How to Judge Values for Painting and Drawing
August 28, 2008
Squinting at our subject seems rudimentary to some but it’s news to others. Nonetheless it is the most important tool we have when judging values (how relatively light or dark a specific shape is). The failure to use this tool is often prevalent amongst students who are new to my classes. I suspect this is because they have been working exclusively from photos. When working from life squinting is absolutely invaluable. When we squint at our we see less detail. Subtle variations in value even out. We are able to focus on the the big shapes and judge their relative values. Virtually all accomplished artists working from life employ this tool. I don’t know who started it but it”s not new. When students first try squinting it seems a bit odd to them. The usual comment is, “I’ll end up with crows feet!” They usually need frequent reminders to employ the technique. When they forget to squint students commonly overstate things like reflected lights. Once their new habit becomes second nature their work improves.
A fine point that I learned from North Carolina landscape painter Mary Erickson is: Never put anything in your painting that you can’t see while squinting. Often times details we can see with our eyes wide open actually serve to break up our forms when we put them in. Leaving them out if we can’t see them while squinting works better.
So don’t forget to squint, your viewers will thank you.
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