Yet Another Henry Hensche Method Thread

[Pez_Espada]

A bit of addendum to the previous, it isn’t too difficult to progress from the raw beginner stage, seen in panel 1, to the panel 3 stage, where convincing mass color statements can be more easily and quickly made.(Again the indoor illustration isn’t colored enough to illustrate how outdoor color study ought to look.) It doesn’t require any technique or skill other than simply putting pigment down on a panel. A palette knife is about as simple a tool as can be made, and if you ever spread butter on bread you have a complete knowledge of how to use one. No illustrations needed. The study progress revolves around doing enough at the panel 1 beginner level before trying the panel 2 level. The only real difference is by panel 2 level the student is able to both see what a mass area is and mix some colors together to make a statement. Do enough of those so it isn’t awkward or difficult and then dive into the panel 3 exercise where the eye is able to more easily see what the main hue ingredients are for each large mass. Do a lot of those before trying to close out white space at panel 4. The big goal is to get to the panel 4 stage. A person should allow themselves the time devoted to doing enough studies to get to that stage. It’s at that stage where you get the benefit of the previous stages, and color massing can be done fairly quickly. The eye can recognize the color relationships but the time has to be expended to understand what the eye is seeing or sensing, which is different from the brain’s perception of color. Once the student progresses into the panel 4 level painting studies can become more developed without losing the large mass notes or large variations.

You have provided a great deal of information in this discussion Sir, it is very appreciated.

I hope we left you with something to put under your pillows
Dexter Gordon

[bigflea]

For any who may be interested in the topic, here is an outdoor version of the HH composition used in the 6 panel illustration. This image was painted over several sessions, but is not fully developed. The large masses were begun with several hues in each, instead of the example seen in the panel 1 of the HH illustration. The hues were mixed into the flat color for the mass notes. In other words, the painting was begun at panel 3 level, and then the study proceeded to the panel 4 level where any unpainted white divisions separating mass areas were painted. The key itself was far brighter than the example used in the HH illustration, which is the recommended starting point by HH for beginner study. To develop the painting more I would have to try making notes showing more distinction between too similar colorings, especially where there are obvious differences between vertical and horizontal planes. Also, some effort in making notes to develop the variations within the large cast shade area at the right, which is still too much of a simple color. Also, the bottle form at the edges could be further studied. If the effort is made to do a similar study i would recommend using a cloth that is less of a bright local color. Because this red cloth is both in the background and foreground it makes the study problem more difficult than it needs to be. If it were only in the foreground or background it would be a simpler color relationship problem to solve.

[Pez_Espada]

This is a great example and illustrates further the HH’s six panel figure painted indoors in northern light . In this one definitively can perceive the sun hitting the whole composition and the feeling of heat and glow of a sunny day is expressed. You mentioned that this study started at level 3 (with reference to HH six panels) and was develop to level 4 through a number of sessions, were all these color developments and their variations painted “wet-into-wet” or the restatements were put over already dried color layers. I’m just trying to better figure out. Thanks!

I hope we left you with something to put under your pillows
Dexter Gordon

[bigflea]

thanks Carlos,
the panel started with the idea HH describes in panel 3, i.e.. several different hues used in each large mass to make the mass color, and all the color was then mixed into a flat color, wet into wet. That’s the level of study an intermediate painter can attain in a few months of study, imo. Then the effort was made to move it to the panel 4 level, but some of the color was dried or drying and the new colors were applied on those areas with care to making the new result a flat color spot, ie., not scummbled or “broken color”. The end result is somewhere between the panel 4 and 5 HH illustration level. Sometimes what actually happens in real life painting is we have to go back to a previous developmental stage before going ahead to another stage. But that is with the intent of following a specific aesthetic idea. In this aesthetic discipline the way the separate notes are made/painted has a consequence in the way succeeding notes can be either seen or made. All the notes have to make visual sense to each other and to the whole color key.

[bigflea]

Here’s another version of the HH 6 panel illustration, taken straight from the page without trying to alter the camera shot in photoshop. It my opinion it is a more accurate facsimile of what is on the book page than the one that has been published on the HH group page. However it is possible the images in different books have different color bias. When I compare the actual book page images, the previous image and this newer version directly under diffused daylight, this last photograph of the page is more similar to the book page coloring.

[Pez_Espada]

This is very helpful Ken, it is a pity that the book seems to be out of print. On the other hand I am still struggling with my own color studies being around level 1-2 I guess. Keep working but somehow it does not feel right, I do not seem to be capturing the light key of the mayor masses. I’ll keep going nevertheless.

