The Importance of Value Studies
from Andy Evansen
Many people are familiar with Andy’s value studies, but this is so you know the process, the why, and the how!
Basically, what Andy does when he does a value study, is he tries to break the scene down into three big value ranges: Lights, Mids, Darks. He will look at a reference photo and he will squint down it to try to see everything that appears light, mid, or dark. When he sketches the value study, anything that appears light is left just as the white paper. He then tries to connect everything else into one big, middle value shape. This is represented below. Creating the large shape that connects the trees, the barn, the pasture, etc. anchors your entire composition into a large shape and makes it easily readable from a distance.
Another big benefit that is unique to watercolor is it allows for a lot of lost edges between shapes. There is a lost edge between the barn and the further trees, between the barn and the pasture, etc. Watercolor is so easy to get these lost edges because it is such a fluid medium. You are just working with a brush, water and pigment, so the edges just flow. All other mediums and media are stiff and you have to manually manipulate the edges to lose them and join shapes together. Whereas, with watercolor, all you need is a brush, pigment and water to make an edge take it’s course!
“This reads well from a distance and anchors your composition to make it easily understandable for the viewer”
When Andy is doing these value studies to prepare for a painting, he will stop for a moment at the stage on the left (pictured above). This is the most difficult stage of the painting. You are trying to take all of these separate objects and join them into one, big, connected shape. Our brains don’t really work this way! They look at an object and they see the barn, the trees, the pasture, the shed, etc. We and the viewers want to make these separations and our brains immediately go to the little details of the scene. Details are important, but it is vital that the basis of our painting, underneath the details, has a nice, big anchoring shape. This reads well from a distance and anchors your composition to make it easily understandable for the viewer. Most people who take a workshop want to loosen up their paintings. The way to loosen up is to find big shapes and areas where you can grab a big brush and mix big puddles of color. Loosening up is not grabbing a small brush and painting shapes or small details, but rather we should find areas where we can make big puddles and shapes. After this, then you can come in and paint the drop shadows, the windows, add some cattle or more details. Whatever it is that you need to work in to add the illusion of detail.
All in all, if the value study is not working, no amount of detail will save the painting. You need to be sure you have a strong and solid base and those anchoring shapes like Andy shows above.
With Andy Evansen, a renowned watercolor artist known for his captivating landscapes and expert techniques, you'll embark on a journey to unlock the secrets of the beautiful medium of watercolor. Join Andy for more below.