A MAJOR TOOL FOR THE PAINTER
Nine times out of ten, it's the details of images that get between us a good composing. By squinting at our subject, we switch our attention
from details to the overall structure. Squinting allows us to see how darks are connected, how lights flow from one area to another, and how an array of colors fall into a simple value range.
Look at the image below. Obviously, it is out of focus (as it would be when you squint) and the color has been taken away.
What we see is the value structure: A strip of dark at the top grading downward into a wider strip of light which gradates back into variations of dark.
If this were a value study for a painting, the artist would be able to create color at the same value as those in the value study and have an ideal block-in for a painting. Here we would have a close
facsimile of what we're seeing while squinting at the scene.
From here, we can release the squint and see clearly how the details will fit into the block-in. Here is the finished
painting by artist Colin Page
Find an image that has lots of texture in it and try this exercise where you use squinting as your major tool. Begin with a small value
study out of focus, then do a block-in of colors in their appropriate values, still out of focus. Release your squint and put in the details.
This is an excellent way to get the artist's juices going.
Many, many thanks to all of you sent me wellness wishes for my knee replacement surgery. I am making a magnificent recovery and expect to get back to doing our workshops and a full coaching schedule
very soon.
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