Sketchbook Peek: Rough Sketching and Value Studies
Light blue rough pencil sketch on smooth white surface of a woman looking straight at the viewer.
Sneak peek at a new portrait. 👀
This will be painted in acrylic on wood panel. Acrylic is still a new medium for me and it feels like turning my brain inside out.
The acrylic process differs from watercolor. I use the white of the paper for highlights in watercolor painting and any layers are kept to a 2-3 minimum. Watercolor lightens as it dries so I’m mindful when creating color intensity.
The greatest challenge in transitioning to acrylic has been painting more thickly in many more layers. And using white paint; it feels almost dangerous. Another difference, unlike watercolor’s tendency to lighten, acrylic paint dries darker.
Watercolor paint tubes hang on a pegboard. Below is a printout depicting a value range of browns and violet greys, dark to light, against a neutral grey background.
A struggle I have no matter the medium is value range, how light or dark a color appears. Finding that middle range eludes me. Something new I’m trying is selecting areas from the source image to create swatches of color and using those to make a value study. This will be a useful reference for color mixing and creating a more dynamic painting.
Stay tuned. More behind the scenes sneak peeks to come…