Unlocking Light and Shadow: Fixing Flat Paintings with Correct Values

In this video, you will see how to create life and vibrancy in your paintings by mastering the art of light and shadow. I'll show you how to identify and fix the common issue of incorrect value assessment, a challenge many beginners face.
🎉Free Painting course: art.malcolmdewey.art/5Courses
Learn to draw inspiration from real-life scenes to understand values like never before. With a helpful before-and-after demonstration, watch as I transform an old painting, once plagued by overly dark values, into a painting filled with light and magic. Fix dark and flat paintings for good!
🎨 Materials:
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- Color Wheel: amzn.to/3HPYnzP
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- Gamblin Artist Oil Colors Introductory Set: amzn.to/2sLyeQh
- Artists' Grade Gamsol Oil Color Size: 1 Liter: amzn.to/2tsbQve
- Oil & Acrylic Paint Brushes Set. 100% Natural Chungking: amzn.to/2QJPs8F
- Palette Knife Painting Set: amzn.to/39Isac6
- Artist Paint Brushes - Top Quality Red Sable : amzn.to/2rU0oYQ
- Brush Cleaner: amzn.to/2QoLN0R
- H-Frame Artist's Easel: amzn.to/2Fn2UtK
- Canvas panels for practice: amzn.to/2Fmuuax

[@scottpitner4298]

I’ve heard a saying that’s something like “value does all the work, color gets all the credit.” Very true and as a beginner I’m seeing more and more how tonal value plays such a huge role in weather a landscape looks off or looks believable. Makes me want to practice simple landscapes using just one color and its verity of tints, tones and shades. Kind of like tonalism.

[@MalcolmDewey]

Yes monochrome studies are useful and a fun challenge

[@nanvaughn2258]

Thanks for this video. It really helped. I’ve been stuck trying to figure out what I’m doing wrong and this video helped me see some of the issues. More of these please!!

[@MalcolmDewey]

You're welcome! Thank you

[@joannemurphy4636]

Hi Malcolm, Thank you for this video. Great instruction and explanations of why you were doing what you were doing...color temp, values, distance, etc. (as always). Loved seeing the transformation! Possibly the best part, though, was seeing what colors you used to mix what I'll call the chromatic "grays", like the sky and mountains and distant trees, etc. I really liked watching you mix this palette since I've been exploring more colorful grays lately and the mixing is the most challenging part. You mixed, but didn't muddy. Great tips on painting the blues in the shadows. Great results! Have a great day!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thanks Joanne - takes a while to get those grays to behave but worth persisting 😊

[@winifredjanevowler8360]

Brilliant and so helpful. I can see I have done this in my own paintings. I'm inspired to fix mine. Thank you so much!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Wonderful! Thanks

[@kamleshsunak3176]

Wow,what a beautiful transformation! Thanks for sharing. Always a pleasure to watch your demos and also learn.

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you so much!

[@noumine]

What a marvelous transformation! Thank you for showing how you mix your colors as well. Extremely helpful! Thank you so much!

[@MalcolmDewey]

It's a pleasure, thanks

[@suepidlubny3183]

Another great video. Thanks. I won’t be afraid to re-work some of my paintings that just don’t make the cut.

[@MalcolmDewey]

Excellent!

[@hollieharlow1129]

I did not expect that you would change *everything* but as you went, it brought a few of my past paintings to mind. Thank you!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thanks Hollie

[@natalykenny2069]

Amazing transformation, very visual!!!! Thank you so much for this video tutorial. ❤❤❤

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you so much!

[@daleshawn1910]

Exactly what I needed. Thank you so much!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Glad it helped! Thanks

[@dorothyscott701]

So helpful to see the transformation which made it hard to look at the darker one at the end 🎉😂❤

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you, Glad you liked it!!

[@Sheena268]

That is an amazing transformation giving the old painting (which I thought was good anyway), a “face lift” , thank you for showing us how to breathe life into our paintings Malcolm. Always look forward to your videos. I would love to see you do more plein air demonstrations😘

[@MalcolmDewey]

Glad you enjoyed it I have several pleinair recordings - need to edit more 😄

[@rowenapires9787]

All your videos are so helpful… its a great reminder of colour mixing, values and temperature… thank you Malcolm, so grateful to you, I have learnt so much!

[@MalcolmDewey]

You are very welcome

[@ladym6738]

That really helped; watching actual brush work most useful. The origional had good bones. The tonality's well thought out. Blessings.

[@MalcolmDewey]

You're very welcome! Thanks

[@mona2242]

Thank you Malcolm for this tutorial, I really needed a lot of help on color mixing.

[@thehappypotter9612]

thanks, Malcolm!

[@jameswester333]

Thank you!

[@meltemashley1808]

This is so helpful, excellent teaching with live demonstration, thanks a million⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@MalcolmDewey]

You're very welcome!

