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EXPLORING TONE –
Tai-Shan Schierenberg
In this first masterclass, Artist of The Year judge Tai-Shan Schierenberg will be introducing one of the most essential principles of painting; how to observe and understand tone.
Reference Image
Materials
Board or Canvas (Primed Black)
Black & White Oil Paints
Selection of brushes (We recommend
Filbert brushes)
Palette
Solvent
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What is tone
Tone in art is the lightness or darkness of a colour or shade. We can use different tones to create the illusion of form i.e. the appearance of three dimensions in a two-dimensional artwork.
To observe tone, try to build a model similar to the model in the reference image. You can do this by attaching a sphere-shaped object to a cereal box and painting it all white.
You need to light the model from above with a strong, clear light to make the tones visible. The different tones are where the light strikes on the model, creating highlights and shadows.
The sphere, because of its smooth surface, means the gradation in tone from light to dark is a smooth transition, whereas the box, because it has edges, creates sharp transitions. Having both objects together allows you to clearly observe the differences in tones
Prime your canvas and set up your palette
Prime your canvas in very dark grey paint. You want it to almost look like a blackboard.
Squeeze out some black oil paint and white oil paint onto your palette.
We recommend filbert brushes for this exercise this as their flatness allows you to get a lot of paint down but their edge also allows you to add detail.
How to start
Start by painting the two main tones, which are the grey background and white shape.
Mix some white and black paint to create grey and paint the grey that you can see i.e. the background, the outline of the box, shadows.
There are many subtle shades/ tones of grey so pay attention to the slight gradient in shade. Keep mixing your grey paint as you go. This will ensure you pay attention to the shade.
How to start
Start by painting the two main tones, which are the grey background and white shape.
Mix some white and black paint to create grey and paint the grey that you can see i.e. the background, the outline of the box, shadows.
There are many subtle shades/ tones of grey so pay attention to the slight gradient in shade. Keep mixing your grey paint as you go. This will ensure you pay attention to the shade.
Top tip – You can make a grey colour chart to help identify the different shades/ tones of grey.
Adding the lights
When you are confident that you have blocked in the grey shapes, such as the the background and the shadows, add the main white shapes which are the structure of the box and sphere.
When painting the sphere, try not to paint it as a round object. Painting different tones side by side will slowly help you build up the sphere shape through the smooth gradation in tones.
Final Adjustments
Check the proportions of the basic shapes are right. Oil paint will allow you to readjust as you go.
After you’ve adjusted the drawing of the shapes, you can start to tweak the tones, so that the tonal relationships between the objects create the 3D illusion.
Top tip – Standing back from your painting often will help you check the proportions and tones are correct.
