Edges and values, if you don’t know how to manage them, stop! Study, read and practice and you won’t regret it! Great video! Thanks so much. Blessings and take care.
I love this Daniel! Are you all going to do a podcast too?? I'd love to hear stories about how you all became professional artists and learn what you are doing now
It would be fun to make a video showing my journey and the journey of other artists! In the meantime we have some blog posts about artists in the evolve program. Here's the article on me (Daniel): evolveartist.com/meet-the-evolve-artist-daniel-folta/
Going into Block 3 now. I have to say that Block 1 took me beyond my wildest expectations with values (and I've been painting on an off since 1968). I've used books. I've used videos, but nothing comes close to the training provided by the evolve program. Truly, there's no BS here. You deliver what you promise and the only limits are my willingness to follow the program, as Bk2 got quite tedious as times--but that's a personal problem, not an issue with the course. You're spot on with your commentary here and evolve does deliver what it promises. All it takes is the student to follow instructions (with plenty of 1 on 1 instructor conferences available) and 'get er done' as the saying goes. At 71, I have to say that evolve is the best art training I've ever encountered.
Just subscribed. Have been looking all over how to paint depth of dog’s snout.... wish I just see it being painted. But you got me hooked. Turning the bell on!
I must say, I've only recently decided to learn to paint and have watched vid after vid to try learning some theory, to no avail. Until I found you, amazing. I love your video's thank you!!!
So glad I could help Lydia! Definitely reach out if you have any questions, either about the content in these videos or the Evolve program itself 🙂 ~ Daniel
I think to make this easier to understand. To summarize, if I compare this to Chris Fontaro’s video on don’t not blend put transitional values without blending unless you want to aim for it. The objective is if the line is soft that’s when you’ll add transitional value or add depth and form. Whereas if the line is sharp or harsh it has hard shadow which should stay in the dark varying on the source of light and the direction it’s pointing towards. :)
Yes, when making gradients, it's good to add transitional values, instead of smush or blend the paint together. The idea behind this video is to help you know when and where you should make a soft edge, or a hard edge, based on an understanding of what you're seeing, rather than simply copying what you're seeing. What's great about this is that you can apply these same principles to a painting even if you don't have reference for the painting you're making, or if you want to make the painting better than the reference itself 😊 ~ Daniel
Hi Dan, I am a current student at Evolve. I get what you're saying, On Values i am having issues as to technique on matching value to color, so do i paint a swatch and place it next to the color to match while doing still life work. Although i am doing things in the shades of extreme shadow to extreme light phase. I'm just trying to achieve a tool to make to simplify, like a value finder so to speak, any thoughts? Thanks......( Frank)
Truly, I was on a crutch for years trying to paint what I see. It was such a struggle. Thanks much “ I liberate myself from the crutches” I was holding on to. Is evolve art program suitable for watercolor artists?
Hey 🙂the Evolve Program is suitable for watercolor artists, however it is important to note that we only teach in oil painting. That being said, the principles and the way of thinking that we teach for oil painting applies seamlessly over to watercolor. But we do not teach the application of watercolor itself. For example, you will learn about light and shadow, value, edge, color, how to understand what you see, how to draw accurately - everything you need to make pro level art - you'll have the ability to make realistic oil paintings. Our students have been able to transfer their skills to other mediums, like watercolor, acrylic, digital painting, pastel, etc. quite easily. Let me know if that makes sense ~ Daniel
I found this insightful, however, i feel like the said and done statement of "form shadow = soft edge" and "cast shadow = hard edge" is kind of misleading. It all depends on the subject in question, if you had a cube or dodecahedron for example, form shadows can be hard edges and cast shadows can be soft edges as well. There's multiple videos on yt that touch upon this, such as proko and marco bucci. I was just surprised there wasn't that much of clarity regarding that statement. But other than that, the general philosophy on how to understand the art making process is really valuable.
