Aachen Study - Canvas Started


Just a quick progress shot of the start of my grisaille. I didn't think of showing how I have set up my palette, but its basically 7 values using Titanium White and Ivory Black. I had my pencil study handy when I mixed up the values. Everything is really blocky right now and I have not really done a lot of blending. After I am happy with the basic value chunks, I will go in and get more detailed. I learned with my last one that trying to get detailed before I got basic values blocked in ended with a lot of do over time. This gives me a chance to stand back and compare things before I refine.

At first, the back looked too dark. As you can see on the unpainted Juno, compared to the stark white canvas, it is a huge contrast. As I fill in some of the related values, it is starting to take more of the graphite values. This is proof of the theory that all values are relational. Even though the back looks quite black at the moment, I assure you this is not nearly as dark as it is straight out of the tube.

I hated to stop at this point, but Alexis came home and we are going to haul her stuff to her new apartment this afternoon. She starts classes on Wednesday at Herron School of Art. I may be just a tiny bit jealous, but I am too proud of her and too happy to have her closer to home to notice.

2 Comments

Jo Castillo said…
Sorry I didn't comment sooner,we were on the road.

This is coming along so nicely. It is amazing how the grays look so different against the plain white or black. Your value study really paid off. It saves time in the long run when you don't have to be doing things over. You are right.

I will keep following along.

Jo
Anna Sellers said…
Thanks Jo,

Progress has been a lot slower than I had hoped on this simply because I have allowed a lot of distractions take me away from painting.

I am determined to paint this morning and get something posted.