TONAL STUDIES. Nov 2008.

 I was a mean teacher and made my students do this very classic art school exercise this week. Tonal studies! It’s one of those exercises, much like colour theory studies, that seem kind of stupid at the time but, as you get a little older and a little wiser, you eventually see the value in.

Do all pictures fit neatly into these categories? Of course not. But I think improper organization of space is the reason a lot of student work looks weak and without impact. Compositionally confused. If you think in tone during the sketch phase, you can avoid a lot of hassle later on when you’re pondering why your spindly line drawing looks so wimpy.

Also think about what your colour pieces would look like if you were to photocopy it in black and white. If it’s an overall grey, perhaps that’s an indication that your piece could use some tonal re-thinking.

2020 EDIT: I still agree with this! Thinking in tone from the get go is a new way of thinking if you’re used to working exclusively in line. This is also a great way of starting to think about building whole pictures… not just floating figures on blank backgrounds.

Please do not reprint, repost, etc. If you are a teacher, you can use the concepts, but please credit me.