I hope we left you with something to put under your pillows
Dexter Gordon

[bigflea]

It’s difficult at first because the beginning colors are not really about getting the light key right so much as about making the big divisions with those simple primary and secondary hues. Doing that really helped me, at the school, because I had been thinking in terms of local color and tone instead of spectral light. I think that is why he states the level 1 and 2 exercise should be repeated with different objects until it gets easy to handle. It takes that repetition before the idea of the eye seeing something different from the local color begins to become the way you analyze the problem. I clearly remember my very first color key success. I had been a painter for quite a few years and understood making forms well with local color in value. But this first success was so poorly drawn and shaped. I had been trying to restate masses with such an intense focus that I didn’t notice how funny looking the objects were. HH came around to see how things were progressing and said immediately I had finally figured out what the light key problem was and mixed it well in the large masses. At that point he gave me the direction to continue doing the same on other work, but now I could give more attention to the proportional shapes etc. After that ‘promotion’ it made more sense and became more fun and interesting. So at the beginning we really should not expect the big mass notes to simulate the light key. It’s just paint on a panel. We just do it enough times that we get better at mixing different color together experimenting and comparing our mixtures to the what we see. Of course at the school there were other more experienced painters and some times that helped understand how color mixed could be restated without getting confused. It’s always an experiment even for long term students, or at least it should be. Always a search for a way to get to the mass colors that isn’t a repetitious formula. Using simple objects that are opaque, so light does not shine thru the form, simplifies the exercise.

[bigflea]

Some demos for different workshop groups intending to show the progressive study development with color blocks, following the HH illustrations of panel 1 to panel 3. Not sure these uploaded in the right sequence.

In general the beginning panels show the use of what HH sometime called “positive colors”, which is simple primary and secondary hues plus some white, to make the large divisions of light and shade.
The other images show how the first mass notes were mixed into, making a new mass color using a different hue instead of a tonal change to the existing hue.

The student was learning how to work from the positive color first, then to a more complex color, which he sometimes called a tertiary color. He used the term “over colored” referring to the first statements.

The colors could be restated again aiming to get more to the visual sensation of the light key in the large masses, and indicate a major variation in masses, with the coloring progressive becoming less pure and more complex as a mixture, sometimes becoming the “colorless colors”, a term HH used to refer to the quality of most mass color of keys. But variations might be more colored than the mass colors.

[Pez_Espada]

Some demos for different workshop groups intending to show the progressive study development with color blocks, following the HH illustrations of panel 1 to panel 3. Not sure these uploaded in the right sequence.

In general the beginning panels show the use of what HH sometime called “positive colors”, which is simple primary and secondary hues plus some white, to make the large divisions of light and shade.
The other images show how the first mass notes were mixed into, making a new mass color using a different hue instead of a tonal change to the existing hue.

The student was learning how to work from the positive color first, then to a more complex color, which he sometimes called a tertiary color. He used the term “over colored” referring to the first statements.

The colors could be restated again aiming to get more to the visual sensation of the light key in the large masses, and indicate a major variation in masses, with the coloring progressive becoming less pure and more complex as a mixture, sometimes becoming the “colorless colors”, a term HH used to refer to the quality of most mass color of keys. But variations might be more colored than the mass colors.

Thanks Ken, for posting more examples of studies at the beginner level, please keep posting them if you find some more. It helps me to understand better what one, as a beginner should be aiming at in the initial stages. What I see in these beginner examples is that there is a clear direction in the evolution of the studies, even if over colored and crude. Like a definite “intention” or progression towards the achievement of something like a light key, if that makes sense. On the other hand, I feel that I cannot get rid off the “childish look” of my blocks no matter what. I guess I need to work a lot more in my “positive colors” phase.
Carlos

I hope we left you with something to put under your pillows
Dexter Gordon

[bigflea]

Some examples of making large mass color with primary and secondary hues as the beginning of the painting study.
The one with 3 blocks is a demo done for a plane air (spell check just loves to joke around). It shows the idea of keeping the color simple as a tube color mixed with a bit of white and letting the unpainted white divisions be large enough so later the proportions can be changed.

The one with many rectangular patches is a beginning student’s, where they tried to use nothing but pure hues with little white for each plane surface of the blocks. It looks a bit confusing because the emphasis wasn’t enough on first establishing the large masses of light and shade, so it has everything divided by white spaces which makes the problem more complicated than it needs to be. But using pure color at the start is exactly how the beginner could begin.

The one with the large object is a demo showing how pure hues can be used at the start to establish the major masses of light and shade in a simple somewhat child like handling, i.e.., not carefully drawn and leaving room for the proportions to be altered when the coloring is restated.

[Pez_Espada]

Ken, many thanks for posting these.

I hope we left you with something to put under your pillows
Dexter Gordon

[Butternut1tiare]

Hello from Gascogne. I am currently studying the key (s?) of light with Camille Prz on a sort of long distance learning program and she is great!

But as I am half half across the world, the class begins very late in the evening for me.

Do you you know any more time friendly situations on this side of the world?

 

Tiaré

Chasing the light fantastic!

[Butternut1tiare]

If Bigflea is still around, I wanted to send out an enormous thank you for all of the helpful information, anecdotes and photos!!!

I am at the beginning stages, really just totally learning about color, and painting three block studies a week, so everything has been helpful- down to how to use a palette knife!

??????Thank you thank you thank you??????

Chasing the light fantastic!

[Butternut1tiare]

My background is graphite to paper. My husband is color blind, and so this was easiest for him to see and appreciate.

But now it is my time

Searching the light fanastic

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Chasing the light fantastic!

[Butternut1tiare]

Greetings,

Were there meant to be phots here? I don’t see them.

Chasing the light fantastic!

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