Valuing the Value Study

There’s nothing like being reminded for the umpteenth time to do a “thumbnail.” For those who don’t know, this is a (usually small) simple sketch or two before attempting to dive right into drawing or painting the work you have in mind. Often it takes a teacher to get through to you on this; for those more accustomed to “multi-tasking” and thinking it is doing some good, it requires a bit of discipline to keep slowing down.

Illustration: Value study sketch (Hillwood Mansion grounds) by Black Elephant Blog author

In my experience, this business of reinforcing what we’ve already supposedly learned is one of the main benefits of keeping anchored in a class or two–so that your habits do not become too sloppy. And of course you keep learning new stuff even as you are reminded about the “old stuff.”

So, in the current class in pastel painting, the teacher handed out this handy little value chart (which I’ve protected in a little plastic sheath–see photo below).

Illustration: Photo of value scale

When we do thumbnails or sketches, one purpose (besides mapping out a composition) is to do a value study–a study of the “values” or the tones or shades of contrast. While it is tempting (and normal) to jump right to the details, I have learned that the details often blind us to the really important things in art (and elsewhere?…) –like values, shapes and shadows. This requires re-training the brain for many of us.  Doing value studies is the most direct form of problem-solving I’ve encountered so far in my art education. (And it seems quite transferable to other fields requiring problem-solving.)

While can be more fun to jump straight into colors (and sometimes, depending on what you are seeking to achieve, it is a good idea!), learning to see the values, shapes and shadows has its own delights. Doing this in different media, including water-soluble graphite…

Illustration: Value study in water-soluble graphite by Black Elephant Blog author

and conte crayon

Illustration: Conte crayon value study of Richard Serra metalwork sculpture (East Wing, National Gallery of Art) by Black Elephant Bog author

also provides valuable learning opportunities.

So during a recent visit to the majestic, privately-run Hillwood Museum and Gardens estate in the heart of Washington, D.C., the grounds were so beautiful underneath a

Illustration: Garden sculpture at the Hillwood Mansion and Gardens, Washington, D.C. –Photo by Black Elephant Blog author

clear blue sky that it was nearly impossible to go inside. Instead the sights of flowering trees and bushes, the gentle slope of the “Lunar Lawn”, and ornate garden sculptures were captivating. Frankly, it was a challenge to detect the “values” in different shades in such a riot of bright color. In addition, the diversity of people, from all over the world, and particularly Russian families, made it an even more memorable afternoon.  (The Hillwood Estate of Marjorie Meriweather Post features the most comprehensive collection of Russian imperial art outside of Russia, according to its website.)

Such a glorious visit to the Hillwood mansion gardens has provided much fodder for future practice in value studies and beyond…

•    A small Japanese garden, for instance, features two   whimsical bridges, leading to a roughly sketched out ‘work-in-progress’ in pastel.

• And, a toddler sitting in the tall grass already has provided inspiration for a series of sketches and value studies…
  

  Illustration:  Sketch of Toddler sitting in tall grass at Hillwood Mansion, Washington, D.C. by Black Elephant Blog author

Sketching al fresco

Beautiful weather ensures motivated sketching and even follow-through to completed watercolors–especially if it all can be done ‘al fresco’.  Keeping a pencil handy can help the hand and eyes stay limber, and make the most of even the unlikeliest compositions. This is a quick sketch for a potential watercolor done during a pause while passing by this restaurant earlier today.   (It is fairly easy to sketch diners who are deeply engaged–as all these people were–in their conversations on a gorgeous afternoon.)

In the little oasis where this scene adjoins other restaurants around a fountain and near a lake, the calm is reenergizing and the colors extraordinary–if you have time to look.  Here, in real-life, there were a lot of colors, including bright red tulips standing tall in a circle of yellow flowers in the big cement pots in the foreground, and bright tropical blue pillows on low-slung couches in the rear. Can this scene of colors and calm be captured in a watercolor or a pastel? There’s only one way to find out!  And a bit later, with the help of some (Daniel Smith) Venetian Red, Cobalt Teal Blue, and Raw Sienna watercolors (as well as a few of the magical watercolors from the Sakura Koi pocket set):

Illustration: Watercolor and pen-and-ink on Arches Cold Press 140# paper by Black Elephant Blog author

 

Sketching is Seeing

Illustration: Photo of entrance to Sketching Room at the National Gallery of Art (April 2016)

As the university semester comes to an end, the focus in our class is on tying  strands of inquiry together in an in-class simulation exercise. This week the students received a one-page scenario “sketch.” Scenario practice typically involves multiple (completely contrasting and credulity-stretching) stories or sketches for the purposes of ‘rehearsing the future,”  increasing agility of thinking and planning today, and enhancing readiness for the unexpected.   We do this because our course focuses on unconventional problems which in turn require unconventional approaches to problem-solving, examined earlier on this blog as in here, here, and here.  (The current relevance attached in some circles to the importance of becoming more aware of our decision-making processes, and impediments to solving the complex problems of today, can be seen in projects and events such as this upcoming presentation, “Missing the Slow Train:  How Gradual Change Undermines Public Policy and Collective Action”  at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.)

