I’m currently studying lighting and values in painting.  I’m working on comparing light and dark areas on still life and landscape scenes.  I’m working on the idea phase towards my next group of paintings.  

I start by creating an under-painting in one dark color such a brown or purple.  To focus on the lights and shadows I paint in the dark areas more thickly and I thin out the paint in the light areas.  This lets the white of the gesso show through.

After the under-painting is complete I add the colors over this, being sure to keep the light, medium and dark values I have already put down. I work over the under-painting of values while it is still wet.  I allow all the paint to blend together.