HOW TO DRAW QUITE NICELY
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Tones I believe that a drawing or painting can only come near its’ best if correct tonal values (darks and lights) are used and that using different tones is the one most important aspect of making a picture. If the tonal values are wrong then forget it !! It is no good trying to compensate for the poor use of tones by going wild on colour. It won’t solve the problem. In fact the converse can make a very pleasing picture. As long as the tonal values are correct you can sometimes, with success use bright outlandish colours. Among the greatest artists that ever lived was Caravaggio who didn’t bother too much about colour but my word, his use of light and dark was breathtaking. Rembrandt limited his pallet to mostly the autumn colours and only a few of them. All of his pictures came to life by his use of tones. Indeed, without different tones we would all see very little. Simplifying the number of tones to Dark, Light and Mid-tone, we can make observations which may help your pictures along. One tone should predominate; and none should cover a similar surface area of the picture as either of the other two.
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About the Book
I grew up on a mining town in a very young British Colony. There were no museums, art galleries, or even artists to influence my artistic outlook. By the time I left junior school at age twelve, I had had some small exposure to British artists such as Constable and Gainsborough. Perhaps because of the lack of these artistic facilities, my outlook and tastes are limited. I still do not understand or appreciate the appeal of van Gogh, Picasso, or Jackson Pollack, etc. Since starting to paint professionally, I have concluded that tonal values in a painting are as important, if not more so, than color. Caravaggio and Rembrandt are two good examples of how few colors were needed to produce their masterpieces. In order to interpret the three-dimensional qualities and design in a picture, I concentrate on light, mid, and dark tones by drawing tonal sketches before starting every painting. I hope I have now developed my own style that can be recognized. My greatest ambition is to keep improving and produce better and better pictures that will be appreciated by many people.
About the Author
I was born and grew up in Northern Rhodesia, which later became Zambia. As there were no secondary schools or universities in the country at that time, I traveled to Southern Rhodesia to school—a 2-day train journey. After graduating as a mining engineer in the United Kingdom and marrying, my wife and I returned to the Copperbelt. I worked for the same company in six different countries in Africa and South America. From childhood I always wanted to draw and paint but never had the opportunity when younger and later on was never brave enough to give up my profession. After what seemed to be a lifetime, I at last reached retiring age when it became possible to start painting. I worked hard by putting in hours of practice every day and taking advantage of as many courses, workshops, and painting holidays as possible. During the last eight years, my wife and I have been on painting holidays in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Greece. These have varied between two and four weeks, and they have not only been beneficial to me but given many hours of enjoyment to both of us.