Friday Finds: Good values and paint pals



Label a black-and-white print with 5 values that

 correspond to the five-value chart you've painted.

 Good values

Keep reading! This has nothing to do with retail discounts or Sunday School.

The value I'm referring to is the relative lightness or darkness of colors within a painting.

It was the topic of the week for the watercolor classes I'm teaching so it's been much on my mind. I tell students, "Value does all the work, but color gets all the credit." (That isn't an original thought BTW but I don't know who said it. If you know, please click the Comment button below and give due credit.)


One way to focus on value is to paint with one color. I had occasionally done this as a study before a painting but success was limited, at best. Then I tried painting a five-value chart off to the side of the sheet I was using for the study.

A successful value study

That little value chart made all the difference. My darks got darker -- which of course made the lights look lighter. Without the chart, I never would have gone as dark.

Try it the next time you're doing a value study. If you have a lot of time and are working with a still life, take a photo and print it out in black-and-white. On the printout label the five values before you start painting. That will really keep you on track.

Pack mentality
Recently Courtney Jordan wrote in her Artist Daily blog about the benefits of painting with others. She pretty much debunked the myth of the solitary artist in a garret studio and instead described artists as a pretty social lot.

Her column made me think about all the times I have painted with others. Most of those opportunities came through Bloomington Watercolor Society either directly from their paintouts and programs or indirectly from friendships formed with other BWS members.

If you're looking for a painting pack to join, come to the next BWS meeting Monday, Feb. 14, at 6 p.m. We meet at the First Christian Church at the corner of Kirkwood and Washington. The business portion of the meeting is kept short so that we have time to paint together. Visitors are welcome, and if you can't find your paints, come anyway. Someone will share. That's just how social we are.