingofcolor.Withapointedno.8roundandclearwater,paintafewgrassblades in the interior of the shapes and then lift themoutwith a paper towel.Thesedetailsenhancetheshapesbutdon'talterthestructureofthepainting.

POINTSTOREMEMBER

Everythingyoupaintisashape.

Anitemmaybeinterestingincontent,buthaveaboringshape.

Instead of seeing items, notice shapes— specifically shapes of light, dark,colorandspace.

Youcanchangeanyshapetomakeitmoreinteresting;yourcameracannot.

For interesting shapes, avoid perfect, predictable symmetry and vary thequalityoftheedges.

Lavishattentiononcreatingtheedgeofshapes,notsurfacedetails.

CHAPTER9

seeingtheSHAPEOFSPACE

LOWTIDEINPOLPERRO Watercolor 14″×19″(36cm×48cm)

Your ability to compose or design paintings is inseparably connected to yourabilitytoseeshapes.Asyoudiscoveredinthedrawingsection,theshapesofthespacearoundtheobjectsyouseeareequallyasimportantastheshapesoftheobjects themselves. These shapes are a vital part of your painting. I prefercallingthem“shapesofspace”ratherthannegativeshapes,becausetheformerisamorepositivereference—nothingaboutthemisnegative!Theyareoneofthemostpositivedesignaspectswithwhichyoucanwork.

Instead of “negative” painting, think of it as defining objects by painting thespacearoundthem.Yourintellectualbrainwantsyoutobelievethateverythingneeded to define anyobject iswithinor on theobject. This is false.Often themost revealing detail is at the edge of a form where the surrounding spacedefinesit.

Designingshapesofspace

Ifwethinkofthespacearoundanitemasaspaceshape,itdoesn'tmatterwhatitis specifically. Therefore, I consciously try to design the shape of the spacearoundanyobject.Sometimesitispartofalargerobject,oritmayjustbesky.The importantaspect is tosee itasashape.Whether it receivesa lotofcolor,textureanddetail,orwhetheritisasimplewash,itisstilloneoftheshapesinthepainting.

Followingaregoodreasonstomaketheshapesofspacepartofyourthinking:

They share an edgewith a positive shape. If the edge of the space shape isinteresting,thentheedgeofthepositiveitemalsowillbeinteresting.

Thesespacesareeasiertoseeasshapesthanarenameableitems,becausewehave no preconceived ideas about how they should look. Thismakes themeasiertochange.Ifwechangethespaceshape,weautomaticallychangetheitemshape.

Dealing with the space shape helps us avoid awkward tangents and boringshapes. A tangent occurs when a line touches another line but does notintersectit.Forexample,ifthelinefromadistanthillcoincideswiththeroofline of a building, it creates an awkward tangent because, at that point, theroofandthehilloccupythesamespaceandonedoesnotappeartooverlapthe

other.

WASHDAY Watercolor 14″×19″(36cm×48cm)

ViewingPositiveandNegativeShapes

If the sky isanegative (or space) shapeand thebuildingsarepositive shapes,then what do we call the shape of dark around the clothesline? The positiveshape just became a negative shape. The sky is a light space shape, and thebuildingsbecomeashapeofdarkspacearoundtheclothesline.

The shape of space often defines the character of the positive items. Forexample,ifyoucorrectlydrawtheshapeofspacebetweenafigure'sarmandtorso, you've automaticallydrawn the edgeof the arm in relationship to thetorso.

Drawingtheshapeofthespacearoundanitemisofteneasierthandrawingtheitem itself. It helps us avoid mistakes in drawing that are the result of theintellectualbrain,whichsubstitutesstoredknowledgeforvisualfacts.Thisisespecially true when drawing the human figure or other subjects whereperspectivepresentsuswithaforeshortenedview.

COMINGHOMEINCLOVELLYWatercolor21″×14″(53cm×36cm)

PositiveShapesCanActasShapesofSpace

I painted this in the quaintNorthDevon coastal fishing village ofClovelly inEngland.Whilewalkingdownthestonesteps,I lookedbackandsawthe lightfallingon them.Thewhiteshapeof thebuildingat the topcaptivatedme.ThetwoladieswhocamehomewhileIwaspaintingweretheicingonthecake.

Thewhite shapeof the building actually functions as a space around the darkfigure.Thedoorwaybecomesadarkshapeofspacebehindtheotherfigure.This

isanexamplewherethepositiveshapeofabuildingbecomesanegativeshapewhenafigureispaintedoverit.Considerthespacearoundanyobjectasashapeforyoutodesign—itisasimportantastheshapeoftheobject.Doyouseehowthelightshapeinteractswiththedarkershape?

Maketheshapeofspaceenhanceyoursubject

RememberhowthesmallspaceisbetweenthefingerofGodandthefingerofAdaminMichelangelo'spaintingofthecreationofAdamintheSistineChapel?ThattinyspacecreatesanenormoustensionthatseemstospirituallyuniteGodandAdam.Shapes of space possess that intensity of electric energy.Negativespacecaneitherunite twoitemswithdynamic tensionbetweenthem,or itcanpushthemapartwiththesameforce.

NegativeSpaceRepelsStructures

This isoneofmy favorite spots topaint inbeautifulZionCanyon in southernUtah.Noticehowthespacebetweenthetwotoweringrockformationsseemstopushthemawayfromeachother.Thisisbecausethespaceshapebetweenthemisaslargeasthepositiverockforms.Theenergyinthespaceisaforcedrivingthetwoformsapart.

ZIONCANYON Watercolor 13″×10″(33cm×25cm)

ShrinkingNegativeSpaceHelpsSubjectsWorkTogether

Imade several small changes to this subject, but themajor enhancementwassimplymakingthespaceshapebetweentherockssmallerthanthepeaks.Nowthetwoareworkingtogether.Thespacebetweenthembecomesadynamiconethat seems to pull the two together, rather than an empty space forcing themapart.Spacethenisnot“nothing”itisenergyandforce.Thisisalifeprinciple.Oftenthelittlethingsinarelationshipthatseemtohavenosubstancecanendupbecomingsolargethattheydrivetwopeopleapart.Makethespaceworkforyoubycreatingenergyofattractionbetweensubjects.

ReferencePhoto

Thisoldminehasaveryinterestingshape;however,thereareafewproblems.Therearetwoshapesofspacebehindthesubject:theskyandthehill.Thetreesalong the top of the hill create a line between them that does nothing for thesubject—infact,ittakesattentionawayfromthesubject.Also,byjustkissingthe top of theA-frame, the hill creates an awkward tangent. The other space-shapeproblemhereistheabundanceofspacearoundthesidesandbottomofthesubject.Thesubjectendsupfloatinginthisspaceinsteadofbeingdefinedbyit.Beginningpaintersoftenencounter thisproblem.Bynotconsidering theshapeofthesurroundingspace,youareforcedtosurgicallyamputatetheexcesspartsofthepaintingafterit'scompleted.

HORNSILVERWatercolor14″×28″(36cm×71cm)

ProblemsSolved

Here I have consciously considered the shapeof the space around the subject.Eliminatingthehillcreatedonebackgroundspaceshapethatnowsharesanedgewiththesubject.Ialsomadeafewadjustmentstothespaceshapebyaddingafew poles to create more places where the subject's shape interacts with thespace.Imovedtherightedgeofthepaintingclosertothesubjectshapetocreatean interesting ending to the space shape. I added some vent pipes on thebuildingstobreakupthelinebetweenspaceandsubjectshape.Ialsodecreasedthe space at the bottom. Now the shape of the subject activates the space bytouchingthesidesandbottomofthepainting.

Combinephotostocreateidealshapes

Anartist'sdutydoesnotinvolvepaintingscenesjustastheyare.Paintersaren'trecorders. It is more important for you to express what you feel about your

world.Acameracanrecordexactlywhatisthere,butonlyyoucanrecordyourperceptionsandfeelingsaboutasubject.

My best advice is to be passionate about painting and get in touch with thatpassion.Lookatasubjectandseethepossibilitiesforapainting.Ifyoulookfortheperfectcomposition,youwilldoalotofsearchingandalittlepainting.Onceyourealize thatyouarefreetorearrangeandedit thematerial,youwillsmashtheshacklesofcopyingandrevelinyourfreedomofexpression.

ThepossibilityofapaintingoftenstemsfromacombinationofelementsintwoorthreephotosIhavetaken.ThisnewrealitylooksthewayIwishthescenehadlooked.Here'showitworks.

ReferencePhotos

Here is a photo of awonderful rock formation, and another that focuses on ajunipertreeinthesamedesertscene.Thisscenehassomeverygoodpointsandone very big problem. Notice that in the first photo, the line that divides thespaceshapeof theskyfromtheshapeof therocksisalmostperfectlystraight.Thelineisbrokenonlyoncebythetreeform.

Nowimaginetheskyshapecomingaroundthemainrockform.Whatwouldthatdototherocks?Let'ssee.

RoughSketch

Roughlysketchthescenetoseehowcombiningthetwophotoswouldlook.Thisis just a quick thumbnail to “try on” the composition; if it doesn't work, doanother.Eveninthisroughdraftwecanseethedynamicpotentialofthescenewithoutthatbothersomecontinuousline.Thecombinedreferencesmakeagoodcompositionwithinterestingshapes,solet'stakeitonestepfurther.

FinalSketch

Let's plan the composition somemore. Borrow a better tree from the secondphoto because it has a more irregular configuration and interacts with thesurroundingspace.Nowdoanothermorecompletedrawing.Everythingshouldhelpdrawyoureyetothepointwheretherockmeetsthetree,thefocalpointofthepainting.Withthisplan,thepaintinghasamuchbetterchanceofsuccess.

TRIUMPHOFLIFE Watercolor 10″×13″(25cm×33cm)

FinishedPainting

Ihavealwaysfeltdrawntothesetreesthatseemtodefyalloddsandgrowwherenothing else could.Tome they are symbols of the tenacity andpowerof life.Thechangesmadetothecompositionsupportthistheme.

DefinelightsubjectshapeswithDARKERSHAPESOFSPACE

MATERIALS

Arches140-lb.(300gsm)rough

BRUSHES

Nos.6and12round1-inch(25mm)flatWATERCOLORS

ManganeseBlue

QuinacridoneBurntOrange

QuinacridoneGold

QuinacridoneSienna

SapGreen

UltramarineBlue

6Bpencil

Sketchbook

Papertowels

In this demonstration focusing on leaves, youmust fight the urge to give intoyourintellectualbrain,whichwillwanttorepeatthesameleafshapeoverandoveragain. Instead,wewilluse thedarkshapesofspacearoundthe leaves to

reallydefinethem.