Great points Mayonnaise 😊 thanks for bringing it up! You are completely right - I could have taken the time to clarify more on that. I made this video with beginners in mind and I wanted to keep it simple because it's sooo easy for artists to overcomplicate it or get fire-hosed by too much information. In Evolve we really value teaching the right information at the right time, stripping away the less essential things and targeting the most critical parts (and I may have shaved off too much here, especially the note about form shadows on things like cubes). Once those critical things are understood, it becomes easy to digest additional information (like how cast shadows get softer the further away they get from the object casting them. But because you can create the illusion of form and depth without having any softened cast shadows, I omitted that from the video). So yes, form shadows can have sharp edges and cast shadows often have soft edges. But on a theoretical, fundamental level, it's important to understand that even in the "sharpest" of form shadows, the light is still dropping off as it turns in form. In the case of a cube - the "soft" edge still exists in theory, except that it's so tightly pressed together that it appears sharp to the naked eye. As for cast shadows, it's important to understand that even in diffused light - the cast shadow is created by something directly blocking it, which theoretically creates a 0% to 100% transition of shadow to light (even though it really never is 0 to 100). From this place of understanding, it's easy to make adjustments in either direction. I could go on and on, but we've seen that teaching this way really works for our students in getting a solid foundation under them. So, for the purposes of learning, it's easier to start by simplifying it down into a process that delivers results. And it "forces" you to think about each decision you make with your edges based on an understanding, getting you away from just copying what you see. And if you follow the process and run into something like a cube that turns sharply in form, you would (hopefully) immediately recognize that even though the edge is form shadow, a gradient would not suffice. And all of this goes back to Picasso's famous quote - "learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist." If I only give you information without any rules, I'm not helping you think critically about why the information is what it is. The rules set limitations, like guard rails in a bowling alley to move you effective results (hitting pins, and not gutter-balling). Eventually those guard rails become restraints, and so, as our students progress through our program we start taking those limitations and rules away - but the understanding remains cemented in their mind. Hopefully these ramblings made sense! Let me know your thoughts 😊~ Daniel
@@evolveartist ah, i understand. Simplification is essential, but i personally believe the route to a comprehensive outlook on some art foundations is just as essential. Such as in this situation, how i taught myself, was how light travels in a straight line, and understanding average light/shadows. I didnt really go deep into understanding hard/soft edges or values at that point, but the general "cell shading" aspects of it. In other words, i understand the methodology of what you are saying, i just believe the details of that methodology is kind of in the wrong stages of the art process. But depending on the course you are paving for the students, it may be much easier for them to piece everything together if they follow through with what you are teaching, unlike me who kind of prefers a solid, more comprehensive outlook of the fundamentals. Thanks for the input, tho!
@@MAYONNAISEMOOSE oh if you want a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals then you’ll find that in the Evolve program! The order in which we teach these things in the program is quite different than how I explained it in this TH-cam video, because our students are applying the information we share through specific painting assignments we give them, converting the information and experience into skill. We make sure that they are understanding the material and gaining the skills by providing constructive feedback on every painting within 24 hours of submitting. In comparison, these TH-cam videos here are really just snippets and additional supplements to our full training program. And that program gets students to pro level art skills in about 1 year. Again these TH-cam videos simply can’t constitute a comprehensive education because knowledge isn’t enough to get results for students - they need guided experience to build the knowledge into skill, which the platform doesn’t really allow for. So while I want to get better at explaining topics in these videos - and I have gleaned something very valuable from your feedback here, thank you! - I’m not pretending to build a comprehensive education on our TH-cam channel, because the platform isn’t designed for guided assignments and feedback. So, if you’re looking for a comprehensive education, you’ll find it in Evolve, where the knowledge and the guided experience work together to teach one/a few things at a time, apply it, review it, and then teach another new thing, which is supported and reinforced by all the things previously taught. And as you are practicing, you are reinforcing all of those previous skills again and again. And our results speak for themselves. Check out our instagram @evolveartist, read our reviews, etc. You’d like Kevin’s explanation of form and cast shadows much better than mine. It’s much more comprehensive and he talks about how light travels, etc. (He teaches the Evolve program, not me). But anyways, now I’m curious about your work! Drop me a link or send me pictures via email at hello@evolveartist.com (reference my name). Do you also teach art? If so, send me a few paintings your students are making. Happy to keep this conversation going (I love talking about this methodology stuff!) 😁 ~ Daniel
Oh no! 😱Well definitely check out Evolve's training program - we get artists to pro level skills in about 350 hours of painting study. We provide the art materials, feedback, video lessons, coaching sessions, weekly live classes, and more. Here's a good video to watch if you want to know what it takes to get pro level skills 👉 bit.ly/pro-artist-masterclass Hope that helps 😊~ Daniel
Edges and values, if you don’t know how to manage them, stop! Study, read and practice and you won’t regret it! Great video! Thanks so much. Blessings and take care.
I love this Daniel! Are you all going to do a podcast too?? I'd love to hear stories about how you all became professional artists and learn what you are doing now
It would be fun to make a video showing my journey and the journey of other artists! In the meantime we have some blog posts about artists in the evolve program. Here's the article on me (Daniel): evolveartist.com/meet-the-evolve-artist-daniel-folta/
Juggling the right balls got me thinking
I’m obsessed with evolve artist
I absolutely loveeeee how passion radiates off of you! I’m really looking forward to saving up for Evolve
Thank you Assiya! Means a lot 😁 that’s awesome, we’ll be here when you’re ready! ~ Daniel
Going into Block 3 now. I have to say that Block 1 took me beyond my wildest expectations with values (and I've been painting on an off since 1968). I've used books. I've used videos, but nothing comes close to the training provided by the evolve program. Truly, there's no BS here. You deliver what you promise and the only limits are my willingness to follow the program, as Bk2 got quite tedious as times--but that's a personal problem, not an issue with the course. You're spot on with your commentary here and evolve does deliver what it promises. All it takes is the student to follow instructions (with plenty of 1 on 1 instructor conferences available) and 'get er done' as the saying goes. At 71, I have to say that evolve is the best art training I've ever encountered.
