Two colors close together in large areas can bounce off each other, creating heightened contrast. In small areas optical mixing can occur, an effect exploited by the Impressionists, but undesirable when you are trying to assess the color or tonal value of an element in your source image. I picked up this great trick from Ann Kullberg - using a value viewer to see more accurately. Here's how it's done.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 5 mins
Here's How:
- Take a piece of neutral-white card and use a holepunch (or very sharp pointed scissors) to make a small hole in the middle.
- Lay the card over the reference photo, with the problem area showing through the hole.
- You can now assess the tonal value without interference from adjacent areas of color.
- Place a piece of scrap paper and place it over the card, next to the punched hole.
- Apply a small area of the selected pencil(s) to compare the closeness of color and tone.
What You Need:
- white card
- holepunch
