Chapter 23, Lights and Darks in Threes

From my upcoming new edition (May 2024) of The Art Studio Companion

Apr 10, 2024

179 Newberry, Three Fruits, 2005, oil on canvas, 12 x 9”.

In this study, we examine the power of threes: three main lights and three main darks. This lesson solves the problem of equal lights and darks; they are a disaster because they create what my old teacher used to call "dead spots." Plus, they give a weird, slick, polished look to the painting. The best remedy is to clearly assign three ranges to your brightest lights and three ranges to your darks. This will help create the feeling of light in a painting and establish a hierarchy of lights and darks. This technique also helps speed up the painting process, create eye movement, and add subtlety.

180 Demo of three major dark areas.

For the darks, I compare and contrast the dark, darker, and darkest areas. The darkest area is directly behind the plate and fruit, and it has blackest touches I could paint. The next darkest area is in the framed art piece on the easel, followed by the shadow under the plate.

181 Demo of three major light areas.

Driving towards the light, the front corners of the yellow cloth come first, followed by the upper halves of the fruits, and finally, parts of the white plate emerge as the brightest. It is crucial to ensure that there is no other competition with those bright areas, or the effect will be lost. For instance, the white matting of the framed artwork is tremendously dimmed, not to compete with the lighter areas.

By utilizing the technique of threes, you can create a hierarchy of lights and darks in your work and bring a new level of clarity and subtlety to your art.

Practice

As always, it is crucial to reinforce your understanding through practice. For this lesson paint a still-life. Clearly identify the three brightest areas and the three darkest areas. Keep the tones in-between the lights and darks neutral.

Pro Tip: Usually the bigger the painting the more time consuming it is, keeping that in mind, for practice and studies, I suggest working small, like a 12x9” or 10x8” canvas panel.