The Drawing Exercise that Transformed My Paintings

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How can simple notans, on 2-value studies help you to understand values in a unique way to improve your art?
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Video Answering your FAQS: • Answering Your Most Fr...
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C O L L E C T
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M U S I C
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[@bossl6982]

This is extremely great advice! My illustration teacher used to have us construct an image with only black and white cut paper. Since we only have two extreme values you really need to edit and simplify so that the image still reads well. This is how I as a student learned to group values, create value structure and design shapes. She said that if you can make an image work in only 2/3 values as a thumbnail then you're on to something. Arguably one of the most important lessons I ever learned in art school.

[@carlagrayson1810]

Thanks for sharing this advice.

[@bossl6982]

​@@lpc9929 Oh boy this is a loaded question. It really depends on where you go. I went to a private college in the US as an illustration major so I can only speak for my experiences there. Are the instructors good? YES. But the price of private, non-state tuition is outrageous for a 19-24 year old student to pay. So in that sense I cannot in good conscience recommend anyone to go to a private school There are many smaller non-college schools such as ateliers, trade schools and studio classes that you can buy individual classes for a specific topic for at a much much more affordable price. Not to mention from my experience these classes are of the same educational quality as the college classes I have taken and are instructed by industry professionals. Many colleges also offer night classes that you can individually buy. Perhaps try those first to see if you like the experience. I urge you as a person who is looking to pursue education in visual arts to explore options before committing yourself to paying a yearly tuition or taking out loans to do so. Many students end up paying expensive tuition and go into debt just to find out they don't like the major. Illustration is a skill based profession, not a degree based profession. You do not need a degree to be an artist, but you do need the skill and there are many educational resources out there that can teach you those skills without breaking your bank.

[@WaynesWorldStudioVancouver]

@@lpc9929 I would suggest asking the current students taking the classes, it is not the school but the teachers who will be teaching you.

[@cupidok2768]

y my pictures not real like this?

[@undercarver8777]

@@lpc9929 yes. I went to a local community college for art and it was superior to the big well known art program nearby. I learned tons

[@JayKSilver]

I don't draw or understand a single thing in this video, but I watched the entire thing for some reason.

[@S-I-T]

Art is great therapy regardless of skill level.

[@tanaydas7832]

I draw but I'm no expert in drawing for some reason i watched the video hoping I could would get better at it

[@juanfragueiroaramburu]

I play the piano and sing. Can’t draw for my life but I enjoyed learning a thing or two watching this

[@dhuy-ti9os]

appreciation. like watching cooking shows

[@jada9401]

I love you for that

[@travisnobleart]

01:45 What I find so pivotal about this portrait is Sargent's masterful understanding of overlap, and how just a subtle impression of overlap can speak volumes in value.

[@jlajkows]

so +

[@larsickenroth7169]

So, quick tip: as opposed to 'squinting' or 'onfocussing' your eyes (as many will teach you to do): try and look at something deliberately from the corner of your eyes to establish its larger shapes. It works wonders, for the corner of the eye is very well trained in threat/pattern recognition. It automatically makes the snap-judgements you are looking for, even to the point of deciding the overarching pieces that make a good portrait work. Your 'normal' eye (even the squinting one) is much too keen in lingering in certain spots of interest, which is great for detail-work , but not for capturing the overarching structure. cheers!

[@Chalchiutlikue]

Sorry, English is my second language, do you mean like peripheral vision?

[@bilalhocaoglu9072]

thanks for sharing!

[@freebirdarts]

Hi ​@Chalchiutlikue ! I think that's what they mean.

[@loaflad]

Interesting!

[@MFDOOOOM]

Dumb comment, if something works for half a millenium for every great painter it's usually for a reason, peripheral vision is terrible for this.

[@mrs.dunlap8003]

This kind of value simplification was one of my favorite exercises in college. Trying to get a likeness while limiting yourself in this way is a fun challenge! Thank you for the reminder!

[@bodawei425]

Very useful. Another reason why this exercise is so important is that we often underestimate the power of imagination from our brain. Oftentimes, we can't actually see the portion of what is in dark shadow, but our brain reconstructs it and makes sense out of it. The drawingz/paintingz work the same way: we don't necessarily need to add many details in the shadows because our brain fills the gaps for us. Not to mention that suggesting is so much more interesting, elegant and powerful (in my opinion) than actually showing. That's why two value exercise drawings are such an excellent training. Thanks Chelsea!

