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Authors: Tom Hoffmann
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only black and white remain.
Apply the light and mid-values.
I have deliberately painted “outside the lines” to see if it’s true that the darks have enough narrative clarity to make sense of this mess. If it works, it means that when I’m laying down the first twolayers, I need not be distracted by detail, and all of my attention can be devoted to simply making gorgeous, juicy paint.
Apply the darks, carefully.
This is a good example of the benefit of asking: What needs to be true in the finished painting? Being a little careful with the darks allowed me to be carefree with everything else.
----
TOM HOFFMANN, Callejón, Oaxaca, 2011
WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES COLD PRESS PAPER
11 × 11 INCHES (28 × 28 CM)
E VALUATING THE L AYERS
How much care does each layer require? With a high-contrast image like Callejón, Oaxaca, when we see the darks separated from the other values, it is clear that they do most of the work of establishing the illusion of reality. The cast shadows reveal the strong light, while the obvious perspective of the buildings defines a clear feeling of space. Recognizing this early on can be truly liberating. If we can depend on the darks to pull the whole picture together, the lights and mid-values can be applied very casually.
Alas, we cannot always depend on the darkest darks to pull our paintings together. Some images are chosen specifically for the subtlety of the light- and mid-value forms, and the darks cannot be counted on to make the picture cohere. Others seem so complicated we cannot easily discern the role the darks will play. In these cases, it may be necessary to begin taking care earlier in the progression of layers.
Recognizing in advance the point at which shapes need to be defined can be tricky. Get in the habit of assessing the effectiveness of the illusions you seek as the painting develops, layer by layer. Eventually, you will know before the painting begins what role the lights, mid-values, and darks play in creating a feeling of space or light or substance, and this will inform the degree of care you take at each stage. Looking back at the images at left will make this point obvious.
TOM HOFFMANN, Homestead, 2009
WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES COLD PRESS PAPER
12 × 19 INCHES (30 × 48 CM)
----
In this scene subtle texture and color play a bigger role than in Callejón, Oaxaca. The middle values and the lights tell more of the story than the darkest darks. Consequently, more care must be taken in the first layers. Some of the edges between shapes need to be established right away, rather than waiting till the darks go down.
This detail of Homestead shows where roof, tree, and background come together. Notice that there are no bold darks to define the separate shapes. The final form of each had to be established with the very first layer.
TOM HOFFMANN, IR DE COMPRAS , 2008
WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES HOT PRESS PAPER
11 × 15 INCHES (28 × 38 CM)
----
Most of this sketch was made with two layers. As casual as it is, there is still some sense of light, space, and substance. Can you picture the first layer by itself? At which stage did the illusion of light appear? How about space?
Looking at images and scenes as potential paintings is partly a process of remembering, in terms of form, what has worked before. We each develop a repertoire of successes that informs the choices we make and encourages us to keep expanding our range. For example, enough experience seeing the role the darks play in creating a sense of substance gives us the confidence to take on a new subject. We acquire the faith that what worked in a sunlit street scene in Manhattan will also work in a slot canyon in southern Utah.
BILL TEITSWORTH, LAST OF THE LIGHT, 2010
WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES PAPER
22 × 28 INCHES (56 × 71 CM)
----
This study is basically a three-value treatment of a particular quality of light, in which each value is its own layer. Which layer provides the space and substance? Which provides the light?
SALLY
Apply the light and mid-values.
I have deliberately painted “outside the lines” to see if it’s true that the darks have enough narrative clarity to make sense of this mess. If it works, it means that when I’m laying down the first twolayers, I need not be distracted by detail, and all of my attention can be devoted to simply making gorgeous, juicy paint.
Apply the darks, carefully.
This is a good example of the benefit of asking: What needs to be true in the finished painting? Being a little careful with the darks allowed me to be carefree with everything else.
----
TOM HOFFMANN, Callejón, Oaxaca, 2011
WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES COLD PRESS PAPER
11 × 11 INCHES (28 × 28 CM)
E VALUATING THE L AYERS
How much care does each layer require? With a high-contrast image like Callejón, Oaxaca, when we see the darks separated from the other values, it is clear that they do most of the work of establishing the illusion of reality. The cast shadows reveal the strong light, while the obvious perspective of the buildings defines a clear feeling of space. Recognizing this early on can be truly liberating. If we can depend on the darks to pull the whole picture together, the lights and mid-values can be applied very casually.
Alas, we cannot always depend on the darkest darks to pull our paintings together. Some images are chosen specifically for the subtlety of the light- and mid-value forms, and the darks cannot be counted on to make the picture cohere. Others seem so complicated we cannot easily discern the role the darks will play. In these cases, it may be necessary to begin taking care earlier in the progression of layers.
Recognizing in advance the point at which shapes need to be defined can be tricky. Get in the habit of assessing the effectiveness of the illusions you seek as the painting develops, layer by layer. Eventually, you will know before the painting begins what role the lights, mid-values, and darks play in creating a feeling of space or light or substance, and this will inform the degree of care you take at each stage. Looking back at the images at left will make this point obvious.
TOM HOFFMANN, Homestead, 2009
WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES COLD PRESS PAPER
12 × 19 INCHES (30 × 48 CM)
----
In this scene subtle texture and color play a bigger role than in Callejón, Oaxaca. The middle values and the lights tell more of the story than the darkest darks. Consequently, more care must be taken in the first layers. Some of the edges between shapes need to be established right away, rather than waiting till the darks go down.
This detail of Homestead shows where roof, tree, and background come together. Notice that there are no bold darks to define the separate shapes. The final form of each had to be established with the very first layer.
TOM HOFFMANN, IR DE COMPRAS , 2008
WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES HOT PRESS PAPER
11 × 15 INCHES (28 × 38 CM)
----
Most of this sketch was made with two layers. As casual as it is, there is still some sense of light, space, and substance. Can you picture the first layer by itself? At which stage did the illusion of light appear? How about space?
Looking at images and scenes as potential paintings is partly a process of remembering, in terms of form, what has worked before. We each develop a repertoire of successes that informs the choices we make and encourages us to keep expanding our range. For example, enough experience seeing the role the darks play in creating a sense of substance gives us the confidence to take on a new subject. We acquire the faith that what worked in a sunlit street scene in Manhattan will also work in a slot canyon in southern Utah.
BILL TEITSWORTH, LAST OF THE LIGHT, 2010
WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES PAPER
22 × 28 INCHES (56 × 71 CM)
----
This study is basically a three-value treatment of a particular quality of light, in which each value is its own layer. Which layer provides the space and substance? Which provides the light?
SALLY
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