By Jenn Rein
It may come as a surprise to some that an accomplished painter like Scott Christensen has spent so much time studying the work of great illustrators, such as Walter Everett and Dean Cornwell. But Christensen’s dutiful attention to the importance of establishing key value in a composition has been largely inspired by artists in this genre. “The very key that I start with, I end with,” he explains.
His objective is to keep the value pattern strong in order to aid connectivity. The old painterly adage that “value does all the work, color gets all the credit,” rings deeply true with this artist. Addressing connectivity from the outset of the design plan means setting aside the notion that the only way to make impact is through use of color.
“Once you establish that one value — that one note — everything has to play to that. If you are forced to paint down to the note you’ve established, your shadows get darker and you can’t see into them. I realized if I stayed in the middle values and temperatures I could see the color shifts and manipulate the values. Then when I needed a dark accent, I could manipulate that later.”
Editor’s Note: Scott Christensen is leading a Pre-Convention Oil Painting Workshop at the Plein Air Convention & Expo this year! Learn more at PleinAirConvention.com and register now.