ReferencePhoto

1DrawSomeof theLeafShapesandSpaceShapesDon't attempt an exactreplica of these leaves or you will be bored silly. Instead, draw some of theleavesandspacesonthepapersoyou'llknowwhereyouareheaded.Thenstudythe characteristics of the light and dark shapes. In this case, the light shapesconsistof leavesandpatchesof light fallingon them.Thedarkshapesare thebackgroundspaceandthedarkerleaves.

2EstablishOverallColorandShapeWithFirstWashLaydownaunifyingwashtoestablishthemoodandgeneralcolor.Ourpaintingwillbesunnierthanthereferencephoto.BeginintheupperleftwithSapGreenandManganeseBlueusinga1-inch(25mm)flat.Leaveareasofsparklinglightasyouprogress.AddQuinacridoneSiennaandQuinacridoneGoldtothemixasyounearthecenter.

3DefineLargerShapesandPatternsDon'ttrytocontrolthisstagebypaintingindividualleaves.Fearoflosinganedgeorlosingcontrolwillmakeyouchokeupanddoacoloreddrawing.Instead,carvearoundlightshapeswiththedarkervalues.Usingano.12round,applythesamecolorsfromthepreviousstep,butwithalittlelesswaterandalittlemorepigment.

Leave light patches, not whole leaves. Define the edge of a leaf with a castshadow.Define edges, but never an entire leaf.That is not howwe see them.Definepartsandleaveplacesforoneleaftomergewithanother.AddjustalittleQuinacridoneBurntOrangetotheareajustbelowandtotheleftofthecenterofthepainting,whichwillbeourfocalpoint.

4BringtheSceneIntoFocusThiscouldbethefinalstage,dependingonhowdetailedyouwantthepainting.Theideaisnottocountleaves,buttocreatetheimpressionoflayersofleavesandconveythefeelingofgrowth.Ifyoutelltheviewer everything, you dominate the conversation and the possibility ofcommunicationislost.

Still using the no. 12 round, darken the background space and define a fewleaves in the process. A very dark green can be made with Sap Green,Quinacridone Burnt Orange and a bit of Ultramarine Blue. Go into the focalpointareatodefineafewedgesandleaveafewbitsofvine.Someofthesearenothingbutquickbrushstrokesbasedonthekindsofdarkshapesthatexistinthereference photo. Keep the contrast to a minimum in the outlying areas; don'tdrawyourviewer'seye to theedgesofyourcompositionbecause itmay leavethepainting.

Asimpleareashapesuchasthismakessenseoutofthissomewhatabstractmassofleaves.Theseshapesofspacemagicallymaketheleavespopout.

LEAFSTUDY Watercolor 14″×21″(36cm×53cm)5AddFinalDetailsThisfinalstagebringsenoughareasintofocustoconvincetheviewersthattheyareseeingmorethantheythink.Theshapesarethekey—iftheyareright,lessdetailisneeded.Evenwhenlookingattherealsubject,weseefewerentireleaves

thanwethink.Withtherightcontextandafewdetails,theviewerwillfillintherest.

WithamixtureofUltramarineBlue,QuinacridoneBurntOrangeandverylittlewater,begintofurtherdefinesomeoftheleavesandstemsinthefocalarea.You

willendupeliminatingsomeoftheleavesalreadycreated.Don'tapproachthiswiththefeelingthatanythingyoupreviouslydidissacred.Atthispoint,watchthepainting,notthephoto.Thephotowillonlyconfuseyoubecauseitisnotthesame.

Create some soft edges here and there. Place single strokes andwatch detailsappear.Addafewsuggestionsofveinsinsomeoftheleavesbypaintingthemwithcleanwaterandano.6round,thenwipingwithapapertowel.Paintsomeothers with a slightly darker version of the leaf color. Your intellectual brainwantsyoutomakethesemuchdarkerthantheyshouldbe;don'tdoit.Myruleforsurfacedetailistomakethedetailsjustalittledarkerthanthesurfacetheyareon.

Notice thatmanyof the shapes left for leaves are not typical leaf shapes.Butlookatthereferencephotoagainandseehowmanyshapesarenotexactlyleafshapes.Baseyourpaintingonobservation,notintellectualsymbols.

AdjustsubjectandspaceshapesFORASTRONGERCOMPOSITION

WhenIrecallthisscene,Irememberthesoundofthestreamgurglingalongatthefootofthesetoweringpines,thescentoffreshpineintheairandthewarmsunonmyface.ThisiswhatIwantedtoconveyinmypainting.Tocapturetheexcitement of the moment, we'll have to make some changes to the scene mycamerarecorded.

ReferencePhoto

Let'sanalyzetheshapesofthisscene.We'llwanttokeepthenumberofshapesdowntofewerthanten;toomanyshapeswillconfusetheviewer,andprobablyyou,too,asyou'repainting.Youwon'trememberwhichonewasthefocusofthepainting.

MATERIALS

BRUSHES

CadmiumRedLight

CarbazoleViolet

ManganeseBlue

QuinacridoneGold

QuinacridoneRose

QuinacridoneSienna

SapGreen

UltramarineBlue

6Bpencil

Sketchbook

Papertowels

Paletteknife

Spraybottle

ThumbnailSketch

Try several thumbnails to determine the best arrangement of the masses, anddevelopsomedifferentsolutionstotheproblemoftheboringedgebetweenthetreeandskyshapes.NoticehowIamholding thepencil flat rather than in thenormalwritingposition.Thishelpsme lay inbroadshapesofvalueandkeepsmefromgettingboggeddowninpickydetails.Atightgriponthepencilcausesyourbraintoshifttoaconsiderationoftighter,smalleritems.

I liked the top left drawing best; it was the most interesting, having a goodbreakupofspaceandarangeofvalues.

1MakeaDrawingandLayIntheFoundationColorsTransferyourplantothestretchedwatercolorpaper.Sketchacontourlinedrawingwitha6Bpenciltoidentify themain shapes.Notice that I havedrawn thepine trees asgroupsofshapes.

Beginpainting,working from light to dark.Since the tree formswill be dark,painttheskyfirst.Withyourflatbrush,quicklylayinaloosepatternfortheskywithManganeseBlueandQuinacridoneSienna.UseQuinacridoneSiennawithalotofwatertowarmupthecloudareas,whichshouldreflectthewarmthoftheearth.Whilethisisstillwet,useaclean,dampbrush—onethathasbeenrinsedoutandthensqueezedbetweenpapertowels—toliftoutsomelightedgesfortheclouds.Youwantamixtureofsoftandhardedges.

With the same colors, paint the stream, which should reflect the scenery.

Bringingthesecolorsdownintotheforegroundwillalsohelpunitethepainting.

2BegintheFirstMassCreatethegroupoftreesontheleftusingano.12roundand a mixture of Sap Green andManganese Blue. Add a little QuinacridoneSiennahereandtheretowarmitup.Paintaroundthewhitetreetrunks.Whileitisstillwet,drop in theautumncolorswithCadmiumRedLight,QuinacridoneGoldandQuinacridoneSienna.Noticethesuggestionofdetailisattheedgeofthefoliageshapes,notwithintheinterior.

3 Continue the Background Tree Shapes and Begin the Middle GroundContinue painting themajormass down the left sidewith your no. 12 round,changingcolorasyougo.ThemiddlegroundisamixtureofQuinacridoneGold,QuinacridoneRoseandthenManganeseBlue.Useplentyofwaterandpigmentsoyoucanmovethebeadofcoloraround.Mingledwashesprovidewonderfulcolortransitions.Beforethewashdries,pushsomeofthepaintaroundwiththeedgeofapaletteknifetoaddalittletexture.

Beginthetreemassontheright,addingsomevarietywithalittleQuinacridoneGold and Carbazole Violet and leaving bits of white paper showing to addsparkle.Whilethedarkcoloratthebaseofthemassisstillwet,paintthelightergreen ground with some Sap Green andManganese Blue. The soft edge willprovideabetter transitionbetweenthehorizontalgroundandthevertical trees.Remember,changecoloreverytimeyoure-chargeyourbrush.Onceagain,the

paletteknifecanaddalittleforesttexturetothewash.

4 Head for the Foreground Bring the wash on down into the foregroundbeginning with some Quinacridone Sienna, then addingManganese Blue andQuinacridone Gold. Along the left where it meets the water, switch back toQuinacridoneSienna.Keep the lower right less vibrant.You can dull the SapGreenandManganeseBluemixturewitha touchofQuinacridoneSienna.Wedon'twantattentioninthecorner.

Nowadd a suggestionof distantmountains in the gapbetween the twomajortreemasseswithamixtureofManganeseBlueandQuinacridoneRose.Wetthestreamwithcleanwateranda1-inch(25mm)flat,and,withano.12round,dropin the reflections from the dark trees and the autumn foliage. Add a littleManganeseBlueinthemiddleasitreflectsthesky,anddarkentheforeground

waterwithUltramarineBlue.Addafewhorizontalstrokes.Rememberthatthereflectionsarevertical,butthewaterishorizontal;youneedboth.

SPLASHOFAUTUMN Watercolor 13″×21″(33cm×53cm)5AddFinalDetailsDetailsaremeanttoexplainshapes.Youdon'tneedtoomany.Addalittledarkattheedgeofthegroundontheleftwhereitmeetsthewater.Withano.6roundandamixtureofManganeseBlueandQuinacridoneRose,addsomeshadowsacrossthewhitetrunks.Ifyouwishtoscrapeoutlinesandtexturewithapaletteknifebutthe

washisalreadydry,simplyre-wetitwithaspraybottleandscrapeinthetexture.Useyourno.6roundandamixtureofCarbazoleVioletandQuinacridoneBurntOrangetoaddthecalligraphyforthedeadpineand

otherbranches.

POINTSTOREMEMBER

Thespacearoundanobjectisalsoashape,usuallyreferredtoasa“negativeshape.”

Theshapeofspaceoftendefinesobjects.

Theshapeofthespacearoundobjectsisofteneasiertodesignthantheobjectsthemselves.Aninterestingshapeofspaceguaranteesaninterestingshapeforthepositiveobjects.

Thespacearoundanobjectisoftenanotherobject.

Ifyoucan'tseetheshapeofthespacearoundyoursubject,youprobablyhavetoomuchspace.