[@animepabu5526]

I feel like I’m sitting in on a lecture lol you’d make a great professor/art teacher honestly

[@itzakpoelzig330]

Ethel Barrymore was Drew Barrymore's great-aunt. The Barrymores have been an acting dynasty for something like two hundred years now. Ethel, Lionel, and John (Drew's grandpa) were siblings. We've all seen Lionel in 'It's A Wonderful Life' as the crotchety Mr. Potter. You can see all three of them together in a movie called 'Rasputin And The Empress' from 1932. Lionel plays Rasputin, Ethel plays the Empress, and John plays the poor guy who has to try like nine different ways to kill Rasputin. Rasputin's death scene gave me chills, and John appears to actually throw up a little bit during it. Not that any of that is relevant to this video, but it is kind of fun to look for a resemblance between Ethel and Drew.

[@AuntyKinu]

Yes. The likeness is striking.

[@itzakpoelzig330]

@@AuntyKinu Honestly, I think Drew most resembles Lionel. Like a cute, female, Lionel. But she does share some features with Ethel. Weirdly, the one she looks the least like is her direct ancestor, John, with his long pointy nose and relatively narrow facial structure.

[@melonie_peppers]

Yes the soft chin and features. Bloodlines are really strong and amazing to witness

[@fuzzydragons]

its very handy to be reminded of things you were taught in school and dont use anymore for some reason, helps so much when painting th final piece breaking things down like this

[@Carl_Wheezy]

squinting/ making visual field blurry can simplify some of the values as well and making finding the larger shapes easier

[@davirosa]

Glen Orbik said: "You can go crazy with halftones when you are drawing men, but when you are drawing pretty girls, you have to edit lots of things out" And also he used to say a Fred Fixlers cote: "Fred Fixler says, it´s better to have nothing in the lights, than too many" - (talking about the halftones)

[@elinn1405]

I think it's a shame we steer away from emphasizing characteristics and forms in womens faces as to not make them ''ugly''... the same thing tends to happen in photography, women start to all look the same as opposed to men

[@theanonymspysandwich]

​​@@elinn1405 As to not make them look ugly? In my experience, adding even a couple shapes and lines over a certain threshold makes people look old, wrinkly, maybe even sickly regardless of gender. These shapes may be there, but constant change in movement, light and point of view makes them underprioritized by our brain to process.That's why, particularily on young people, each extra line can make them older than they are, since these folds usually start making a big enough impression after the person reached a certain age. Adding every nook, cranny and fault may be "realistic" but it usually isn't what the person being portait wants to see. Like me for example: If i wanted to see a realistic depiction of my acne scars, I'd look in the mirror, not in anyone's sketchbook.

[@elinn1405]

@@theanonymspysandwich I mean, that's totally fair and completely up to you. I'm not a fan of giving every detail equal emphasis either, nor am I personally into the ''photorealistic'' look. But it's very common to be taught to render women and children in a wildly different way from men and I don't think that is necessary. If you can render a male face well with a lot of sensitivity and character, then you can probably do the same thing to a woman without making her look harsher or older than she is in real life. Same goes the other way, men look just as good as women do with the flattened midtones and soft angelic look. In the end we all just have a face and I think applying rules for how to approach each gender is a bit silly

[@anothermoon8894]

After weeks of discussion about AI and looking at AI and fighting with people about AI (I'm contra), I'm just tired of fighting and near crying looking at your blessfull art, that shows show hard you've worked for your skill and I'm just glad to see people actually drawing and just enjoying your skills. Thank you.

[@ciaraskeleton]

I can paint nature from reference, life, my head. I can even sketch a good body shape, I understand the values and how to create structure and shape. I can not for the life of me structure or shade faces properly at all. It's as if with faces I go value blind! I'm going to spend this week doing the 2 value method on faces. Thank you for this. To understand colour sometimes we need to remove all of it and trust in simple black and white.

