value study - black, white and grayBrand new painters + 1 classroom + tons of enthusiasm, paint, brushes and playful spirits = one fun Saturday afternoon! (phooey - I forgot to take a photo of our gang)
A new session of Get Ready to Paint - this time in Mill Valley at Tam High school. My 'kids' -- a wide range of ages and histories; the common denominator was each wants to learn to paint but is hesitant to jump into a full blown landscape/figure/still life class -- that ol' fear of failure that so many of us have to face down all the time.
We played with brushes, the color wheel, complements and harmonious color. We mixed paints, made value scales. And then, because this group was fast and full of energy, we had a bit of time to spare so they created a value study of a subject (like the one above) --painting in one color - training the eye to find the spot or two of darkest dark, the the lightest light and two or three mid-tones. If you can nail your values - it doesn't matter what color you paint in. To share an anonymous quote - "color gets the credit; value does the heavy lifting".
Recommendation: the small wonderful book Art & Fear, for any one who wants to learn any new skill but is afraid of failing: (painting, music, writing, sports, cooking, a new job!) Easy to read - lots of wonderful anecdotes. You can check it out here http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733
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