CHAPTER10

seeingSHAPESOFVALUE

EARLYWINTER Watercolor 32″×40″(81cm×102cm) Privatecollection

Intrainingyourselftoseethefourcategoriesofshapeslisted,themostpowerfultoolyoucancultivateistheabilitytosimplifyyoursubjectintoshapesofvalue.

Doingthisturnshundredsofitemsintoafewsimpleshapesforpainting.Justassquintinghelpsyouwithdrawing, itwillhelpyou inpainting.Thismaycausewrinklesatthecornerofyoureyes,butiteliminatesdetailandallowsyoutoseebigshapesofdarkvaluemoreeasily.

Youreadshapesbyseeingdifferencesinvalue—acriticalartskill.Atfirstyourintellectual desire to separate all the items might interfere, but you willovercomethisbypersistentlyusingyourartist'sbrain.Youaredeprogrammingyourbrainfromwhatyoulearnedasachild.Rememberthecoloringbooksyouenjoyedwhenyouwereyoung?Eachitemwasclearlyoutlinedinblackandyouwere encouragednot togoover the line.Nowyouhave tounlearnall of thattrainingtoseeshapesofvalue.

Seedarkshapes

Every timewe approach a subject we are facedwith the same dilemma: Theintellectualbrainwantsustoseeitasacollectionofnameableitems,whiletheartist'sbrainwantstoseeitasagroupofshapes.

Squintyoureyeswhilelookingatthesephotostomovepastthedetailsandseethe larger dark shapes. Itmay be helpful to view the page upside down. Thisfurtherseparatesyoufromthepictorialcontextandallowsyoutofocusontheshapes.

Evaluatedarkshapesandadjustthemforinterest

Onceyoucansee thedarkshapes,youcanuseyourartist'sbrain todeterminewhat a shape needs to make it more interesting in your composition. Thesechanges usually involve: Adding places where the shape interacts with itssurroundingspaceshape.

Varyingthewidthtoavoidsame-widthdullness.

StaretoAvoidDetails

Stare at the dark shape in this photo until the detail disappears andyou see itonlyasashape.

ModifytheBoringDarkShape

Varying the width of the predictable curve and creating interaction with thesurroundingspaceshapeenhancesthecomposition.

DrawtheShapeandIdentifyAnyProblems

Now draw the dark shape. When you do, you should notice one very bigproblemwithit.

AUTUMNWALK Watercolor 21″×14″(53cm×36cm)FinishedPainting

Mostpeoplewhoseethispaintingcommentonthecolor,butitisreallythedarkshapecarvingout the lightshape thatgives itvisual impact.Withoutchangingtheshape,youwouldonlyhaveacolorfulboringshape.

Seemultipleshapesasoneshapeofsimilarvalue

Simplifynumerousitemsbyunitingthemintooneshapeofsimilarvalue.

ReferencePhoto

If the intellectual brain were in charge of painting this group of people, youwouldoutlineeachfigureandcolorthemin,clearlydistinguishingeachperson.Butthatisnotthewayyousee.Lookatthisgroup.Yourartist'sbrainactuallyseesonlyafewshapesoflightanddark.

AWatercolorSketchofLightsandDarks

This is not just a clever way to paint the group; it's a painting of the actualpatternoflightsanddarksthatenteredourbrainaswesawthescene.Oureyesfill in the detail we don't see. If you get these larger value shapes right, theviewerwillfillinthedetail.

PracticeManyWatercolorSketches

Paint some single figures and groups of figures. Eliminate the boundariesbetween items and concentrate on keeping the similar values flowing togetherintooneshape.

ReferencePhoto

Ifwestartednamingallthethingsinthisphoto—signs,people,buildings,andsoon—wewouldsoongetdiscouragedby thecomplexity. Instead, squint tosee the larger shapesof value.These shapes are easier to drawandpaint, andtheyaremorevisuallyaccuratethantheintellectualbrain'sversionoftheitemswouldbe.

FindBigShapesofSimilarValue

Ifwelookforthelargeshapesofvalue,wediscoverthereareonlyafew.Theareaon therightalongwith thefiguresand theshadowon thegroundbecomepartofonehuge shapeofmiddle-darkvalue.Thedark figuresmergewith thelargershapewhenwesquint.

SHOPPINGINPOLPERRO Watercolor 21″×14″(53cm×36cm)FinishedPainting

Exercisingthepracticeofseeinglarge,simplevalueshapeshelpedmetoswitch

intoshapemodeforthispainting.Noticetheconsiderablerangeofcolorwithinthevalueshape.However,whenyousquintyouwillfindthevalueoftheshapedoes not change.This preserves the integrity of the shape. It is the value thatbuildsashape,notthecolor.

Useshapesoflighttocreatevisualpathsandbridges

Artist Gerald Brommer correctly observed that, “The eye moves most easilyalongpathwaysofsimilarvalue.”Ifyouhavetojumpfromoneplacetoanother,youwillnaturallystopfirstandplanyourjump.Youreyewilldothesame.Ifnobridgeisprovided,itwillstop,thenjump.Keeptheviewer'seyemovinguntilitgetstothecenterofinterest.

Shapes of light have the same ability as dark shapes to connect areas of yourcompositionandprovideavisualpathfortheviewer.Provideabridgefromoneshapeoflighttothenexttocreatewholeshapesoflightvalue.Andrememberthis:AgoodlightshapewithoutadarkshapetogowithitisnomoreeffectivethanaflashlightatnoonintheSahara.

ReferencePhoto

In this case, there is too much of the light value and it is divided into twoseparateshapes.Thelightshapesshouldbeinterestingandleadtheviewer'seyetothecenterofinterest.

SHADOWPATTERNS Watercolor 14″×21″(36cm×53cm)FinishedPainting

The large tree shape was broken up among the light shapes to enhance their

interest and lead the viewer's eye into the center of interest. I expanded somedarkervaluestotheendsoftheformattodiversifytheforegroundlightshapes.Thestreamalsobreaksuptheforegroundandprovidesabridgetothecenterofinterest.

SeekGoodValues,NotGreatSubjects

Ifyoulookforinterestinglightordarkshapesinsteadoflookingforinterestingsubjects,youwillbeonyourwaytocreatingstrongerpaintings.

DevelopabetterLIGHTSHAPE

Youwillrarelyfindtheperfectcomposition.Ineverysubjectgooddarkshapesare foundalongsideboring light shapes,great linearmotifsaremixed inwithlinesleadingoutofthepicture,oryouwillfindgreatshapesbutwiththevaluecontrastinthewrongplace.Itisyourjobtopaintitideally.VincentvanGoghwasrightwhenhesaidthatartistsshouldnotpaintwhattheysee,butwhattheyfeel.

Followalong as Imake a number of changes for a better composition in thisdemonstration,specificallyabetterlightshape.

ReferencePhoto

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the shapes and other motifs in thissubject.

SolveProblemsWithaValueSketchThegreatestproblemhereisthatthereisnobridgebetweenthelightvalues.Iredesignedtheforegroundtoprovideone.

MATERIALS

BRUSHES

CarbazoleViolet

ManganeseBlue

QuinacridoneGold

QuinacridoneRose

QuinacridoneSienna

SapGreen

UltramarineBlue

6Bpencil

Sketchbook

Paletteknife

Papertowels

No.60gritsandpaper

1 Establish theMiddle Values Transfer your plan to watercolor paper, andcompletethisentirefirststepwitha1-inch(25mm)flat.Createafluidwashofmiddle-value colors, letting themmingle on the paper. Start at the upper left,changingfromSapGreenandManganeseBluetoQuinacridoneSienna.Changecolorsbutnotvalueseachtimeyoureloadyourbrush.Paintaroundthelinesthatwillbecomelimbsonfallenlogsatthebottomofthismass.Addsomemiddle-value forest colors in thecenter areausingManganeseBlueandQuinacridoneRose.

Begin the upper right with Carbazole Violet and gradually add QuinacridoneSienna. Bring in someQuinacridoneGold and SapGreen in themiddle area.Leave plenty of sparklingwhites— somewill become part of the light trees.Whilethewashisstillwet,dropinQuinacridoneSiennaatthebaseofthismasstohelpestablishthecenterofinterest.Letthecolorsmixonthepaper.Endthemasswithwhitesforlogbranches.

Repeatsomeofthesamecolorsforthewaterreflectionsbelowthefallenlogs.Rinse thebrushandgradateout thecolor towhitepaper.Create thegrasses inthelowerrightbylooselybrushingonSapGreenandQuinacridoneSienna.

2Build theDominantDarkMassBegin in theupper leftwith amixofSapGreen and Quinacridone Burnt Orange using a no. 12 round. The only detailnecessaryisattheedgesoftheshape.Fliptheendofyourbrushtosuggestpineneedles.While this dark area is still wet, use a palette knife to scratch a fewlimbsandtopushthepaintaroundabit.Thiswillprovidesomelightertextureswithinthedarks.

Continuethedarkwashdownward,addingsomeUltramarineBluetothegreen.Numerousgreensexistinnature,sodon'tfallintotheone-item-one-colormentaltrap.Somemorescratchingwiththeknifewillenliventhewash.Rinseout thebrushandsoftensomeedges.

Begin the upper right with the Sap Green and Quinacridone Burnt Orangemixture. Leave some light branches here and there. Soften some edges for

variety.Buildthenarrowbridgebetweenthetwodarkmasses.Bringsomeofthedarks under the busheswhere the sun doesn't shine. Add a dark shape to theforegroundgrasses,thenspreaditaroundabitwithapaletteknife.

3 Build the Structure for theWater A fewwashes will turn the remainingwhiteshapeintowater.Startwiththereflectionsbywettingtheareaandfloatinginalighterversionofthecolorsusedforthefoliageabovewithano.12round.For the birch trunk reflections, paint a couple of vertical strokes onto thewetareawithyourflatbrushandQuinacridoneSienna.

As you head toward the foreground, leave somewhite at the edge where the

watercascadesintothefalls,becauseasthewatergoesovertheedgeitreflectsthe light fromthesky,not the trees.Suggestmovingwaterwithafewsplashystrokesusingano.12 roundandamixofUltramarineBlueandQuinacridoneSienna.Dragthebrushsidewaystocreateraggededgedstrokes.Addsparkletotheraggedstrokesbyspatteringasmallamountofthepaint; just tapthebrushacrossyourfinger.

WOODLANDSTREAMWatercolor21″×14″(53cm×36cm)

4DefineSomeof theObjectsWithDetailCompleting the painting involvesbringingafewthingsintofocus.Withapointedno.8roundandalightmixture

of Carbazole Violet and Quinacridone Burnt Orange, add some calligraphicstrokestothedistanttrees.DarkenthemixwithQuinacridoneBurntOrangeandaddlimbsfortheclosertrees.Allofthesecalligraphiclinesaddrhythmandlifetothecentralpartofthepaintingwhileestablishingdepth.

