Form and Tone

I believe behind every good painting is a foundation of form and basic tone that provide the background for the detail that will lay on the surface when the painting is finished. Like the outward rendition, the form must contain the average color tones inherent in the detail that follows.

If you think about it, as I do, form and tone exist behind every kind of detail in front of the human mind.

The reason we can categorize personality types for instance is because behind them are basic forms of characteristics and tone qualities that lay foundation to the surface manifestation.

I don't think you can argue against that. Likewise, behind good literature is form, and tone sets the quality of the work.

Behind the outward manifestation of a beautiful building is the form rendered by the architect, and his choice of design sets the tone that builders will later accomplish.

I could argue this and list many kinds of samples. but to keep this post short, I'll let you examine these digital renderings of a photograph I recently took. The sequence shows the initial photo, followed by the cropped version, then rendered as basic form and tone, and finally, detailed as a painter might lay it into brush work.

This is my homework, the way in which I take myself toward painting.

I'd love to have your feedback on this concept of form and tone as the foundation for anything complete and pleasant. Do you see what I mean by these examples?

Furthermore, can you see how study in this way brings one closer to applying paint to a canvas? For me, it means that when I get there, I will have some basic idea of where to put the paint and why.

What does it mean for you?

###Dwayne K. Parsons