One of the first things I talk about in my art classes (and then I harp on about it continually) is that it is so important to use a variety of values in your paintings. Most new painters tend to work in the middle values. In other words, if you look at a value scale of 1 -10 (light to dark) most people paint in the range of 4 thru 7. And if the blues, yellows, greens, reds, etc. that you use are all in that middle range then your painting will appear flat. You MUST get some really light and really dark values into each painting for it to be successful. And the way to do this is to practice.
I was reading through a Walter Foster Publication called The Daily Book of Art and found an interesting quote. Joseph Stoddard said that his friend and artist Marilyn Simandle told him that “color gets all the credit, but value does all the work”. I couldn’t have said it better myself. 🙂
The Studio 