[@fijaystudio]

ahh, memories of art school (50 yrs ago) - and going to the art gallery where we were required to copy from masters, and back in the classroom, a never-ending supply of plaster casts. I love Sargeant and am always amazed by him, I didn't realize this book existed!

[@ChrisPBacon1434]

One thing that i learned is that it is very helpful to use dark on light. To create a nice, crisp outline of the face or subject, as shown in the first portrait sketch of the woman. Her face is super light, so the artist uses the background to make the face show really well against the background, making the focus of the drawing be the subject.

[@thenomothete]

I've been drawing for four years now and a lot of the information I have received has just made drawing more difficult. Your approach helped me understand somewhat better what certain terms mean and how to effectively produce better work. I wish you had a class or mentorship for other than painting. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and I hope to be able to produce better art from watching this video.

[@charliem.8531]

First of all your scetches are genius.. really great and beautiful.. second comes second your tips are high worthy and i really appreciate that.. thank uuuuu

[@SteveL2012]

I find Sargeant's portraits of women, and the movement in his renderings, completely arresting. That is what stands out to me. Very interesting video.

[@xikitagatita]

I dreaded the idea of drawing realistically. I wanted to but I didn’t and told myself it was too hard. The first portrait(s) I ever drew with serious intent was when I just discovered Paramore in 5th grade (I was 11yo) and I drew the No Tan portrait of their heads on the back of the album. I drew all the Riot! art and loved how easy and simplified it made the process for drawing portraits/realistic faces. From then on I LOVED drawing portraits. On phones back in 2008 they had limited filters but I would use the “Ink Stamp” filter to covert my portraits. From then on I wanted to get better and quickly moved on to shading and values after getting comfortable. 😂 happy to know I discovered this technique early in life by the motivation of a band lol

[@IzzyCubito]

Eloquent speaking, clarity of subject and energetic delivery..Cheers!

[@rafriedman]

I couldn't resist trying this. It worked fantastically well in terms of making the simplest statement that expresses light and form as well as delving into the light/dark structure/shape composition. Doing this before painting from a initial drawing, rather than finding these things through the process of painting is IMHO such a better way to approach things. It always seems that making a jump ahead is by breaking things down. This is a brilliant video! Thanks so much for posting this!

[@glenda7921]

SO helpful to show where on the REFERENCE you are looking for landmarks as they relate to what you draw 👍

[@213wishes]

I appreciate that you're talking first and foremost about drawing. I see way too many paintings that are obviously started with a tracing directly from a photo.

[@DJarry394]

I use the Sergeant approach to drawing portraits. He uses solid negative space. I learned this fifty years ago as a beginner. I don't need to cover every bit of the surface in a drawing. I also view a figure as a series of shapes. And pay attention to the edges of the image

[@dustywhite6963]

Woah a KZbin tutorial that actually teaches something , and in a good amount of time too!!

[@DAVIDHERRICK]

I wish I had you as an inspirational mentor years ago. Damn, you nail it time and time again. So clear and concise! I am officially hooked. Thanks!

[@beecatify]

Such a great exercise. Felt stuck and bogged down with life drawing, this helps immensely. Starting at 2 values helps the brain to connect to the hand much quicker. Thanks so much!

[@kathleengarness1660]

Really well articulated guidance in values analysis and representation, thank you!

[@LinNeTule]

Yes, yes, thank you! I'm so grateful for you for putting together this concept into words because I struggle so much with simplifying into beautiful shapes and values, and fall back on rendering more so often. I hope this can help me a lot to actually develop a stylized style, but understanding this has always escaped me. Thank you for making this video.

[@reidleblanc3140]

I always did this without thinking since I grew up drawing with markers and I never liked the look of stray shading lines everywhere. x)

[@ellaritter]

Your channel is a gem to find! I have only found out about it today, but have already seen a handful of videos! 💕

[@theflyingdutchman787]

I’m so glad I found your channel. Brilliant video. Thanks.

[@hermancroix9241]

You are an inspiration for all of us that still aspire to be a painter like you one day.

[@rickaguilar1833]

Yes, practice makes perfect! Never give up! 20 looks at the subject one look at your paper! ( a European artist once told me in school!)