Add shadow to the fallen logs, switching between Manganese Blue andQuinacridoneSienna.Apieceofno.60gritsandpapercanaddalittlesparkletothesurfaceofthewater.Wipeithorizontallyacrossthemiddlepartofthewaterwhere the light from the skywould be reflected. Add a few bits of dark andsome cast shadows along the riverbank, but not toomany.A few calligraphicstrokessuggestingbushesandgrasscompletethepainting.

POINTSTOREMEMBER

Wereadshapesbyvalue.Themostpowerfultoolyoucancultivateasanartististheabilitytosimplifyyoursubjectintoshapesofvalue.

Ifyougetthelargeshapesright,theviewerwillfillinmuchofthedetails.

Formoreimpact,connectthelightshapesintoonelargevalueshape,anddothesamewiththedarkshapes.

Agoodshapeisbuiltwithvalue,notcolor.

Agoodlightshapeneedsagooddarkshapebyitsside.

Doavaluestudybeforepaintingtoplanthevalueshapes.

Detailscanonlyembellishtheshapesthatarealreadythere.Hangyourdetailsonastrongvalueshape.

CHAPTER11

buildingapaintingONVALUEPATTERNS

REEDTHETINKERER Watercolor 14″×21″(36cm×53cm)

Itiscommontobeoverwhelmedbythemanyshapesofvaluethatyouencounterwhenlookingatascene.Yourintellectualbrainwantstoseparateeverysingleshape and tackle them one at a time. As a result, your painting may have a

fragmented or “checkerboard” appearance. However, by using your artist'sbrain, youcanavoid this trapby linking shapesof similarvalues intoa largepattern that touches several edges of your format. This strengthens thecompositionofthepainting.Itonlytookmeadecadetolearnhowpowerfulthisconceptis.Masterit,andyouwillbesurprisedathowwellyourpaintingshangtogether.

Valuepatternsbringorderoutofchaos

Valuepatternscandosomuchforyourpaintings,including:

ConnectingotherwisedisparatepiecesofsimilarvalueintooneunifiedwholeActivatingtheformat

Leading the viewer's eye through the composition Providing a structure onwhich to hang your detail Nothing builds cohesive structure in a paintingbetter than connected patterns of similar values. By bringing all the littlepiecesofdarkvaluetogetherintoonelarge,connectedpatternofdarkvalues,andmakingthatpatterntouchseveraledgesofthepaper,youwillunifyandstrengthenyourcomposition.For some reason, this concept seems tobe themost difficult to learn. Our intellectual brain interferes with the process,demandingthatweidentifyallthethingsthatmakeupthepattern.Andoncetheintellectualbraintakesover,ourpaintingsarefinished.

ValuesWorkingAgainstEachOther

Noticehowyoureyeseemstobounceinthiscomposition.Eachofthesepiecesofdarkvalueisdemandingyourattention.Thereisnoteamworkorpattern;the

movementiscompletelyrandom.

ValuesWorkingTogether

Herethesamedarkshapes,plusafewadditions,areunifiedintoonecompletepattern.Squintyoureyestoseehowtheyareallconnected.Theviewer'seyeisled to the center where the most contrast occurs. This is a good example ofharnessingthepowerofvaluepatterns.

Practiceevaluatingvaluepatterns

Justaswithdrawing,itisimportanttoknowhowtoevaluatethevaluepatternsyou see and feel the freedom to make changes for a painting. Look at yoursubject with a critical eye to determine which shapes are working within thecomposition andwhich ones are not.Remember, do not identify the items byname. Use your artist's brain to see them as value shapes, then eliminate theshapesthatdon'tworkandenhancetheonesthatdo.

Asyoucreatevalueplansliketheonesshownonthispage,thinkaheadtootherpossibilitiesorvariationsofthepattern.Themostcreativequestionyoucanaskyourself is,“Whatwouldhappen if I…?”Squintyoureyes toseepatterns thatexistandtoseepossibilitiesinyourdrawingsthatdon'tyetexist.

ReferencePhoto

This rural scenehas somegoodpoints and, likemost scenes, it alsohas someaspectsthatcouldcausechaosinapainting.

ASketch,NotNecessarilyaPlan

Thisdrawingofthesubjecthaslight,darkandmiddlevaluesdistributedexactlyastheyappearinthephoto.

AValuePattern=APaintingPlan

This is the same subject, with some modifications. It certainly looks betterdressedupinavaluepatternthatextendstoalledgesofthepicture.Squintyoureyestobetterseethepatternsofdarkandlight.

Simplifynature'scomplexitywithvaluepatterns

Using your artist's brain to think in terms of value patterns allows you tosimplify the dizzying array of things you find in nature.An isolated shape ofdarkdrawsattentiontoitself.Ifyoudon'twantittobeacenterofinterest,mergeitwithalargerpatternofdarks.Ifyoucan'ttieitintoapattern,thengetridofit.

ReferencePhoto

Every timeyouevaluateshapesandpatterns inasubject,youwill findshapesthat fit nicely into a coherent whole and those that don't. This scene has a

powerfulsweepingshapeofdarkthatpullstheviewer'seyeacrossthetoppartoftheformattothelightshapeofthewaterfall.Buildaroundthis.Thescenealsohasaseriesofunconnecteddarksintheforegroundrocks.

ConnectValueWithanInitialSketch

Noticehowthepatternmovesacrossthetopthirdofthepaper,thenturnsbackacrosstheverytop.Nowweneedtoconnectittosomevaluesintheforeground.After doing this sketch, I askedmyself, “What would happen if I moved thewhite over to the right, so the viewer's eye travels farther before movingdownward?” The answer can be found by doing another rough, five-minutevaluepatternsketch.

MakeAdjustmentsinaSecondSketch

Switchingthelocationof thewhitevalueshifts theemphasisoutof thecenter.Now activate the foreground by adding values to the basic shape. There areprobablyhundredsofdifferentpatternsthatwouldwork.Thinkconnecteddarks,not“thisrockandthenthatrockandthen…”

Comparethisfinalplantothephoto.Noticehowmuchsimplertheforegroundis.Nowthereisn'tanycompetitionwiththecenterofinterest.

SERENITYFALLS Watercolor 21″×24″(53cm×61cm)TranslatingtheSketchIntoaPainting

In thiscase, Imayhavegonea little toofarwith the finishingdetails.But the

valueplaninwhichthevalueswereorganizedintoacohesivepatternsavedmefrom slavishly copying the photo.Most of the time I complete a drawing onlocationandtakeareferencephoto.LaterwhenIcomparethetwo,Ialwayslikethedrawingmore.IusethephotoonlyfordetailreferenceonceIhavecreatedthebasicpainting.

BuildavaluepatternINAPAINTING

Keep in mind that the value pattern is the structure that holds a paintingtogetherandthedetailsmerelyentertain.Viewersnoticetheentertainment,butseldomrecognizethepatternholdingitalltogether.That'sOK.Noonenoticesyour skeleton either, and it holds you together, provides support for all yourdetailsandgivesyoumobility.

In this demonstration, we'll take a rather complicated outdoor scene andsimplify it with a value pattern. Once this pattern is in place, we'll add justenough detail to enhance the scene without boring the viewer by spellingeverythingout.

ReferencePhoto

Atfirstglancethisscenemayseemperfectforpainting,andifyoupainteditjustasitis,itwouldbepassablebutnotstrong.Tomakethescenestronger,weneedto address two problems: (1) The darks are not quite joined into a completepattern,which gives the composition a slightly disjointed appearance, and (2)Theaspentreesontherightbegtheintellectualbraintonameandcountthem.It'safraid thatyouwill lose them,so itwantsyoutogetout themaskingfluidandpreserveeachone.Thisliteralapproachseparatestheselightsfromtherestofthepainting,whichwillmakethemdifficulttodealwithlatertocreateafinal,unifiedcomposition.

AnalyzetheValuesinthePhoto

Whenyou really lookat thevaluesandnot thecolors, theproblem isevident.Thiscompositionsuffersfromvalueseparationdisorder.

MATERIALS

BRUSHES

Nos.6,8and12round

1-inch(25mm)flat

WATERCOLORS

AureolinYellow

CarbazoleViolet

ManganeseBlue

QuinacridoneGold

QuinacridoneRose

QuinacridoneSienna

SapGreen

6Bpencil

Sketchbook

Paletteknife

Papertowels

SolveCompositionProblems

Thisversionofthecompositionsolvestheproblemandconnectsthedarks.Nowtheyformacompletepatterntouchingallfoursidesofthepaper.

1LimittheWhitesandCreateaMood

Usinga1-inch(25mm)flat, layinaninitialwashwithQuinacridoneGoldandAureolinYellow.Thiswashlimitsthewhites,creatingawarmmood.Don'ttryto leave every tree intact; this is notwhatwe see.We see pieces ofwhite onvarioustrees.Thisprovidessparkleandvisualexcitement.

Continue with a no. 12 round. Apply a light wash of Manganese Blue andQuinacridoneRoseintheupperrighttoprovidesomebackgroundforthetrees.ChangetoQuinacridoneSiennaandaddsomefoliagepatternsnearthebaseofthetrees.Atthispointyouareonlypaintingpatterns.However,Ididaddadarktree limbonthe leftbecauseIwanted torememberwhere thatpointwas.Thiswasthesamelightmixusedintheupperrightbutdonewithano.8round.

2ConstructtheFoundationPattern

At this stage you are only working in the middle-value range. Block in thegeneral shape of the foliage in the upper left using your flat brush andQuinacridoneBurntOrange.Paint a lightwashofCarbazoleViolet across thefarendof the road for theshadow.This links the leftwith the right.ContinuepaintingwithQuinacridoneSienna,leavingwhitesforthetrees,tobuildamid-valuepatternatthebaseofthetrees.AddatouchofSapGreenforvariety.Paintthe lower-left corner slightly darker with a wash of Manganese Blue andQuinacridoneRose.

3ConnecttheDarks

This step provides punch, ties the painting together and gives sparkle to thewhites.Usingano.12round,beginattheleftwithsomeCarbazoleVioletandQuinacridone Burnt Orange. Paint the dark shapes of space, defining a fewbranches as you go.Add SapGreen as you get to the pine boughs above theroad. These darks define the shapes of the lighter foliage. Switch toQuinacridoneBurntOrangefortheroad.

