Triangulation of Light and Dark


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Mini-Tutorial: Triangulation of Light and Dark

by Michael Newberry

NOTE FROM MSK: The actual tutorial has been removed at the request of Michael Newberry. The link to the tutorial on his site remains in the title above. I highly recommend you go there and go through it. Here is a small quote from it:

Three Fruits, 2005, oil on panel, 12x16"

Some months ago I had a catalytic aesthetic breakthrough I discovered the tremendous value of the triangulation light and dark. It has sped my realistic technique, intensified eye movement, and allowed for more subtlety than I could have imagined.

Here is one piece which fully realized this technique, Three Fruits, 2006, oil on canvas panel, 9 x 12".

To create the feeling of light it is important to have a hierarchy of lights and darks. If you have several lights and darks of equal value spread over canvas, you will surely kill off any life and excitement in your work. The problem is that it is very difficult to keep track of all the subtle shifts in tone. On the opposite side you can be so subtle and afraid to paint powerfully that you end up with a dull mess. One answer, for me, is this triangulation of light and dark.

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