That's super awesome to hear! Thank you for sharing Blackbelt 🙂~ Daniel
Well done and dramatic, Daniel.
Thank you ! You are the best teacher ! ❤
Thank you! from korea artist.
This video is really helpful. Thank you!
it's easy to understand! so wonderful, thank youu
Thank you so much, really best lesson. Kindly teach us more.
Great advise! Thank You!
amazing life and time saving video
Love your passion Daniel. It’s contagious!
Just subscribed. Have been looking all over how to paint depth of dog’s snout.... wish I just see it being painted. But you got me hooked. Turning the bell on!
your videos are so helpful thank you so muchhh
I must say, I've only recently decided to learn to paint and have watched vid after vid to try learning some theory, to no avail. Until I found you, amazing. I love your video's thank you!!!
So glad I could help Lydia! Definitely reach out if you have any questions, either about the content in these videos or the Evolve program itself 🙂 ~ Daniel
Excellent pointers. Very informative video.
I’ve only heard Simo barking before, nice to actually see the big guy 😍
OMG! What an value video for any Artist! Thank you so much.
You're welcome Hoang! Let me know if you have any questions 🙂~ Daniel
Is there like a newsletter that we can sign up for ?
Thqnk you very much you are really helping a lot
It's my pleasure 🙂~ Daniel
I think to make this easier to understand. To summarize, if I compare this to Chris Fontaro’s video on don’t not blend put transitional values without blending unless you want to aim for it. The objective is if the line is soft that’s when you’ll add transitional value or add depth and form. Whereas if the line is sharp or harsh it has hard shadow which should stay in the dark varying on the source of light and the direction it’s pointing towards. :)
Yes, when making gradients, it's good to add transitional values, instead of smush or blend the paint together. The idea behind this video is to help you know when and where you should make a soft edge, or a hard edge, based on an understanding of what you're seeing, rather than simply copying what you're seeing. What's great about this is that you can apply these same principles to a painting even if you don't have reference for the painting you're making, or if you want to make the painting better than the reference itself 😊 ~ Daniel
Hi Dan, I am a current student at Evolve. I get what you're saying, On Values i am having issues as to technique on matching value to color, so do i paint a swatch and place it next to the color to match while doing still life work. Although i am doing things in the shades of extreme shadow to extreme light phase. I'm just trying to achieve a tool to make to simplify, like a value finder so to speak, any thoughts?
Thanks......( Frank)
These tutorials are great! Thank you so much!
Glad to hear that Dave! You're very welcome 😊 ~ Daniel
this is really helpfull thank you very much man!!
Glad to hear that Marcos 😊~ Daniel
Thank you so much for the amazing information, it helped me a lot
Truly, I was on a crutch for years trying to paint what I see. It was such a struggle. Thanks much “ I liberate myself from the crutches” I was holding on to. Is evolve art program suitable for watercolor artists?
Hey 🙂the Evolve Program is suitable for watercolor artists, however it is important to note that we only teach in oil painting. That being said, the principles and the way of thinking that we teach for oil painting applies seamlessly over to watercolor. But we do not teach the application of watercolor itself. For example, you will learn about light and shadow, value, edge, color, how to understand what you see, how to draw accurately - everything you need to make pro level art - you'll have the ability to make realistic oil paintings. Our students have been able to transfer their skills to other mediums, like watercolor, acrylic, digital painting, pastel, etc. quite easily. Let me know if that makes sense ~ Daniel
Great explanation
Glad I could help! 😃 ~ Daniel
I found this insightful, however, i feel like the said and done statement of "form shadow = soft edge" and "cast shadow = hard edge" is kind of misleading. It all depends on the subject in question, if you had a cube or dodecahedron for example, form shadows can be hard edges and cast shadows can be soft edges as well. There's multiple videos on yt that touch upon this, such as proko and marco bucci. I was just surprised there wasn't that much of clarity regarding that statement. But other than that, the general philosophy on how to understand the art making process is really valuable.