AddalittleCarbazoleViolettoQuinacridoneBurntOrangeforadarkershadowacrosstheroad.ApplySapGreenandalittleQuinacridoneSiennaforthedarktreeshapesbehindthewhite.Scrapeoutafewlimbswithapaletteknifewhilethisisstillwet.Addmoredarksatthefootofthetrees.Carryalightershadowacrosstheroad,varyingits thickness tosuggestruts.Withyourflatbrush,addsomedarks to the lower left andpaint the large shadowacross the road in thelowerrightusingManganeseBlueandQuinacridoneRose.

ASTROLLFORTHESOUL Watercolor 14″×21″(36cm×53cm)4AddFinalDetails

CreateamixtureofQuinacridoneRoseandalittleManganeseBlue.Strikeintheshadowsalongthewhitetreetrunksusingano.8round.Shadowscrossingthetrunks and the dark marks define and complete the trunks. Add a few darkbrancheswithano.6round.Addtexturetotheroadbyspatteringitwithalittlewater,blottingitandthenquicklyrubbingitwithapapertowel.Afigureattheendoftheroadaddsscaleandahumantouchtothecenterofinterest.

ConnecttheDarks

Doyou rememberdoingconnect-the-dotpuzzlesasachild?Thinkofhow thepicturewasrevealedafteryouconnectedallthedots.Darksinapaintingarelike

that.When they are separated from each other, they fail to show the picture.However, when they are connected, they provide a structural skeleton for theimage.

Activatetheformatusingvaluepatterns

OneofthemostcommonproblemsIseewhencritiquingpaintingsisasubjectpaintedtoosmallfortheformat.Thisresultsinalotofuninvolvedspace.Howmany timeshaveyou resorted to the croppingmethodof composition?Whereyoufinishapaintingandfeelasthoughmuchofthespacearoundthesubjectisnotneeded, soyoucrop it.You like thepaintingbetteraftercroppingbecausethe subject involves all the space in the format instead of a small area in thecenter.

Justthinkofallthetimeyouhavespentpaintingthoseareasthatenduponthecuttingroomfloor.Ifyouplanthatspacefromthebeginning,youwon'thavetocutitofflater.Icallthisconcept“activating”yourformat.

The"Floating"Subject

Hereisatypicalpresentationofasubject.Nomatterhowwellyoupaintthisoldwagon,ifitfloatsinthemiddleofundesignedspace,itwillsufferfromasenseofisolationandloneliness.Apsychiatristmightcallthisseparationanxiety.

Allthedarkvaluesareonthewagon.Nonetouchtheedgesofthepicture.They

willneveractivate the formatuntil theyget involvedwithat leastoneedgeofthepaper.Dowhatever it takes toconnect thesedarks to theformat.Only thiswillpreventisolationandseparationanxiety.

APatternCanPullItAllTogether

Use your artist's brain to envision a value pattern that touches the format,embraces the subject and defines the light shapes of the subject with values.Thencreateavaluedrawingwith thesubjectand theenvisionedpattern.Eventhough specific objects in this added pattern of values are not defined, youidentifywhattheyarejustfromtheircontext.Remember,detaildoesn'tdothis.

AnImprovedComposition,StillinNeedofHelp

Even when painted larger within the format, the wagon still seems lost anddisconnected—decapitated, likeaportraitwithout theneck. Itneeds to reachtheedgesoftheformat.

NOHORSEPOWER Watercolor 14″×21″(36cm×53cm)AnActivatedFormat,aBetterComposition

Comparethisrevisedpaintingwiththefirstoneinwhichthesubjectisisolated.This isbetter thancroppingbecauseithasasenseofhavingbeenplannedthiswayfromthestart.Squintandseehowthevaluepatternactivatestheformat.Noisolation and loneliness here. A simple value pattern can reduce the need fordetailandsimplifythepaintingprocess,makingthepaintingstronger.

Developyoursenseofvaluepattern

Learningtoworkandthinkwithinaformatisessentialtopainting.Somepeoplestartpaintingandkeeponpaintinguntiltheysimplyrunoutofcanvasorpaper.Iftheyendupwithadecentcomposition,itissheerluckoramiracle.

The followingexerciseswillhelpyoudevelop theability to seevaluepatternsforpainting.Yourgoal in theseexercises is tocreateapatternofdarks that:Aestheticallydividestheformatbytouchingatleastthreeedges Interactswithitssurroundingspace

HasvarietyinwidthUsepiecesofwhitematboardorwatercolorpapercuttoabout 6″ × 8″ (15cm × 20cm), a 1-inch (25mm) flat and any tube of darkcolor.

PaintaPatternWithVariety

Loadyourbrushwithadarkcolor.Keepitneutralratherthanapurebrightcolorsoyoucanfocusontheshapes.Beginononesideoftheformat,butavoidthemidpoint.Buildapatternbypaintingonestrokeafteranother.Keepthestrokescleanbyresistingtheurgetogoovereachstrokeagain; just touchtheedgeofthepreviousstroke.Connecttheshapesuntilyoureachtheoppositeedge.

Buildasmuchvarietyaspossibleintothewidthofthepattern,fromverythintoverywide.(Alargeflatbrushwillencouragethismorethanasmallerone.)Afteryoureachtheoppositeside,gobacktoapointnearthemiddleandcontinuethepatterntothetoporbottom.

AspectstoAvoid

Avoidmakingaboringpatternlikethis.Althoughthestrokesareconnectedandthe pattern reaches the edges of the format, notice that each stroke is nearlyidentical,making the resulting pattern basically the samewidth throughout. Italsodividestheformatintofourequalparts;thefourshapesofspacearealmostidentical.

PlayWithDifferentPatterns

Trycreatingapatternthattouchesmostorallofoneedgeoftheformat.

Three-ValuePattern

After you have practiced this exercise and have achieved some interestingresults, try some with an intermediate value. The previous exercise used twovalues—darkand light. In thisversionstartwithamiddlevalue, limiting thewhites to a connected pattern.Then add a pattern of darks.The resultwill bedarkandlightpatternsonamidtonebackground.

Middle-ValueBeginning

This three-value pattern began with a gray wash of Manganese Blue,QuinacridoneSiennaandatouchofPermanentRose.IcoveredtheentirepaperexceptforaT-shapedpatternofwhites.

BringOntheDarks

Next, I used a neutral dark to build a pattern that touches three sides of theformat.Manyofthedarkswereplaceddirectlybesidethewhites.Thisproducesaverydramaticpattern.

LIGHTHOUSE Watercolor 14″×21″(36cm×53cm)AValuePatternBecomesaPainting

Everynowandthen,oneofmyrandomvalue-patternexercisesbegstobeturnedintoaseriouspainting.Suchwasthecasewiththisone.Itjustseemedtosuggest

alandscapewithitsemphasisonthehorizontal.Thewhiteshapenearthecentersuggested a building. I decided to use this pattern as the basis for a painting,using a drawing I had done of Point Piños on the Monterey, California,peninsula.Withjustalittleadaptation,itproducedadramaticpainting.

Duringthecourseoftheseexercises,youtoomayproduceapiecesogoodthatyouwillwant tomake apaintingof it. If you just use the small exercise as aguideandcreateasimilarpattern,youcouldsimplyleaveitasanabstractpiece.Whoknows,itcouldwinaprizeatyourlocalartshow.

FindCheapPaperforExercises

Ifyoucutyourownmats foryourpaintings,youwillhaveoddpiecesofmatboardleftover.Savethemandcutthemup.Itdoesn'tmatterwhatcolortheyare,becausethebackisalwayswhite.Ifyouhavenone,yourlocalframeshopwillprobablysaveyouthecentercutsthataretoosmallforthemtoworkwith.

Anotheroption is touse thebacksofoldpaintings thatdidn'tquitemake it. Ifyouarelikeme,youhaveplentylyingaround.

Findinterestingvaluepatternsinyourphotos

I takeseveral typesofphotoswithmycamera.Someareof interestingshapesthatImightuseinpainting,someareofvaluepatterns,andothersarereferencesof details. Then there are the ones my wife, Nan, reminds me to take of thechildren and grandchildren. All of these photos are good sources for valuepatterns.Whentakingthem,Iamlookingatthepeopleandothersubjects,nevernoticingthedistributionofdarksorlights.

Flipthroughyourlatestcollectionofphotos,andsquintasyoudo.Youwillspot

someinterestingvaluepatterns.Trylookingatthephotosupsidedown,tohelpyouseeshapesofvalueinsteadofitems.

The following exercise trains your eye to see value patterns in everything;however,theresultsarenotsomethingyouwillframeanddisplay.Followtheseinstructions:

1. Tapeahalfsheetofpapertoaboardanddivideitintofourthswithstripsof1-inch(25mm)maskingtape.

2. Selectaphoto.

3. Paintthepatternofdarksusinga1-inch(25mm)flatloadedwithaneutraldarkcolor.Asmallerbrushwillleadyouintopaintinglittledetailsratherthanlargepatterns.Youmayfindithelpfultoturnthephotoupsidedownsoyoudonotgetinvolvedwiththeimagesofthethingsyourecognize,onlywithwhatthepatternlookslike.

4. Afterpaintingthedarkpattern,usealightversionofthesamecolorandpainteverythingbutthelightestlights.

Here are a fewexamples to showyouwhat you should strive for.Remember,you are not trying to paint the picture.By practicing these types of exercises,seeingvaluepatternswillbecomeanaturalwaytothink.

ReferencePhoto

Canyouseethelargedarkpatternwhenyousquint?Itmovesuptheleftsideofthepicture,crossesover, thentouchesthetopbeforegoingtotherightside.Apartalsoconnectsupthroughthecenterarea.Thisisoursubject,notthechild.

ValuePattern

Paint the dark pattern, then add the middle values while leaving the whites.Resistthetemptationtopaintindividualfeatures.Ifyoustartpaintinganeyeorahand,your thinkingwill shift fromvisual to intellectual and theenemywithinwilltakeover.Keepfocusedonthepattern.

ReferencePhoto

Thisphotoconsistsofalargedarkshapethatmovesintogray,thenintowhiteasitmoves up the composition. See how thewhites trickle down into the dark?Thisvalueinteractionisinterestingtotheeye.

ValuePattern

Onceagain,beginwiththedark,thenaddthemiddlevalueandleavethewhites.Doitwithasfewstrokesaspossible.Theinteractionofwhite,grayanddarkispleasingtolookat.

ReferencePhoto

This pattern of darks covers the entirewidth of the top of the picture, then it

cascadesdownward,becomingprogressivelynarroweruntilitfinallytouchesthebottominonespot.Seeingthiskindofpatternrequiresserioussquinting.

