Tone is King
These two tonal studies are from my photos of a beach and the harbour (I only use my own photos for all my work). Have reduced the tonal pattern to five tones, with linked tonal shapes that create a background, middle ground and foreground. Without any colour, the tone still enables a strong composition.
This title is from Joseph Zbukvic who uses a strong tonal pattern in all his paintings. Many of the leading Australian watercolourists including Joseph, Herman Pekel, Alvaro Castagnet and Ross Paterson - are all tonal artists. Having fortunately participated in their classes and workshops in the past, and after much sketching and painting, I have learnt to use tone as a dominant element of composition. Given the strong light that is often a feature of our local environment, this probably enables seeing a tonal pattern more easily than in the softer light of the landscape of the UK.
This new Andy Evansen video is an excellent demo of using a tonal study with connected shapes as the basis for planning a strong tonal composition before using colour washes in the final painting, that repeat the tonal pattern.
Andy Evansen Demo 2023 - YouTube
Cartridge paper A4 sketchbook, Daniel Smith Joseph Z's cool grey (that I bought just to paint mono tonal studies)
I've really appreciated this discussion and especially Olly's comments. I find your tonal studies so beautiful on their on Marion!! I think they have their own beauty! But Olly your comments are freeing, and the thing about south Florida is that there is a lot of color and it is all pretty vibrant. I've tried to copy the color palette other artists but I find that it doesn't match the landscape in which I live. I need to find the colors that are useful and representative for me.
I am still very much a newbie so I am sure I can profit from tonal studies but I think a tonal study on it own for it's own sake and simplicity attracts me too.