Value Sketching - Basics

Thanks for taking a look at this video!
Creating small - thumbnail - value sketches is a recommended practice for watercolor painting. The process of creating them promotes and stimulates exploration while helping you visualize different divisions of the space in your picture plane.
The process also emphasizes simplification, both in shapes and in values.
It is a process that many avoid initially, because they are anxious to just get painting.
But, once you've gotten used to the process and have developed a good habit, the time invested will be small, while the return on that investment will be very large.

This video will help you get started with this habit by demonstrating a very basic, simplified way to work with value sketches.
All dynamic painting compositions are built on a foundation of simplified shapes each with a simplified value.  Usually, the underlying composition includes just a handful of shapes with well-defined value.

In this lesson we'll start with a pencil sketch of a farm done on location. The lesson will go through the process and thinking for creating a strong, dynamic value composition that will also represent the original subject.

If you are new to the process, it is likely your old thinking habits will try to get you to draw individual objects separately.  Follow the lesson to keep on track and try to adopt the process as presented.

Practice the ideas and process - it will help you get better and make the process easier and easier.

What you’ll need:

Plain or drawing paper, or a pencil sketchbook
Pencil – I always recommend a 2B drawing pencil for sketch work

This handout defines value and lists three ways that understanding and using value is important to the artist - https://watercolormethods.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/51-ValueBasics.pdf

We have a series of Premium lessons on Value, Value Composition, and Value Sketching on the Watercolor Methods Website - https://watercolormethods.com/value-basic-concepts/
Premium lessons are accessible through a low-cost monthly, quarterly, or annual Membership - details here - https://watercolormethods.com/premium-level-library-access/

Watercolor Methods - https://watercolormethods.com - was developed by Vermont Artist Tony Conner - https://tonyconner.com. He is a master watercolor artist and an experienced watercolor instructor, valued by his students for making the 'hows' and the 'whys' of watercolor easy to understand and apply.

Видео Value Sketching - Basics канала Watercolor Methods