April 23, 2014

If you have never made a black & white value chart of your palette, I encourage you to do so today.  It's a good place to start and it is one of the most useful tools you will ever produce.  Do yourself a favor and make it on the paper you usually use instead of sketch paper as I did when I made mine.  (I'm sure you have some scraps laying about, or use the back side of a failed piece.)  Just line up your colors side by side (no need for spaces) and then take a photograph.  Use whatever photo altering program you have and change it to the black & white setting.  Knowing the light, mid tones, and darks that you use on a daily basis is very helpful and can be a surprise when you see it for the first time.  This is my palette - the core colors I use daily.  I have many other paints in my fishing tackle box, but I rarely use them.   I keep this and other studies in my notebook for easy reference.  Back to my brushes.  

"The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants."  - Johnny Depp