In this project, you'll do Value Thumbnails to help you see value relationships and organize them into groups. You'll simplify the drawings into just 2 or 3 values. This practice will improve your ability to observe and interpret values in your drawings.

Thumbnails are small sketches. They are intentionally small to help you avoid drawing details. Don't draw the details! Focus on designing the large shapes and assigning them a value.

Reference

In the downloads, you’ll find several images of master paintings. Use the images I provided, and if there's another master painting you're excited about, feel free to study it as well.

Two-Value Studies

Two-value drawings (Notan) use just lights and darks. You'll choose a threshold: anything lighter goes into lights, anything darker into darks. This threshold is up to you, based on your interpretation of the image.

Lights
Darks

Three-Value Studies

Optionally, incorporate a mid value into your thumbnails. The mid value is useful for areas that aren't clearly light or dark and could belong to either group. Including this value helps to categorize those ambiguous areas.

Lights
Mids
Darks

Level 2: Still Life Photos

For more challenge, set up your own still life, compose, light, and photograph it. Use a direct and clear light source to create distinct light and dark areas. Choose a subject that interests you.

Then, do value thumbnail studies from your photo. This is harder since you're working from a photo, not a master paintings, which have a lot of the composing, designing, and simplifying already done. Photos present raw details and noise. You'll need to filter out unnecessary information, focusing on big shapes and value groups. Fight the urge to include all the details.

Remember, this project isn't about beautiful drawings. It's about improving specific skills to help you make beautiful drawings later.

Deadline - submit by Nov 15, 2024 for a chance to be in the critique video!

Maestro

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Native American was tough, might redo it but later since my eyes are in pain from squinting too much

@landsloth

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13d

This was funner than I thought I’d be but also harder! I enjoyed it though. I did two pictures with just two values and then repeated them with three. there’s some proportion errors, especially in the top right but I tried to correct it with the one underneath. I couldn’t get the clouds to look right in the bottom right so I’m going to attempt that again and try to fix it. I'm happiest with the bottom left, i think thats probably my strongest piece. I used a 6B, 6H and 3H pencil. great project!

Richard W

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13d

In the Edgar Payne landscape notan, I realize that the mid value est far too light

Melanie Scearce

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13d

I think a similar thing is going on in the Cornwell study. The middle value being so close to the lightest value makes the image high key. If you bump down the two lower values and keep the lightest value concentrated mainly to the shape of the window, you'll have it!

Carlos Pérez

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14d

I discovered that zorn or Rembrandt have a clear 2 value separation than for example Rockwell or frazzeta

Martha Muniz

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14d

Lovely studies! And good observation in regards to how artists utilize values differently. Rembrandt is known for that high contrast in lights vs darks to create a dramatic quality, vs someone like Rockwell who really makes the most of the midtone section for a highly-lit feeling, but can lead to a 2 value separation being trickier.

Yotas

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16d

Hello! I want to do the 13 pictures of level one with two tones first and then with three tones. I am around the third part of the two tones and I think I might benefit from getting some critique. Thank you so much! By the way I am seeing very interesting excercise already!

Rachel Dawn Owens

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16d

It looks like you got it! These are perfect for notan thumbnail studies. The shapes are very nicely designed. Some of the shapes on the Sorolla one are a little bit clunky. The original painting is so fluid. Try bringing that into the thumbnails more. Keep it up. Can’t wait to see the next ones 👍

Tommy Pinedo

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20d

Here is my level 2 attempts on the thumbnail value study assignment. I am not sure if my thumbnail is too small for these type of studies. took notes from the critique video and it helped. Feedback is always welcomed! 🙂

Melanie Scearce

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20d

Thumbnails should be on the smaller side. You don't want to spend too much time on them because they are so preliminary and just meant to plan out the composition -- and like you said, you can try multiple different solutions in a short amount of time. Work large enough where you aren't struggling to design your shapes :) Nicely done with these!

@621

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21d

2 value

Tofu

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23d

I'm really struggling with this assignment because I'm not sure if i'm understanding this right. I don't understand if i'm to look at the light source and based on that, determine which parts are lighter? I don't know how to look at which values are lighter when there are so many different colours...how do i compare and see the values then? Would really appreciate any help or advice!