[@christinelewis5765]

Excellent tutorial and demonstration. This challenges most people and this video was very helpful. Thanks for sharing!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks

[@suefarmer1320]

I've been staring all week at a half-done painting wondering where I was going wrong - amazingly serendipitous to find this video! Thank you.

[@MalcolmDewey]

Glad I could help!

[@ismail-art]

Thank you very much, the difference is very obvious..

[@manjiabanti]

Wow what a transformation ❤.. your voice is very calming

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you!

[@thalaagdal2457]

Très heureuse de vous découvrir par hasard. C'était le cours que je recherchais. Très très intéressant les couleurs atmosphériques, indispensables à la profondeur. Le choix des couleurs froides ou chaudes pour renforcer tout cela. Je m'abonne et je like toutes vos vidéos et je suis désolée de ne pouvoir vous rejoindre car je ne comprends l'anglais. Merci pour votre générosité. De Paris, encore merci.

[@MalcolmDewey]

🇫🇷 😊

[@jenniferkayes1461]

I know just what old painting that I am going to experiment with!! Great job!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thanks, enjoy it.

[@grahamwelsh4258]

Excellent. Thank you Malcolm

[@MalcolmDewey]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@ChristineR-oe7kn]

Thank you for this excellent video . This is one of my favorites. Sooooo helpful for a beginner !

[@MalcolmDewey]

You're so welcome!

[@kanchanshingwekar2186]

Thank you for this video. Very helpful!!.

[@MalcolmDewey]

You are so welcome!

[@philmecup]

Very Helpful, I needed help with shadow colors. Thank You!

[@MalcolmDewey]

You're welcome 😊

[@soumitrachatterjee1572]

Lovely

[@marilynambler876]

Thanks so much for sharing ❤ it makes such a difference in my work. I really appreciate you soooo much. Keep following the light. We need you 😊💫✨

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you! Will do!

[@julioalarcon7092]

AS always GREAT. Thanks

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thanks. its a pleasure.

[@dulcieogilvie5786]

Yes, indeed….it was an improvement!!!

[@arebereeta1831]

Very helpful video, thank you 🙂

[@MalcolmDewey]

You’re welcome 😊

[@annlgs7303]

Malcolm - You took a perfectly fine painting and totally transformed it. Well done! What program did you use to isolate colors on the photo to then superimpose as small circles onto the original painting? It really helped illustrate your intention, and I would like to try this program. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!!

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thanks - the program is called Art Rage

[@PaintsbyEric]

Merci pour cette vidéo. ça confirme que les valeurs sont plus importantes que les couleurs. reste à mettre en application. Merci

[@MalcolmDewey]

It's a pleasure!

[@lazarenwaleri]

Спасибо большое тебе, за то, что делишься своим опытом. Здоровья тебе и удачи.😊

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you, you too.

[@dankennedy553]

Great video and well needed. I was wondering if you had done the painting and saw that the values did not do the piece justice or if you did it on purpose with this video in mind to stress the point of proper values and how to correct a piece. Regardless it is a valuable tool you have helped us with and it is much appreciated. Best wishes for 2024.

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thank you, best wishes!

[@timvahle5147]

Hi Malcolm. Love your videos. What was the program you used to have the original painting next to the reference photo to sample the colors and compare to the painting? Thanks.

[@MalcolmDewey]

Thanks, the program is Art Rage.

[@F_N.artgallery]

❤

[@lenitaashton8146]

👏👏👏🤩🤩🤩🤩

[@cbtongco]

What did you apply to the canvas before doing the modifications?

[@MalcolmDewey]

Nothing required, just make sure surface is clean of dust.

[@chayita7]

I like thisdemo very much. Could you tell me what Blue you used in combination with the Red LIght? the result is lovely. It wasn't the Ultramarine. Was it cobalt? The different blues always confuse me. Thank you very much.

[@MalcolmDewey]

It is cerulean blue.

[@chayita7]

Thank you, Malcolm. When I looked again and saw the result of your adding Titanium White I saw that it is, indeed, Cerulean --one of my favorite colors. I'm still trying to get that beautful mountain color. I kept mixing the Cerulean, White and Cadmium Red Light-- and kept getting neutrals. The closest I came is when I tried Vermilion with lots of White, in addition to the Cerulean, of course. It's matter of proportions, right? Carol.

[@MalcolmDewey]

For the red try alizarin crimson. The cooler red should do the trick. @@chayita7

[@chayita7]

Will do. I was wondering when you generally mention "red" if you mean a particular one -- or does it depend on the specific painting?@@MalcolmDewey

[@GreenlifeFin]

Thanks a lot. Btw, I think you say in some of your video(s) never to put white in the shadow colors? I think you used white here. When and why to use or not?

[@beachlife2968]

How long does it take thick juicy paints like this if oils to be finger dry? I think i have just seen the light after this demo.

[@MalcolmDewey]

Depending on climate conditions it is touch dry in about ten days.

[@DeliciousVicious777]

Thick juicy paint 🎨 😋

[@MalcolmDewey]

😋