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<\/a><\/p>\nFailing to plan is planning to fail.<\/strong><\/p>\n Always make a few preliminary value sketches using a soft pencil – 4B or 6B – using three values: light, middle, and dark; nuanced, yet still distinct. Particularly, be sure to establish a coherent value pattern, with a very few details at most. Don\u2019t hesitate to bend reality a little. A painting has different demands than a photographic rendition. Investigate several different compositional possibilities in these sketches. Sketch like a composer: make it recognizable, but definitely not a literal depiction of reality.<\/p>\n When you choose your strongest, most powerful pencil sketch as the basis for your painting, it guarantees an 80% successful painting beforehand.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t put it in jail.<\/strong><\/p>\n Group your subject in about five large shapes, using soft edges to blend many shapes together. This gives them air and lets them breathe. \u201cDon\u2019t put them in jail.\u201d This way, the subject as such disappears, to become part of a larger whole. You avoid having a bunch of disjointed small shapes when you join them into a smaller number of abstract forms. Similar tones or hues are proven ways to glue them together, and turn a messy, chaotic image into a harmonious whole.<\/p>\n !!!<\/strong><\/p>\n Place the most prominent details along the edges of those forms as much as possible, so they don\u2019t act as separate elements causing restlessness in the composition. This way you don\u2019t give more attention to the details than necessary, while enlivening the edges of the larger shapes.<\/p>\n !!!<\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t be afraid to keep large parts of the work quiet, in contrast with the more active and detailed part at the focal point. An additional advantage of this is that those quieter parts require less painting, hence there is less risk of making mistakes. Do make sure to enliven those quiet parts somewhat by using value or color gradation, or applying some spattering.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve kept my advice to a minimum, as there are already (video) libraries full of titles such as \u201cHow to become a great artist in 10 lessons.\u201d Too much advice will only keep you from experimenting for yourself, a precondition for your speedy and personal development.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve added a few illustrations to clarify the text.<\/p>\n These are as neutral as possible so you won\u2019t be distracted by an overly realistic subject, but can get to the heart of the matter more easily.<\/p>\n I also deliberately left out color advice to emphasize tonal values.<\/p>\n By the way, most well-known contemporary watercolor painters are tonalists rather than colorists. The reason is that a tonal painting isn\u2019t that hard to do when you have the knowledge and skills, whereas a sparkling colorist work involves a lot more. As an experiment, try using a more exuberant color palette next to the safe – grays and earth tones – colors of the Hague School, but in a harmonious combination of course.<\/p>\n Next time I will delve a little deeper into such a colorist approach.<\/p>\n PS<\/p>\n If you feel that you do need more technical know-how, I highly recommend Edo Hannema\u2019s instructive and eminently readable blogs.\u00a0www.edohannema.nl<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a9Kees van Aalst<\/p>\n This Lesson is\u00a0translated by Mineke Reinders<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.keesvanaalst.nl\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/21_06_2017_2.jpg?resize=760%2C838\")
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