ValuePattern

Asyoupaint thispattern, the tendencytodelineateeachflowerandnotsee itsvalueisoverwhelming.Stayfocusedonthepattern.Squinttoseewhatthedarkvaluedoesandpaintthat.

Developfoundpatterns

Haveyoueversufferedfrompainter'sblock,whenevendrawingdoesn'tseemtogiveyouanynew ideas?Thisnext exercise in seeingvaluepatterns is agoodwaytobreakloosewithalittleabstractpainting.Preparetohavesomefunwiththisone.

YouwillneedtwoL-shapedpiecesofmatboardtouseasacroppingtool,a6Bpencilandamagazinefilledwithpictures.Turnthemagazineupsidedown.Scanthepages forphotos thathave shapesofwhite, amediumvalueandblack, allwithinthesamearea.Itcanbejustaverysmallpartofthephoto.Whenyouseesuch an area, place the cropping tool around it, overlapping theL-shapedmatboard pieces to form an adjustable rectangle. Adjust the tool until you find apatternofdarkvaluesthatactivatestheformatbytouchingseveralsidesofthe

croppingtool.Squintyoureyesasyoudothis;itmakesseeingthepatternmucheasierandkeepsyoufrombecominginvolvedwiththesubjectofthephoto.

Findingthesepatterns,evenifyouchoosenottosketchorpaintthem,increasesyourconsciousawarenessofthemandfillsyoursubconsciouswithvaluepatternpossibilities.Thesepossibilitieswillsurfacewhenyouneedthemlater.Practicethisexerciseforafewminuteseveryday.

On theoppositepage, seehowyoucan take thisonestep further todevelopafinishedpaintingfromafoundpattern.

FindPatternsinaPhoto

With the cropping tool, search for an area on the photo that contains dark,mediumandlightvalues.Hold thephotoupsidedowntofocuson thepatternsratherthanthesubject.Lookatthecroppedsectionshownaboveuntilyouonlyseedarks and lights.Thedarkpatternmoves across the topofour format anddownward,finallytouchingthebottomjustrightofcenter.

MakeaValueSketchoftheFoundPattern

Usea6Bpencilsoyoucaneasilyachievethefullrangeofvalues.Beginwiththedarkpattern,andthenaddthemediumvalue.Respondtowhatishappeningin the drawing. The photo is just a jumping-off point, not the desired end.Somethingquitedifferent,notfoundinthephoto,maysuggestitselftoyou.Bepreparedtorespondtoit;beflexible.

Whenyoufinishyoushouldbeabletoseetherelationshipbetweenthedrawingandthesectionofthephoto,butitshouldnotlooklikeanexactduplicationofthephotosinceyouareonlydrawingthepattern.

AWordAboutCopyright

Usephotos frommagazines for practice exercises only.Developing a finishedpainting from someone else's photo may infringe on copyright laws. I havefoundthatsportsandnewsphotosareexcellentfor thisexercise.Thisexercisecanbedonejustaswellwithyourownreferencephotosifyouthinkyoumayeventuallywanttodevelopafinishedpaintingfromone.

ReferencePhoto

Thevaluepatternwediscoverinthisphotowillbecomeafinishedpainting.

FindValuePatterns

Crop to a section that has an interesting value pattern. This section has light,mediumanddarkvaluesthatcreateinterestingshapes.

DrawthePatterns

Make any changes you feel inclined to. Do not make yourself a slave to thephoto.Artistsarecreators,notcopyists.Afteryouestablish the initialpatterns,lookatthedrawingforinspiration,notatthephoto.

EstablishColorDominance

Put the photo away and use the drawing as your reference for the painting.Indicatethepositionofthelightswithapencildrawing.LayinavariedstripofcoloracrossthetopquarterofthepaintingusingamixtureofManganeseBlueandUltramarineBlueanda2-inch(51mm)flat.Thiswillbethesecondarycoolcolor.

Paint the medium values in the lower three quarters of the painting using acombinationofQuinacridoneGoldandQuinacridoneSienna.Leavethewhites.Thisestablishesawarmdominanceforthepainting.

PRELUDEINORANGE Watercolor 10″×14″(25cm×36cm)AddFinalDetails

Begin laying in the dark pattern, breaking up the middle values with darkervariationsofthewarmcolors.CreatethedarkswithQuinacridoneBurntOrangeandCarbazoleViolet.Followyour instincts asmuch as thedrawing.Let eachstrokesuggestthenext.

WheneverIstartapaintinglikethis,Ihavenoideawhatthefinishedpiecewilllook like. I have only a value pattern as a start, and an exciting journey ofdiscoveryahead.Embracethefearofnotknowingeachstepaheadoftime.

Createvaluepatternsthroughdoodles

Have you ever just started scribbling some lines on a piece of paper, thenabsentmindedly filled in the resulting spaces with alternating dark and grayvalues? Of course you have. I have never talked with anyone who hasn'tadmitted tohavingdonesomeof thesedoodleswhilechattingon thephoneorenduringaboringlecture.

These doodles can be an avenue for exploring value pattern compositions.Usually,doodling is a random,undirectedkindofvisualplayfulness.Youcanharness thisplayfulness todevelopyour senseofcompositionaldesign.Createpagesof thesedoodles.Theydon't takevery long, they'refunandtheyremind

youtothinkofpatternssincethereisnosubjectmattertodistractyou.

Youcandoodleanywhereandneednospecialequipment.Apencilorballpointpenandnotebookare justaseffectiveasContécrayonandexpensivedrawingpaper. We all have to attend meetings or wait for appointments. These areexcellentopportunitiestopracticeyourpattern-makingskills.Carryasmallpadofpaperwithyouandplantoenjoyyournextmeetingforachange.Youshouldbeabletodoodleandlistentowhatisgoingonatthesametime,sincethesetwoactivitiesusethetwodifferenthemispheresofthebrain.

Remembertolettheinitiallinesactasaguideonly.Thesearemeanttohelpfreeyoufromtheslaveryofcopying.Don'tlettheverylinesyoucreateenslaveyou.

DivideaFormatWithScribbledLines

Beginbyscribblingadividinglineacrossasmallformat,about2″×3″(5cm×8cm).Makeitdancebeforeitgetstotheotherside.

AddaSecondLine

Addanotherlinedoingroughlythesamedance,butoverlapthefirstline.

CreateInterestingSpace

Addmorelines;somethatcrossthefirstlinesdiagonallyandothersthatbuildonthefirstdirection.Younowhaveaninterestingspatialdivisionwithadominantlineardirection.

AddValues

Add values to the shapes created by the overlapping lines. Watch the valuepatternasitemergesandaddtoitwhateveryoufeelisnecessary.Addlightgraytosomeof thelargenegativeshapes.Younowhaveavaluepatternbrokenupwithlightthattouchesallfoursidesoftheformat.

Variation1

So far you have confined the value pattern to the spaces within the lines wegenerated. Now try giving yourself some specific directions about the valuepatternitself.Beginwithalargedarkareaontheleftandletittrickletoanarrowshapeasittouchestheotherside.

Variation2

Nowtrythisconceptagain,butmakeanentiresidedark.

Variation3

Or, make the entire top dark and gradually decrease its width as it nears thebottom.

Variation4

Tryconfiningthepatternwithinthemiddleoftheformat,allowingittoescapejustenoughtotouchanedgeortwo.

ONECRISPAUTUMNDAY Watercolor 10″×14″(25cm×36cm)ADoodledBeginning,aPaintedEnding

Canyou tell that Iused the firstvariationas thebasis for thispainting?Usingyour doodles as the basis for paintings will lead to some more daringcompositionsandpossiblyanentirelydifferentapproachtopainting.

Letvaluepatternsdirectvisualmovement

In the early seventeenth century, Italian artist Michelangelo Merisi daCaravaggio recognized thepowerofvaluesand theirability toorganizevisualspace.He created emotionally dynamic paintings by using an essentially darkbackground contrasted with patterns of light that lead the viewer through thecomposition.

Visualmovementaroundtheformatisnoaccident,andmustbeplannedbytheartist. Itcanbeaccomplished through theuseof lineandcolor transitions,butthemost compellingmethod for directing the eye is value juxtapositions.Oureyesmoveeasilyfromonepieceofdarktoanotherconnecteddark,orfromonepassageoflighttoanothercloselypositionedlight.

These connected value patterns are your most powerful tool for leading theviewer'seyearoundthecomposition.Youcanusevaluecontrasttoplanwhereyouwanttheviewer'seyetopause,changedirectionandeventuallyendup.

Mostoftenyoureyeentersapaintingat thebottomedge.Usepatternsof lightanddarktoleadtheviewer'seyefromthispointinanot-too-directroutetothecenterof interest.Therearenospecial ruleshere; justdon'tmake the route soobviousthattheviewerisboredorreachesthecenterofinteresttoodirectly.

SNOWBOUNDFARMWatercolor21″×24″(53cm×61cm)

VaryValuePatternPaths

Thispaintinghastwopatternsofvalue,onelightandonedark.Eachleadstheviewer's eye by a different route to the center of interest: the barn.The lightsmove from the lower left in a zigzag route like an “S” back to the center ofinterest.The darks begin at the bottomcenter andmovediagonally to the leftthenbacktotheright,encirclingthecenterofinterest.

LITTLEMOLASLAKEWatercolor14″×21″(36cm×53cm)

CreateaCircularValuePattern

Thevisualideaherewasapathwayoflightleadingtothelightshapeofthelake,which is encircled by a pattern of darks. The foreground darks in the grassesconnecttothedarksintherocks,whichinturnlinkupwiththedarksatthefarsideof the lake, carrying theviewer's eye across to the treemasson the rightside.This isnot thewaythescenereally looked,but this ishowIaltered it tomakeabetterpainting.

Grabtheviewer'sattentionwithvaluepatterns

Spendtimeplanningvaluepatternsforyourpaintings,andyourpaintingswillbestrongerasaresult.Peoplemaypraisethemforthedetailsyouincluded,evenifthereislessdetailthanyouhaveeverusedbefore.Smileandthankthem.Don'ttrytoexplainthat it isreallythevaluepatternthatdoesthetrick.Ifbychancesomeonedoesmentionthevaluepattern,thatpersonwilllikelybeanotherartist.

