Values In Painting - Art Classes Roswell, GA.

VALUES IN PAINTING by Jill Saur

The paintings below are by Winslow Homer. The first painting is the original.  The second painting is the same one.  I removed the color from the second image to see the tonal values.

Lightness or tonal value is the light or dark of a color, regardless of its hue. Creating a black and white painting is very helpful to train your eye to perceive value.

Sometimes it’s easier to classify values into three groups: lights, darks, and mid-range.  Roughly, values from one through three are the lightest values.  Values from four through seven are the mid values, and values from eight through ten are the darkest values.  A general guide is that mid-tones should occupy 70% of your painting, the lightest lights 20%, and the darkest darks should occupy 10% of your work.

If I'm going to paint from a photo that I take, the first thing I do is put it in a photo program and I turn it into a black and white image.  When I do this, I know immediately if the image has a good range to make the composition interesting as well as intriguing.

A number of my students have been working on value drawings and paintings.  I hope this tip helps you see the importance of training your eye to see and use value changes in your artwork. - Jill Saur

www.JillSaurFineArt.com

Painting Class Roswell, GA.

"After the first brushstroke, your canvas takes on a life of its own.  At this point, you become both the choreographer and the spectator as your work of art unfolds."  - Jill Saur

Everyone has been busy the past few weeks finishing up their stunning works of art.  We also have many in progress.  I love the diverse paintings and the individual styles that emerge from each student.  It's so much fun for me to watch students growing and in their artistic journey!

This blog contains my class schedule and policies (at the top).  To see more information about my classes or to view my work, please visit my website.  I have several contact forms on my website where you can send me an inquiry regarding art classes.  Thank you, Jill Saur  My Website

Painting Classes Roswell GA. - Andrew Wyeth, American Master

"Airborne" by Andrew Wyeth

Andrew Wyeth – American Master Artist  (1917-2009)

He was the quintessential example of a true American artistic genius. He was Andrew Wyeth, my favorite American Artist.  

Andrew’s disciplined artistic journey began as a young boy and his respect for the human spirit never wavered. Andrew Wyeth once said, “I search for the realness, the real feeling of a subject, all the texture around it, I always want to see the third dimension of something.  I want to come alive with the object.”  Wyeth's desire was to capture a moment, not a frozen moment, but a fleeting moment. 

When you're painting from a photograph, it's important to know the difference between a frozen moment and a fleeting moment. It's the fleeting moment that's wrought with feeling!
That's why I suggest painting from your own photos.  If you take a photo of a sunrise over the ocean, you're going to remember the smell of the saltwater and the warmth of the sun on your face as it inches over the horizon.  If you're compelled to pick up your camera, it's because something grabs you that you want to remember and share with others.  That's a fleeting moment, a feeling, something you're going to remember and ultimately, something you'll be able to expressly portray through your art. - Jill Saur

If you're interested in taking art classes with me, please visit my website and click on "Art Classes" on the top of the page.  I have a contact form on my website.  You're welcome to send me a message.  CLICK HERE

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Painting Classes Roswell, GA.

Van Gogh Vase With Flowers Painting

   Van Gogh's Use Of Complimentary Colors by Jill Saur

Title:  "Vase With Daisies And Anemones"
Painted In Paris In The Summer Of 1887

This oil on canvas by Van Gogh is rendered with stunning complimentary colors (colors that are opposites on the color wheel).  In this case, the opposites are blue and orange, purple and yellow, and red and green.  In color theory, this combination of colors is known as a six tone chord (hexagon).

Van Gogh was a master of color, drawing, and composition.  He knew how to use just the right amount of a colors compliment to enhance the original hue.  

I've always been intrigued by color and experimented with it. I've spent long hours and many months studying and making color charts and complex color wheels.  Learning the difference between warm blues and cool blues, warm reds and cool reds, warm yellows and cool yellows, made all the difference in the world! 

I'm deeply inspired by the illustrious and profound work of Van Gogh.  I recently had a student (who knows I think Van Gogh hung the moon) return from a business trip to New York City.  While there, she visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was totally blown away by seeing Van Gogh's work in person.  She told me that before her trip, she really didn't get my deep affection for his paintings.  Now she's a convert and believer in his mastery and use of color!

I teach my students a more complicated, but accurate, color wheel.  I love to see when the light goes on and they 'get' what it's all about.  Realizing how to mix color without having it turn to mud, knowing how to tone down a color without using black, and knowing how to choose the right colors for a painting, is a game changer!  

To see my work and my students work, or to inquire about taking art classes with me, please visit my website.  WEBSITE

Art Classes Roswell, GA

“It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.” ― Vincent Van Gogh

It's so much fun for me to see my students working on the subject matter of their choosing.  I always feel that if you work on something you love, you're going to love what you're working on, and you'll do great things with your work.

Continue to push yourself and challenge the boundaries of what you think you're capable of doing because you're capable of doing much more than you think!

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Interested in taking art classes.  There's more information here on this blog, and if you'd like to learn more about me and find more information on classes, please visit my website.  CLICK HERE

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