Melanie Scearce

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22d

If you haven’t checked out the value tool yet give it a shot! It acts like the posterize tool in photoshop and flattens the values based on the threshold you define. You can find it here: https://www.proko.com/values It might also help to run a black and white filter on the image. You don’t need to worry about the hue or chroma of the colors; just focus on the value. It will take some exploration to develop your eye to see this way. You can color pick different areas of the painting with the black and white filter applied and compare them to each other to see how they relate. That’s what you’re looking for in this assignment: how can you group similar values into shapes in interesting and aesthetic ways that support the narrative. It looks like you’re on the right track. My critique would be that there’s too many shapes with the lightest value outside of the big shape of the window. To reduce those shapes you would need to darken the value of some of the surrounding shapes as well.

Daniele Olevano

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26d

My attempt to the assignment. At first I didn't get the reason of doing so small drawing and in the first drawing I was focusing to much in detail but now I understand the importance of grouping big area of value before doing the shading of a drawing, very usefull exercise.

Eryk Świątek

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29d

Martha Muniz

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14d

Great value choices! Try doing more studies but without using linework to separate the subject matter (like outlining the people, chairs, boats, etc.) so instead the focus can be on how the values themselves break up the picture. Sometimes subjects will be combined with others (like how the standing man's face blends with the same value as the background) or be broken up into different values (like how the same man's face has some white light hitting the side). Thinking more about the abstract shapes of the picture is a way to examine the compositional and value choices made by the artist more directly.

Tommy Pinedo

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30d

Here are my level 1 thumbnails. I took my time with this project and really tried my best to study the values and not go too much in detail. I think my favorite attempts are Joaquin sorrolla, John Singer Sargent, Cornwell, and Norman Rockwell. feedback is welcome 🙏🏻

hobodios

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1mo

I felt like a kid again doing this assignment so thanks for that! This is by far the hardest assignment so far but the pain was worth it, whenever I check my images with photoshop they are a little off and it bothers me but I think I'm just being too hard on myself. Any feedback is highly appreciated

Jacob Granillo

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1mo

Excellent Job Hobodios!

Aubrey Hannah

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1mo

Here's my work for the Notan thumbnails. I actually didn't realize that my pictures were a little too big, but I still tried to simplify details the best I could. Simplifying values is actually something that I really struggle with, so I appreciate any feedback I can get. I think I just need to train my eye more. Apart from that, I found the Proko value tool very useful for checking my work, and I added some annotations for areas I think I could've done better.

Rachel Dawn Owens

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1mo

Your shapes are separated clearly. You kept your shapes pretty sharp. Maybe try constraining yourself more. Few values and fewer shapes. It’s ok if it gets abstract.

Tori Tempo

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2mo

Level 2 Still Life Value Studies

Aubrey Hannah

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1mo

Wow, fantastic! I think I could use more work simplifying values myself.

Rachel Dawn Owens

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1mo

Beautiful

@deadsm

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2mo

After looking at others' work here, I wanted to try applying color to mine and use what I saw to better define the shapes. Color is so informative that I found it easier to refine proportions, since it is now separating objects. Now it makes sense why many speed painters bounce around in their processes. One step can help with another and work like a puzzle. I hope to use this more to help me see where I can improve my values.

@deadsm

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2mo

Levels 1 and 2. I worked digitally, in the same way I use charcoal, and tried my best to preserve the lights as the white of the canvas. I first rendered multi-value shadows with an overhand grip, added a posterization layer, and refined the shapes in a simplified form. This forced me to eliminate detail where possible and focus on proportion and shadow design. To go the extra mile, I pushed the values further without the posterization. Extra values help, but getting the main shadows and highlights are what really matters.

You Ji An

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2mo

2-value and 3-value studies. Hard some times to tell if a value is darker or lighter (○´ ― `)ゞ

Aubrey Hannah

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1mo

I definitely feel ya on the accuracy of values. Stan himself pointed out that some values may appear darker or lighter than normal depending on what other values surround them. From what I can gather, it's just an optical illusion and you get better with practice.

Tori Tempo

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2mo

Some Level 1 value studies

Tori Tempo

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2mo

Tori Tempo

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2mo

Luis Ángel Ruiz de Gopegui Rando

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2mo

Hello, here I present my still life, I hope you like it.

Luis Ángel Ruiz de Gopegui Rando

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2mo

Well, here are my first thumbnails. I have to say they came out a bit big, to be honest... (about A4). I missed a fourth value. And I found the drawing difficult. I struggle to identify the correct values, and the boundaries between values aren't clear, I think. In short, quite an unexpected challenge...

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Stan Prokopenko

Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.