[@artcafe2684]

Chelsea - Thank you for providing your insight on this. I've never thought of or even remotely even dreamed of doing anything like this as an exercise. I've always felt that it needed to be done until completion. I'll try this approach to see.

[@Dan-zs4kv]

I just started drawing yesterday and this absolutely blew my mind. I just learned about the concept of valuing just yesterday... It's crazy to me how I would have walked past this and have been like ....m.ehhhh. and walked off only a day ago.

[@pruntyportraits]

I have this book and it's one of the most precious in my collection. Love it

[@another505]

What's the book called? I am interested

[@z1522]

Sargent's later shift to just charcoal portraits freed him from the need to add details, as in his oils. His seeming simplicity actually depended on his mastery of accurately placing the fewest marks, hints of detail, outlines that could not be approximated, but textures only implied with a few broader strokes. They read as a whole, the illusion greater than the parts, yet if more detail were added to one eye, the entirety would fall apart. We evolved to see and recognize faces and read expressions, in even the dimmest firelight, without any way to actually see detail at all, and yet the shape and relationship of shadows and light conveys all we need - but nothing can be arbitrary. Mistaking detail for accuracy is the sign of a novice.

[@mountainside26]

Wonderful exercise advice- I’m going to try it. It’s so easy to get caught up in the details. Even after I see someone explain about shapes, not thing, I get it, but old habits are hard to break. Especially at my age. Thanks- great stuff.

[@SimonaBuna]

These explanations are great!!! Thank you

[@ericaadams8771]

This was so helpful! 🎉 thank you for sharing!!!!

[@williambo5989]

sargents masterful technique from hours and days of drawing from life and reaching the eye and hand coordination to lock those values.

[@Prayforgoose]

Thank you for the advice to keep drawing on the eye line

[@kneekapps]

Great advice. Thanks!

[@punkrockghostie]

really good of you to put this up as a hecka useful study

[@regularfern]

Love your horses they look great

[@Whoopwhoopwhoop]

Great stuff! The book Draw Like a Boss is the resource that's come closest to making drawing fun for me.

[@user-nt2yq8xi1f]

ha! how good to see another dlabian here :)

[@ana_s.neon.soul.]

Really wise advice ♥️

[@onjofilms]

Fantastic!

[@mofogie]

Bougeareau too! Especially for women or feminine, less is more

[@1x1pixelstudio]

Thank you for being you. It is an honour walking alongside you on this KZbin journey. You share such an interesting process which is so helpful.

[@mirtaxiomelyssandin2001]

Thank you for making this easer for me. Never ever could understand how to paint with flow and easy. Thank you¡

[@sadiaawanartist]

Informative video ❤️

[@pokeman9368]

I really liked this but I found at some points when the pictures were blurry it really gave me a headache. Despite that though this is a helpful tip I have never encountered before so thank you.

[@angelajsacaartistaffiliatedwpl]

Extremely great thx ❤

[@edhasingla4069]

Beautiful

[@Daily_Digital_Drawing_D.D.D]

thank you😃😃

[@donaldwaddell372]

Loved portrait at 8:48

[@SeanNessman]

This two value/simplified stuff is like manga and anime style, where most drawings are either 2 value (main color + shade) or a slightly larger number of values that strive for speed and style instead of realism

[@littlebrookreader949]

Thank you!

[@crystaladdy2155]

Thank you

[@natewatson6962]

you putting the pencil that close to the book page is a lot for me right now

[@kanchangupta2038]

Waah❤

[@crowe]

I'm gonna go ahead.

[@k_okkinos]

thank you

[@davideatwell6577]

Very nice

[@josephmello4517]

Hi Chelsea, is the right way to look at it just to define the shapes by the strongest dark and the brightest white? Or to average all the darker values into black or the dark value, and all the lighter ones into white?

[@TaraSueSalusso]

The comment about how you need to view the source and sketchpad perpendicular. In true. I have been in classes when the image is upside down. I imagine that is possible from any angle.

[@dont-want-no-wrench]

a point you could make re the sargent drawings is how he chose the lighting for the model- ethel is lit soft and flat, feminine- the men stronger light.

[@skyworm8006]

yeah probably just a difference in lighting irl but that's what first came to mind for me

[@punkeasy]

2x the speed and thank me for the tip!

