Evolve Artist Block 1 Assignment 11: Apple, Pot, Ball

 

Lesson Video Notes

Initial Thoughts

• I didn’t have any initial thoughts that I can remember, just put my head down and started painting…obviously should have paused to think about it a bit because I missed a video!

Notes on Apple, Pot, Ball video

Expanding and Contracting Gradients

• in this lesson we are expanding on buffers.
• Before, we used the thickness of the brush to determine thickness of buffer.
• Now we’re expanding the impact of gradients in the painting.
• In this painting, there’s a large shadow, large gradient, much larger than thickness of the brush.
• So we change the width and shape of the buffer, and then dissolve edge as usual.
• Notice the gradient kind of curves around the ball, it’s not straight.
• Now, we are starting to match the photograph more than rely on strict rules.
• Process now is: fill in 4 shades, put in your buffers, make your gradients, clean up edges, THEN do reflections & highlights

Thicker Gradient Buffers with More Character

• Gradients = very gentle work
• Now going to dissolve gradient edges, and do reflections and highlights.
• When the buffer takes up more space, expand the shape of the buffer, it looks more 3D. Adds more body to the shape, more representative of what’s in the photo.
• When paint is a little too dry, you have to play with it more to make it blend well…
• Then, as usual, sharpen up the edges as needed

Highlights and Reflections

• It’s little variations that give atmosphere in a painting.
• Following the EA system, a lot of your reflections and highlights will be the wrong value at first, because we’re only working based on what the palette gives us.
• This will train you on how to get to the right value eventually.
• In ES, anything that looks lighter can only go up ONLY a half step. (Nothing darker)
  • Ex: Bottom of apple there’s a bit of a reflection at the base of the shadow, as well as to the left.
  • It doesn’t look like much, but it’ll add up.
  • There’s also some variation on the lip of the pot/stand/thing
• These are delicate marks that barely show up, if not for the contrast with the sharp edges nearby.
• It’s subtle, but there. Your eyes pick them up when you see the whole painting.
• Now, you use half step LIGHTER OR DARKER for mod shadows. Always start with darker shade first.
  • Explain the edge of the ball using the half step darker paint.
  • And the upper left of the ball is slightly lighter.
• If you have to, go to a smaller brush.
• To separate the ML of the stand with the ML of the table, you can use a bit of the half step darker paint to define the edge.
• Reflections and highlights are a decorative element at the end of your painting, you just need 5%. If you go to 10-15% changes, you start changing the structure of the painting.
• One of the greatest lessons in art: restraint. Understatement for the sake of elegance. For now, don’t overdo the reflections and highlights.
• It’s critical that you mix the admixtures correctly!
• You can also do a little lightness at the bottom of the stand above the shadow we just did to better define that edge.
• Also can add a bit of light to the edge of the shadow cast by the ball to make that shadow pop more.
• These are just accents! No overhauling!
• This whole program is based on building on little ideas one at a time.
• The ball is made of wood and wood textures, cloth textures, these are the kinds of things you’d address in this step.
• You can finalize by sharpening some edges as needed. Look over the painting one last time!
• This is a simple subject, but once you get how it works, complexity doesn’t matter. You can do it on anything.

Exercise 11 – Apple, Pot, and Ball

Painting from a photo is always done in the same process, and you should remember to adhere strictly to the approach you have learned to avoid getting tripped up. At this point, you will simply add on the reflections and highlights that you have just learned.

As long as you continue to follow the process you have learned you will not have any problems transitioning between different sources of reference.

If you need a refresher for the steps you can refer back to the videos from previous parts of the course.

Otherwise, if you are ready to take the next step, proceed to the assignment for this part.

Assignment 11

Your Assignment: 
Follow the instructions in the exercise, complete your painting with the addition of reflections and highlights, and then submit your homework.

Note on Piper’s supplemental video

• Based on the pear, pot, and cylinder painting.
• When assessing values, ignore highlights and reflections.
• How to assess core shadow value when the shadow seems to have multiple values, like a light, medium, and dark side to it?
• TK

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