Theintellectnoticesdetails,buttheemotionalimpactofapaintingiscarriedbyitsvaluepattern.Peoplewillseeitwithoutrecognizingit,respondtothepatternemotionallywithoutnoticingit.Valuepatternsgrabviewersandpullthemintothepainting.Thentheirintellectsays,“Wow!Lookatthosepinetrees,”or“Hesurecanpaintrocks.”Theyliterallydonotknowwhathitthem.Andthat'sfine;theydon'tneedto.Butyou,astheartistmakingthepicture,needtoknow.

EXPOSEDLEDGESWatercolor21″×14″(53cm×36cm)

UseS-ShapedValuestoEasilyGuidetheViewer'sEye

Both the lightand thedarkpatterns lead theviewer'seye inaserpentineorS-shapedmovement to theuppercentralarea.ThereferencephotoI tookonthatcolddayinthemountainscontainedonlyacoupleofrocksinthesnow.Igrewthemintoacontinuousledgeofrocks.

POINTSTOREMEMBER

Valuepatternsaretheskeletalstructureofyourpaintings.

Theviewer'seyetendstomovealongconnectedshapesofsimilarvalue.

Valuepatternscanactivatetheformat.

Theabilitytoseevaluepatternscanbedevelopedthroughexercises.

Asimplevaluepatternreducestheneedfordetail.

Ifyoucan'tlinkashapetoothersofsimilarvalue,getridofit.

Detailsentertain,butvaluepatternsholdapaintingtogether.

CHAPTER12

ensuringastrongCENTEROFINTEREST

EILEANDONAN,MONARCHOFSCOTLAND Watercolor 22″×30″(56cm×76cm)

WhenIwasayoungster,mycousinsandIusedtogoout intothehills toplaywithourbowsandarrows.Ihadacousinwhowouldneversaybeforehandwhatitwas hewas shooting at.Hewouldwait to seewhat his arrow hit and thenclaimthatwaswhathemeanttohit.Inpainting,liketargetpractice,weneedtoknowwhatweareaimingat.

Ask yourself at the very beginningwhat youwant to say in your painting. Beveryspecificandphraseitinvisualterms.Forexample,theredshape;thewhiteareasurroundedbydark; thedarkshapeof treeswhere therivershapemeetsthe base of the hill. This is a crucial step. You cannot design the painting tosupportthecenterofinterestifthereisnocenterofinterest.

Fourmethodsforestablishingacenterofinterest

Some substitute the term “focal point” for “center of interest.” The onlyobjectionIhavetotheformertermisthatitseemstosuggestasmallpointwhenthecenterofinterestisusuallyalargerarea.Onceyouhavechosenacenterofinterest,youmustdecidetwothings:

l.Whereyouwillplaceitintheformat.

2.Themethodsyouwillusetodirectattentiontoit.

Justwantinganareatobethecenterofinterestwillnotmakeithappen.Thereareseveraltried-and-truemethodsthatartistsusetoaddemphasistoacenterofinterest.Amongtheseare:

Valuecontrast

Colorcontrast

Majorlinesofmotion

Contrastofcomplexity

Moreoftenthannot,anartistwilluseatleastthreeofthefourtoensurethattheviewerdoesnotmiss thepoint.Studysomeofyourfavoritepaintingstoseeifthisisnotso.Inthecenterofinterestyouwillusuallyfindthedarkestandthelightest values placed next to each other, the area of richest color, and the

greatestconcentrationofsmallshapes.

Inaddition,youwillfindthatlinesofmotionintheforegroundleadtothecenterof interest. The outlying areas will be large and simple, painted in grayed orneutralcolorswithnostrongcontrastofvaluesandlittledetail.Whatyoudonotincludeinthesupportingareasisjustasimportantaswhatyoudoincludeinthecenterofinterest.

Inthenextfewpageswewillexaminethesemethodsmoreclosely.

MORNINGCHORESWatercolor14″×21″(36cm×53cm)

ModifySubjectstoCreateaCenterofInterest

Thedarkdoorway in this scene caughtmyeye. I decided that if I pumped itsinterestlevelupafewnotches,itwouldmakeagoodcenterofinterest.So,Iputalightwindowshapewithinthedoorway,movedthelight-valuedshedcloserto

it, and included a figure as a light shape cutting into the dark.Nowyou can'tmissit!

Leadtheviewer'seyewithvaluecontrast

Of the fourmethods for establishing a center of interest, value contrast is themostcompelling to theviewer's eye.Designyourcenterof interest aseitheralight shape surrounded by dark or a dark shape surrounded by light. Plan theremaining areas as middle or midtone values. Placing the strongest valuecontrast in your center of interest elevates it to a position of eye-catchingimportance.

ELMOLINOVIEJO Watercolorandcollage 14″×21″(36cm×53cm)

ALightAgainstDarkDistinguishestheCenterofInterest

Thecenterofinteresthereisalightareasurroundedbydarkervalues.Limitthewhitestothefaçadeofthebuildingandyouwillgivegreaterimportancetothatareaofthepainting.Thestrongcontrastofwhiteagainstdarkpullstheviewer'seyetothisarea.Thecontrastingorangeonlyaddstoit,likeanextranailintheboard.

ThinkValueFirst,ThenColor

Beginningartistsoftenthinkthesolutiontoadullpaintingistosimplyaddmorevividcolors.Butifyourvaluesarepoorlyplanned,noamountofbeautifulcolorwill fixyourpainting.Goodcolor is key to the successof anypainting, but awell-executedvalueplaniswhatwillcaptivateyourviewers.

Engagetheviewerwithcolorcontrast

Color contrasts are abundant in nature. This is where our ideas about colorharmoniesoriginate.Natureprovidesuswithlargeareasofsubduedcolor(e.g.skies,fieldsandforests)juxtaposedwithsmallareasofintense,richcolor(e.g.flowers,birdsandinsects).Createcolorcontrastsusingallthecolorproperties:warmagainstcool,intenseagainstmuted,andlightagainstdark.Lookatacolorwheelandnoticehowcomplementarycolors—thoseoppositeeachother—arealsooppositeincolortemperature.

Asaruleofthumb,Ikeeptheareasfarthestfromthecenterofinterestamutedcolorandreservethemostintensecolorsforthecenterofinterest.Decidewhatcolorisgoingtodominatethepainting,thenusetheopposite(orcomplement)inthecenterofinterest.

ATRESTINPLYMOUTH Watercolor 22″×28″(56cm×71cm)

EnhanceaPaintingWithColorContrast

Thecontrastofthered-orangebucketnexttothegreenfishingnetsdrewmeintothis scene. The contrast ofwarm colors against cool colors is very appealing.This isprimarily a coolpainting,withbluedominating the scene.Mostof thewarm colors are found around the center of interest. Note the yellow storagebox,thewarmbacklitcabinandthebuoys.Theseprovidecompanyforthered-orangebucket, since theyareall analogous incolor.Colormaynotbeable tobuildasolidfoundationforapaintinglikevaluecan,butitcertainlyentertainstheviewer'seye.

Followlinesofmotionleadingtothecenterofinterest

Streams,pathsandroadsaregreattoolsforprovidinglinesofmotionleadingtheviewer's eye to the center of interest. However, use caution with these lines;

don'tleadtheviewer'seyetoodirectly.Theshortestpossibleroutemaybefinefortraveling,butitisnotbestinapainting.

Construct a more indirect route back to the subject by creating some bends,curvesandbreaksintheline.Thepurposeofcreatinglinesofmotionistodirecttheviewer's eyearound thepictureplane inaway thatallows forexploration,yetkeepsleadingbacktothecenterofinterest.Anundeviatingmovementtrapsyou,andnoonelikesthefeelingofbeingtrapped.

Shapesofshadows,cloudpatterns,skylinesofdistanthillsandamyriadofotherthingswithadominantdirectional thrustcancreate linesofmotion.Justmakesuretheyarepointinginthedirectionyouwanttheviewer'seyetogo.Choosethings to include in your painting based on how they can serve the center ofinterest. Don't include objects just because they are there. Think of them asactorsauditioningforpartsinyourplay.Yourjobistocreateagreatproduction,notprovidework foreverystarvingactor.Onlyuse those thingsnecessary forthecomposition.Sendtherestpacking.

COURTOFTHEPATRIARCHS,ZIONCANYON,UTAH Watercolor 14″×22″(36cm×56cm)

UseNaturalLinestoCreateaCenterofInterest

Idecided tocreateacenterof interestat thebaseof thenearestof these threestone “patriarchs,” mainly because the vertical line of the mountain met thehorizontalplanethere.Ihadtomovetheriversoitflowedtothatarea,creatingmorecolorintensityandvaluecontrast.

Savevisualcomplexityforthecenterofinterest

Thefourthmethodfordevelopingacenterofinterestistohaveaconcentrationofcolorandsmallshapesof lightanddark in thefocalareawhilekeeping thesurroundingareasassimpleaspossible.Theviewer'seyeautomatically travelstoanareaofconcentratedenergy.Wenaturallygravitatetowardcomplexityofshapeanddetail.

Thechallengeistoconsciouslysimplifyareasofthepaintingthatdonotcontainthecenterofinterest.Decidewhereyouwantthecenterofinterest,developitinyourdrawingandaddshapestotheoutlyingareascarefully,allthetimejudgingtheirimpactonthecenterofinterest.Iftheystarttocompete,getridofthem.

ANASAZIINDIANRUINS Watercolor 14″×21″(36cm×53cm)

UseAllFourMethodstoCreateaCenterofInterest

Thispaintingutilizesallfourmethodsdiscussedinthischapter.Linesofmotionleadfromabove,belowandfromthesidestopointtowardtheancientdwellings.The principal building is the lightest shape and is placed next to some of thedarkest darks. The warm colors terminate in the main building, which is setagainstthecoolpurples.

Note that the entire group of ruins constitutes a horizontal band of small,complex shapes sandwiched between two wider bands of relative simplicity.Thisisthevisualconceptthatguidesthepainting.

TryamoreSPONTANEOUSPAINTINGAPPROACH

This is the kind of painting I love doing, yet it is the most difficult. I cannotdetermineexactlywhatthefinalpaintingwilllooklike,onlythedirectionitwilltake. I depend on the painting to tell me what it needs as it grows. It is anexcitingdance,anadrenalinerush.Ofcoursethereisthepossibilityoffailure,butinpaintingyoumustacceptacertainamountoffailureaspartofthegrowthprocess.

Thispainting isbasedon the formsofaGothiccathedral. Ihavealwaysbeenawedbythegracefularchesandthewonderfulstoneworkofthisparticularstyleof architecture.More thananything, thewhole cathedral seems tobea visualsymphonyofrhythms.IwantedthepaintingtobeakindofGothichymn.

