This is a beginner friendly class that teaches you how by changing the value key of a painting you can change the mood of the painting.

Value key of a painting means the range of values used in that painting. Or in simple words how bright are the light areas and how dark are the dark areas in the painting.

For example, on a stormy day, the darks in the scene are very dark and the bright areas are also not so bright. On the other hand on a bright sunny day the bright areas in the scene are very bright and the shadows are also very dark.

So, in artistic language we say a stormy scene has a low key range and a bright sunny day has a full range of values.

As artists, we have the freedom to use any value key that we feel necessary and not copy what we see in nature.

By using a particular value key, you can change the mood of the scene dramatically to create the impact you want.

In this class I am going to show you how I paint 3 versions of the same painting, all using different value keys. You’ll see how this changes the mood of the scene.

This ability to modify the scene will allow you to create authentic work of art and you’ll not feel enslaved by the photo reference or the live scene in front of you.

 I’ll be using watercolor and gouache but you can use whichever medium you are comfortable with.

During these painting demos I’ll use a limited number of colors and show you how I mix every other color that the painting needs.

This will help you gain confidence in color mixing and give you a structured way to complete your paintings.

I have included a reference photo with this class. Your project or assignment for this class will be to paint a landscape based on this photo in high key and then paint the same scene in a low key.

Once you are done with this class and the project, you’ll be able to create paintings based on your own interpretation of the scene and will be able to create the required impact by using an appropriate value key for it.