Seeing Past the Familiar

While having breakfast early this morning, I looked up and saw the long dark shadows crossing my backyard lawn with the light in the cove beyond.  This is the view I see every morning, but now that August light has arrived, it seems much more crisp and dramatic.  I got out my sketchbook and quickly mapped out the values.  Then I did the line drawing, and after lunch, it was off to the races!

Learning to see in values takes practice.  That's why the value sketch is so important; it helps you to see how to compose the scene with values first and color second.

I took great joy in sketching this scene this morning, as well as looking with joy at the light falling on the foliage.  This scene is so familiar that I could have dismissed it as too familiar.  Paint what you love!