From the Inside Flap
Color is probably one of the first things you notice when you look at a painting. But without at least minimal contrast showing light and dark values, even the brightest colors appear flat and boring. In fact,
every element of your painting--composition, light and shade, texture ... it all starts with a strong foundation of tonal values.
This book will give you a complete, working understanding of how to use values to greatest effect, including how to:
- use values to depict form, dimensionality and spatial relationships:
- take advantage of the inherent drama of strong value contrasts:
- use thumbnail sketches and underpaintings to "map out" values and composition :
- use lights and darks as tools to draw the viewer into, and through, your picture:
- use values to suggest movement and texture:
Step-by-step demonstrations (in watercolor, oil and pastel) show value principles at work. You'll even find a chapter of "fix-it" tricks, along with revision demos that show how to enliven a lackluster image by adjusting values.
About the Author
Alex Kedzierski considers himself to be self taught, although he did study briefly at the Art Students League of New York. He feels that "all artists are self taught, no matter how much formal training they may have had, because they've really learned to paint by doing, not by listening, watching or reading. "Of course," he admits, "studying with a painter who's already made all of the mistakes and has gone through the trial and error part of training helps to reduce the student's learning time!"
Alex is the founder and director of the Lycoming Art Students League in Montoursville, Pennsylvania, where he also teaches classes in oil and pastel painting. His work is in private and corporate collections across the United States and in Japan.