Great points Mayonnaise 😊 thanks for bringing it up! You are completely right - I could have taken the time to clarify more on that. I made this video with beginners in mind and I wanted to keep it simple because it's sooo easy for artists to overcomplicate it or get fire-hosed by too much information. In Evolve we really value teaching the right information at the right time, stripping away the less essential things and targeting the most critical parts (and I may have shaved off too much here, especially the note about form shadows on things like cubes). Once those critical things are understood, it becomes easy to digest additional information (like how cast shadows get softer the further away they get from the object casting them. But because you can create the illusion of form and depth without having any softened cast shadows, I omitted that from the video).
So yes, form shadows can have sharp edges and cast shadows often have soft edges. But on a theoretical, fundamental level, it's important to understand that even in the "sharpest" of form shadows, the light is still dropping off as it turns in form. In the case of a cube - the "soft" edge still exists in theory, except that it's so tightly pressed together that it appears sharp to the naked eye. As for cast shadows, it's important to understand that even in diffused light - the cast shadow is created by something directly blocking it, which theoretically creates a 0% to 100% transition of shadow to light (even though it really never is 0 to 100). From this place of understanding, it's easy to make adjustments in either direction. I could go on and on, but we've seen that teaching this way really works for our students in getting a solid foundation under them.
So, for the purposes of learning, it's easier to start by simplifying it down into a process that delivers results. And it "forces" you to think about each decision you make with your edges based on an understanding, getting you away from just copying what you see. And if you follow the process and run into something like a cube that turns sharply in form, you would (hopefully) immediately recognize that even though the edge is form shadow, a gradient would not suffice. And all of this goes back to Picasso's famous quote - "learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist." If I only give you information without any rules, I'm not helping you think critically about why the information is what it is. The rules set limitations, like guard rails in a bowling alley to move you effective results (hitting pins, and not gutter-balling). Eventually those guard rails become restraints, and so, as our students progress through our program we start taking those limitations and rules away - but the understanding remains cemented in their mind.
Hopefully these ramblings made sense! Let me know your thoughts 😊~ Daniel
@@evolveartist ah, i understand. Simplification is essential, but i personally believe the route to a comprehensive outlook on some art foundations is just as essential. Such as in this situation, how i taught myself, was how light travels in a straight line, and understanding average light/shadows. I didnt really go deep into understanding hard/soft edges or values at that point, but the general "cell shading" aspects of it.
In other words, i understand the methodology of what you are saying, i just believe the details of that methodology is kind of in the wrong stages of the art process. But depending on the course you are paving for the students, it may be much easier for them to piece everything together if they follow through with what you are teaching, unlike me who kind of prefers a solid, more comprehensive outlook of the fundamentals. Thanks for the input, tho!
@@MAYONNAISEMOOSE oh if you want a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals then you’ll find that in the Evolve program! The order in which we teach these things in the program is quite different than how I explained it in this TH-cam video, because our students are applying the information we share through specific painting assignments we give them, converting the information and experience into skill. We make sure that they are understanding the material and gaining the skills by providing constructive feedback on every painting within 24 hours of submitting. In comparison, these TH-cam videos here are really just snippets and additional supplements to our full training program. And that program gets students to pro level art skills in about 1 year.
Again these TH-cam videos simply can’t constitute a comprehensive education because knowledge isn’t enough to get results for students - they need guided experience to build the knowledge into skill, which the platform doesn’t really allow for. So while I want to get better at explaining topics in these videos - and I have gleaned something very valuable from your feedback here, thank you! - I’m not pretending to build a comprehensive education on our TH-cam channel, because the platform isn’t designed for guided assignments and feedback.
So, if you’re looking for a comprehensive education, you’ll find it in Evolve, where the knowledge and the guided experience work together to teach one/a few things at a time, apply it, review it, and then teach another new thing, which is supported and reinforced by all the things previously taught. And as you are practicing, you are reinforcing all of those previous skills again and again. And our results speak for themselves. Check out our instagram @evolveartist, read our reviews, etc.
You’d like Kevin’s explanation of form and cast shadows much better than mine. It’s much more comprehensive and he talks about how light travels, etc. (He teaches the Evolve program, not me).
But anyways, now I’m curious about your work! Drop me a link or send me pictures via email at hello@evolveartist.com (reference my name). Do you also teach art? If so, send me a few paintings your students are making. Happy to keep this conversation going (I love talking about this methodology stuff!) 😁 ~ Daniel
Hi Simo!!
I know Piper Talladay, or I should say I know her husband! We went to the same church together for years.
Owen Wilson vibes
Sooo helpful, I just realized how my art class was useless 😂
Oh no! 😱Well definitely check out Evolve's training program - we get artists to pro level skills in about 350 hours of painting study. We provide the art materials, feedback, video lessons, coaching sessions, weekly live classes, and more. Here's a good video to watch if you want to know what it takes to get pro level skills 👉 bit.ly/pro-artist-masterclass Hope that helps 😊~ Daniel
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