The Importance of Tonal Value for an Artist.

The Importance of Tonal Value for an Artist. 09/01/2010

Artist Henri Matisse said (in his A Painter's Notes, 1908): "When I have found the relationship of all the tones the result must be a living harmony of all the tones, a harmony not unlike that of a musical composition."

Today’s lesson in my Mooroopna studio was about how to know what was quality oil paint, the toxic pigments to avoid and a some basic information about other painting supplies.

The learning exercise was to paint two 9 tone scales using our eyes to learn to see the tone, so we will be capable of painting what we are seeing not what we are thinking once we begin to paint real objects. My student performed very well. This was the first time she had ever painted.

Once the two tonal scales were completed the student learned how to make crisp clean edges of wet paint to wet paint and how to also make a blended tone scale without hard edges. A lesson on how to clean and care for oil paint brushes using non toxic methods that do not require using thinners followed the painting lesson.

My student like me is keen to avoid using any harmful chemicals. I keep a clean air studio policy.

Believe me when I say that a total beginner gets off faster than an established painter and there are more of a joy to teach there are no well entrenched bad habits to undo.

The tonal value, usually shortened to one word, 'tone' though sometimes called the 'value', (which means the light and shade values, of a painting, not the monetary worth of a painting,) are more important than the colours. You can distort the colour and still have a good representation of the subject you paint but you cannot paint well until you are able to see and match a tonal value.

To paint something, you must get be able to see and identify the tone of the item you want to paint and match it exactly in your paint. So for the first few lessons while mastering this, my students work only with black and white paint.

I was very happy with how the lesson went.