[@dont-want-no-wrench]

sargent was a helluva painter

[@annhalouise3710]

Go ahead

[@daytonagreg8765]

Is she basically saying, IGNORE THAT ITS A FACE, and sketch/block in the light & dark? Thank you 🙏

[@aioobalharash1341]

pretty much

[@fatamy8597]

i want to draw like that so badly

[@chrispage2782]

Get going!!

[@augustasilvis297]

Thank u

[@DJarry394]

I never was taught the notan. I am not sure what it means. We just looked at the edges of the objects and learned to swoop with charcoal or conté and make brief suggestions until I built up the image

[@quorraquar2677]

💜💜💜

[@KEP1983]

Keep the planes broad and simple. Easier said than done, of course! haha.

[@charliem.8531]

one interesting question for me is: how did sargent manage it to achieve super soft edges in his charcoal portraits.. do u know if he did the smuding with his fingers for some parts in the painting?

[@yarazooom]

I was hoping you would show how to use charcoal. pencils dont work for me but I know I need to understand values in a new way

[@backmanmorgan08]

George Seurat drawings are interesting to study for that purpose. Also painters like George de la Tour for ex.

[@verediano]

Hi Chelsea, let me see if I understood it correctly. Usually people start by drawing small details like the eyes, nose and then follow to other parts. You are saying to start by simplifying big forms and then go from bigger to smaller shapes and details, did I understand it correctly? For me it makes sense, because in the past when I had time to draw I start by the eyes, then nose and after that mouth and when I finish the face never looks proportional

[@matthewbrookeart]

I love how charchol drawings look but the feel of it really goes through me I can’t touch it. It’s like nails on a blackboard to me XD.

[@KikiFu]

Yeah the squeak on the paper is so horrible! I've been enjoying conte crayons, Derwent graphite blocks and Faber and castel matt graphite. All with similar visuals but none of the cringe 😖factor.

[@matthewbrookeart]

@@KikiFu I saw those matte graphite in the art shop near me I’ll have to pick some up give them a go cheers ^^

[@KikiFu]

@@matthewbrookeart I hope you enjoy them. I found it to be a smooth cringe free experience.

[@Blue_Azure101]

I think certain Japanese manga artist uses this technique very well

[@keisaboru1155]

L~Lets start !

[@miriamgreen3973]

Jude law! This is great advice! 👍✏

[@anujaghosh179]

Is there a Notanizer like app for Android ?

[@zambot3325]

Dover publications has a soft cover version for 6 dollars dive in!

[@koichimi8475]

The thumbnail looks like Danny Gonzalez

[@lumeiaart]

I love this! Definitely will be trying it out in the near future! 😊 It's funny because I was doing something similar, but it never felt quite right because I always added too much values or details or something... Anyway, thank you for the very helpful video! 👏

[@albers1]

GOYA.

[@m122h]

Where do you get your references for the horses sketches?

[@JCarrera27]

Sargent's drawings are 🔥 so as Fantin Latour's

[@Engelhafen]

You have to remember Sargent painted in oils and I imagine he didn’t share largely because that wasn’t what he was interested in getting down in a sketch

[@chrispage2782]

??? I don’t understand

[@Engelhafen]

@@chrispage2782 shade

[@AllGrowing]

Good points! What is notehands?

[@DDartlover8888]

Notan

[@Raminakai]

Design of values, I suspect.

[@poppypompommy]

No tan as in no sun tan??

[@DDartlover8888]

Notan is a Japanese term, a way of designing using light shapes and dark shapes. Best to Google it…

[@AllGrowing]

@@DDartlover8888 Cool, thanks for the info!

[@mbtisocialclub]

The exercise is deliberately doing two value studies 4:40

[@fungi5350]

Thanks!

[@jellirabauke2565]

That's Danny Gonzalez. GREGS UNITE!

[@lordcrayzar]

I see it!

[@lenakataeva7525]

It's a difficult video to understand. There are so much information to learn to draw good. I need to try this exercise. Practice and practice

[@user-zl6fu9sq6r]

8:42 horse pants!

[@Salamaleikum80]

wHaT prOmptS dId yOu UsE