Ibeganwithamorepassionateapproachandnopreliminarydrawing,andthenproceededtoamoremethodicalapproachinwhicheachstrokeandeachshapeinspired thenext addition.Toward the end it becameaprocess:paint for fiveminutesandthinkforten.Asyouwillsee,aselaborateasthepaintingis,itstillconsistsentirelyofwashesandcalligraphicbrushstrokes.

ReferencePhoto

1 Lay In the Initial Washes For this painting, I decided against a smoothtransitionofgradedwashesbecauseIwantedpatchesofcolor.Theideawastohavetheoverallscenemovefromwarmtocool,butwithsomeinteraction.Wettheentiresheetwithwaterand,witha2-inch(51mm)flat,chargeinto thewetwithQuinacridoneGold,QuinacridoneRose,QuinacridoneSienna,ManganeseBlue, Opera and Carbazole Violet, applying them vigorously with full armmovement. Don't create defined shapes of color; allow the colors to flowtogether.Blowdrythesefirstwashes.

MATERIALS

Arches140-lb.(300gsm)roughBRUSHES

No.8round

1-inch(25mm)and2-inch(51mm)flatWATERCOLORS

CarbazoleViolet

ManganeseBlue

QuinacridoneGold

QuinacridoneMagentaQuinacridoneRose

QuinacridoneSiennaOTHER

6Bpencil

Hairdryer

Maskingtape

Sponge

2EstablishArchesandGothicFormsLoadano.8roundwithQuinacridoneGold andbegin loosely drawing largeGothic arches.Youdon't need an exactplan.Witheacharchwayitbecomesclearerwherethepaintingisgoing.Atthispoint I consulted a book onGothic cathedrals and selected some of themostinteresting features: a rose window, lancet arches, tracery, sculptural figures,ribbed vaulting and quatrefoil designs. I chose a spot in the upper left for therosewindowanddrewitwitha6Bpencil,addingotherfeaturesspreadingoutfromthatpoint.Thisrosewindowismypersonalvisualconcept,notacopyofanyexistingone.Thesameistrueoftherestoftheformsinthepainting.

IaddedsomeoftheshapesbetweentheribsinthevaultingontherightusingamixtureofCarbazoleVioletandQuinacridoneRosewitha1-inch(25mm)flat.IdidthesameontheleftusingQuinacridoneGold.

3Develop theCenter of InterestWith amixture ofQuinacridoneGold andQuinacridoneRose,begindevelopingsomeoftheformsintherosewindowandthesculptural figuresusingano.8 round.Buildarchformsaround the figureswith amixture ofCarbazoleViolet andQuinacridoneMagenta using a 1-inch(25mm)flat.ApplylightwashesofQuinacridoneRosetobuildmorearchformsontheleft.

Withthecenterofinterestestablished,youcanseehowfartogowiththerestofthepainting.Everythingshouldbemeasuredagainstthecenterofinterest.

4DeveloptheValuePatternThevaluepatternwillprovidearhythmthatholdsthepaintingtogether.Iwantedthepatternofdarkstostarthighontheleftandbounceacrossthepaper,muchliketheseriesofarchesastheymoveacrossthepainting.Developthisrhythmwithdarkerversionsofthesamecolors.

Ontheright,Ifirststudiedtheshadowshapesthatwerecreatedinlancetarchesand used those shapes to develop this area. I included a quatrefoil design justbelowandtotherightoftherosewindow.Tocarrythiscircularrhythmthroughtherestofthepainting,cutcirculararcsinwidemaskingtapeandpositionthetape to reveal only a thin line. Rub out the lines with a clean sponge. Thesecirclesareneithercompletenorconcentric,justrepeatmotifs.

GOTHICSYMPHONY Watercolor 19″×28″(48cm×71cm)5AddFinalDetailsAddthedecorativedetail.Pullthepaintingtogetherbyrepeatingthequatrefoildesigninafewplacesandsometraceryinafewofthearches.Noticethatthefartherawayfromthecenterofinterest,thelessfinishedthedetail.CarrysomeoftheQuinacridoneMagentaintothestairsontheleftside.Thecoolrightsidestillseemedabitseparatedfromtherestofthepainting,soIaddedsomewarmaccentswithQuinacridoneRoseand

QuinacridoneGoldtotieittogethermore.

PaintastreetsceneASAGROUPOFSHAPES

IhadbeentoBuckfastAbbeyinDevon,England,anumberoftimes,andsoonthisoccasionIdidnotbothertakingmysketchpadandIleftmycamerainthecar. Iwas just taking theworkshopparticipants there fora little shopping.Asluck would have it, however, I walked past this archway— which I had notpreviouslyseenasapaintingpossibility—astwonunswerewalkingthroughit.Thatmadeallthedifference!Nowitwasapainting.

I quickly returned to the car and grabbedmy camera to take a picture of thearchwaywith thewonderful shadow shapes surrounding it, assuming I wouldjusthavetorememberthenuns.Butitwasmyluckyday.AsIgotreadytosnapthepicture,anothernunwalkedthroughthearchway,givingmeareferenceformysubject.

ReferencePhoto

Let'stakethisphotoandmakeavaluesketch,adding,eliminatingandchangingwhatwewantinordertocreateastrongcomposition.

ValueSketch

Decidewhereyouwillput the lightest lightsand thedarkestdarksandhowtogetthemosteffectiveuseofshapes.Theshapeoftheshadowisadefiniteplus,butIthinkaGothicarchismoreinkeepingwiththereligiousorderofthenuns(and I simply liked the shapebetter).Thewindowabove the archneeds tobemovedovertotherighttobalancetheblackshapesofthenuns.Irearrangedthebuildings in the background tomake a street insteadof a courtyard.Finally, Ithoughtthewallneededsomedecorationtobreakitup,soIcreatedalittlenichewithafigure.Nowitisreadytopaint.

MATERIALS

BRUSHES

Nos.8and12round

1-inch(25mm)flat

WATERCOLORS

AlizarinCrimson

CarbazoleViolet

ManganeseBlue

PermanentRose

QuinacridoneSienna

SapGreen

6Bpencil

Sketchbook

Papertowels

1LayIntheFoundationWashesTurnthepaperupsidedown.Paintthelowerleft wall of the arch with a mixture of Quinacridone Sienna and CarbazoleViolet, usinga1-inch (25mm) flat.Leave the stripofwall at the far left edgeunpainted.Whiletheareaisstillwet,pickupsomeManganeseBlueandpaintthe strip of the far left wall slightly lighter than the first wall. Add someQuinacridoneSiennaasyougoup.Thencontinuethefirstwashandasyounearthetopofthewall,usepureQuinacridoneSiennaforawarmaccent.

DropinsomeManganeseBlueforthewindowasyoucontinuethewashacrossthe top of the archwall, heading right using your flat.Don't paint around the

windowandcomebacktoitlaterbecauseitwillformahardedgeandwillnotmergewiththewall.Thisis importantbecausethewalledgeisnotacenterofinterest.ContinuethearchwalldowntherightsideusingCarbazoleViolet.PopinalittleSapGreenforthefoliageontopofthewall.

Paint the underside of the archwithQuinacridoneBurntOrange, changing toQuinacridone Sienna and lightening the value toward the bottom. Paint theforegroundalightwashofQuinacridoneSiennaandPermanentRose.

2Add theOtherLargeFoundationShapesThe shadow shape is amingled

wash andmust be done in one go, so use a 1-inch (25mm) flat and plenty ofwater.BeginattheleftwithQuinacridoneSiennatosuggestwarmlightbetweenthebuildings.AddCarbazoleVioletatthebottomleft.Beforethecolorsdryandgive you a hard edge, pull the wash to the right and change to a mixture ofPermanentRoseandManganeseBlue.

Addsomespotsofcolorfordistantfiguresandflowers.Paint theformsof thebackground buildings, making shadowed sides face you. Suggest warm,reflected lightunder theeavesof thenearestbuildingwithsomeQuinacridoneSienna.Thisandtheroofoftheadjacentbuildingwillrepeatthewarmthoftheforegroundwallandhelpunifythepiece.

Addsometexturetotheoldwall.Spatteronsomecleanwaterfirst,thenletitsitfora fewseconds.Dab itoffwitha softpaper toweland immediately rub theareawithadry towel to liftoff thespots.Theharderyou rub, the lighter theywill be. Dab before wiping so that you will retain the shape of the spatter.Rubbing it immediately will smear the water and you will lift off a differentshape.

COMINGANDGOINGATBUCKFASTABBEYWatercolor21″×14″(53cm×36cm)

3AddtheMainFiguresandFinishingDetailsThefiguresinthearchwayarethecenterofinterest,soreservethesharpestdetail,starkestvaluecontrastsandstrongest color for this area. Using a no. 8 round, paint the nuns' habits, butinstead of black, which turns flat when dry, use Carbazole Violet, AlizarinCrimsonandQuinacridoneBurntOrange.ApplyadabofQuinacridoneSiennafor the face andManganeseBlue for thewhite vestment on the forehead andbelowtheface.

Suggest the detail in the nichewith a no. 8 round— just suggest, don't fully

complete.With your flat brush, darken the cast shadowwith a light wash ofCarbazole Violet to define the walkway. Now add a little sky pattern in thatbeautiful space shape under the arch using your no. 12 round andManganeseBlue.Wetthebrushandimmediatelysoftentheedges.Suggestthewindowsinthedistantbuildingswithano.8round.

Finally, using your flat brush, mix some Carbazole Violet and QuinacridoneBurntOrangeanddarkentheundersideofthearch,leavingtheribs.Lightenthiswashalittleasyoubringitdownthewallandacrossthedoorway.Nowaddthedoor with the original dark mixture. With a no. 12 round, drag a few shortstrokestoindicatelargerstonesinthewall.Don'tgotoodark;justusethesamecolorasthewall.Thedoublelayerwillbedarkenough.

POINTSTOREMEMBER

Acenterofinterestdoesn'tjustappear,itresultsfromplanning.

Strong value contrast is the most eye-catching and dramatic method forbringingoutacenterofinterest.

Color contrasts provide wonderful visual entertainment for the center ofinterest.Reserveyourbestshotsofcolorforit.

Don't expect the viewers to find their ownway through the painting; directthemwithlinesofmotion.

Limit the visual activity of small shapes (details) to the areas of greatestimportance.Keepeverythingelsesimple.

You are the director; everything out there wants a part in your visual

production.Useonlythetoolsthatbestservetheneedsofthepainting.

Thendirectthemtodowhatyouwantthemto.

IDEAS.INSTRUCTION.INSPIRATION.

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