But, our  classroom process differs from standard scenario practice, though the goals remain similar. Having just considered case studies in the importance of “reframing the question” in order to design more effective problem-solving approaches to complex challenges, the students (who come from all over the world) have been given an intentionally unbounded rapidly-unfolding crisis situation in the form of a very sketchy sketch.  This scenario is ambiguous in terms of ‘ownership’ or national or jurisdictional boundaries or  even the exact facts on the ground  (simulating reality).  The students must even decide “who” they are in this simulation, in devising their plans by next week. Time is short, the situation completely unfamiliar, and two subgroups are working, respectively, in pre-crisis and post-crisis modes.  Within these groups people must work together outside of their usual lanes and routines. There is no one in charge, at least initially.  Usually the results are pretty impressive, surprising, and it’s a fun, albeit serious, way to end the semester.  We all learn something in the process.

Sketching something imaginary?

We naturally start with sketches whether we are contemplating building a new deck on the house, designing a new organizational initiative, imagining something which we don’t see, or drawing a cartoon. Sketching has a role in seeing, as emphasized quite dramatically this very week (!) by a whole room devoted to sketching (complete with free sketchbooks and pencils) at the entrance to the National Gallery of the Art in Washington, D.C. So sketches can be something we draw, or practice (as on a stage,) or simulate in a classroom or a video game.

Photo: U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. taken by Black Elephant Blog author

Meanwhile a gorgeous Spring has provided the perfect palette to practice sketching in different media.

Illustration: Photo by Black Elephant Blog author

Toggling between so many sketch-able things has produced many “works-in-progress” and aspirations to finish them!

Illustration: Work -in-progress pastel sketch by Black Elephant Blog author

But each one is a step in a path towards hopefully something more polished.  Sketching is also good for incubating ideas, sometimes over a period of many years, in notes, notebooks, doodles, and …sketches… awaiting a moment perhaps involving serendipity when well-honed ideas can finally be implemented.  (Most of us know of people in history who, for various reasons (like survival) kept their own ideas and sketches hidden, like “The Origin of Species” written in the early 19th century, for a quarter of a century or more.)

Illustration: Work-in-progress watercolor by Black Elephant Blog author

It turns out, as many teachers have said over the past year, process matters if we are to make progress on tough challenges (whether in art, education, public health, or security matters) and create better outcomes.  Complacency and routines can be deadly in this regard.

How curiously different is the world of artists from the world of those in many other professions.  Artists must be original in order to have a chance at being successful, much as Georgia O’Keeffe was in adopting her various styles.  But so many other professions discourage originality in part because it’s impossible to manage traditionally. As  more and more challenges at the level of cities, regions, nations, and the world at large demand originality and creativity, traditional organizations are stumbling, although some are trying to adapt.  It’s a tall order for most of them, but necessary.  Would we better off  if creativity and originality were emphasized, rather than stifled, beginning in primary school?  One wonders.  Meanwhile, it’s  no wonder sketching is catching on like wildfire:  sketch away!

Going Pastel

Joining the ranks of the pastel artists can feel like crossing over to another world; upon introduction where one is welcomed with curiosity, we mention our “medium” and this apparently already says a lot about us to the pastel artists.  Like how we approach a piece of paper, and what color our paper usually is (white, in the case of watercolor people).  Everything we have learned is just the opposite in pastel, where among the pros the affection for this medium is a self-declared addiction.

Illustration: Pastel by Black Elephant Blog author

Like every other endeavor, there’s a certain initial outlay that’s unavoidably necessary when seriously endeavoring to take on a new medium.  Pastel has its own papers and tools. I started with a box of 96 NuPastels and was quite amazed at the colors they produced.  But for blending and other effects, the more experienced all have additional favorites, and it can “add up” pretty quickly.  (I was really glad the NuPastels worked so well as I felt less compelled to immediately go out and stock up on the allegedly even better stuff.)  In addition, pastel pencils are necessary for finer details.  There’s lots to experiment with…  Most of the members of the group I’m learning with have a headstart and produced wonderful things some of which seem like frescos ready for display.  There’s another exciting journey ahead!  And another medium, pretty well-suited to urban sketching, by the way, to add to those I’ve already adopted.

Departure Gate Sketch

Airport departure gates are famously suitable places for sketching practice since you and the subjects (of your sketch) typically have little else to do but wait. So, you never know when you can get some good practice in, as in this case, at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Illustration: Watercolor and pen and ink sketch, “Heading Home,” in Stillman & Birn sketchbook by Black Elephant Blog author

Santa Fe Sketches

Illustration: Pastel by Black Elephant Blog author on grey Canson Mi-Teintes Pastel paper

New Mexico in the early Spring: bright yellow flowers in the snow, white drifts on mountain peaks in the distance, terracotta adobe houses hugging the hillsides, a fresh cold air that catches your breath, a startlingly blue sky, a lovely teahouse along Canyon Road…

From museums, churches, markets, and  hundreds of beautiful outdoor sculptures to parks, shops, and restaurants, there’s much to see and do… and sketch. But on this trip the temperatures have generally been too cold for much outdoor sketching.

Even finding the time to complete a sketch can be difficult with all the attractions all around.

Illustration: Sketch on Strathmore Aquarius II paper by Black Elephant Blog author

There’s the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, for instance, which brings the story of this amazing artist alive, ensuring that one wants to know more.

Illustration: Georgia O’Keefe’s paintbox on display under glass at the Georgia O’Keefe Museum

And the hundreds of years of history on display in the New Mexico History Museum inside the Palace of the Governors on the Plaza.

 

The colors of the hills and mountains that have made this area a favorite of artists for many years did not disappoint.

 

Illustration: Watercolor sketch, “South of Taos” on Strathmore Aquarius II paper by Black Elephant Blog author

With its rich history, intersection of cultures, and mix of ancient and modern, Santa Fe is a mecca for artists of all kinds. It’s easy to see why they call it the Land of Enchantment!