A most "Value"-able tool...........

"Dandy Wishes" 
watercolor on hot-pressed paper

People of my generation (think dinosaur) aren't quite as technologically savvy as the kids of today who have been raised on all these new gadgets with every bell and whistle that one even 10 years ago could not possibly imagine.  So, for this self proclaimed technologically challenged gal anyway, it is of great delight when I finally stumble onto a particular feature on a new gadget and figure out how to: 

A) discover it in the first place 

B) learn how to actually use it 

C) remember how to use it the next time

Inevitably, when I hit a road block on one of my paintings...... it is consistently in the value department.  I spend a lot of time pre-painting in my head ..... thinking it through before I ever begin to put down the paint - mostly it's about my composition though. (Especially if it is on a panel or canvas where they can't be cropped like you can so easily do with a sheet of watercolor paper). So if at some point it just doesn't seem to be working, I check my values and waalaa! I have found the error of my ways and can then easily move forward in the right direction. 

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Exactly what is this thing VALUE that I speak of ?

 Value, (in art and we're not talking monetarily cuz let's face it, there isn't much money to be had in art anyway, now is there?).....in a nutshell; a gradation of tone from light to dark or of color luminosity.  The relation of one of these elements to another or the whole picture.

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One of the features I utilize on a regular basis is located on the camera of my smart phone. You can also utilize the editing features of Instagram and Pixlr-o-matic apps to accomplish the same thing.

It use to be back in the pre-cretaceous period, we would hold a sheet  of red plastic film over our work to see the "values".....now this can be done as simply as snapping a picture and quickly going to the edit feature.

Easier still, you could squint down your eyes so much so, that all you see are the values, but that seems to be a difficult thing for some people to do. So for those who fall into this category, use the techno method.  It's easy-peasy and I am sure you will come to love it!

Below are some visual steps I took for the watercolor "Dandy Wishes" followed by a black and white version of each so you can get a feel for how looking at your work in terms of value can affect your next move.

#1

#2

#3

(My favorite one out of all of them - even over the color version!)

#4

.....and finally #5, the finished version:

The down side to doing this is the occasional discovery that you prefer it in black and white .....hey - it happens sometimes!