Instructor: James Robertson Skill Level: Intermediate Ages: 14+ Medium: Oil Painting Total Class Hours: 8 Description: Master Value, Transform Your Painting: Before color can shine, value has to do the heavy lifting. In this 4-class course, you’ll learn to see and control light and dark to create form, depth, atmosphere, and strong compositions—then bring color into the mix without losing that foundation. Class 1: See in Light & Dark Discover value as the structural backbone of painting. Build a value scale, study how light creates form, and analyze master paintings by squinting and simplifying them into grayscale. Finish with a value-massing exercise that trains you to see big shapes before details. Class 2: Paint with Value Put theory into practice with a monochrome painting study using black and white or a limited palette. Explore hard, soft, and lost edges, and learn how atmospheric perspective compresses values to create depth. Finish by designing a value map that works before color ever enters the picture. Class 3: Build the Painting Start a complete painting with a value-driven block-in. Establish the major masses, identify your darkest darks and lightest lights, and create a clear value hierarchy. By the end, your painting should already read convincingly—even without color. Class 4: Let Color Follow Value Now bring in color! Apply thin layers over your value underpainting, using plane-based color to strengthen form rather than overwhelm it. Learn to check your values as you work, then refine edges, atmosphere, and accents to finish the painting. By the end, you’ll understand how to make value work for you—and how to use color without losing the strength of your painting. Instagram: @jamesispainting Supplies: All supplies are provided … just bring your creativity! Registration will close on August 24.