Simplify for Stronger Paintings

Learn how notans and value sketches can help you plan clearer, stronger and more successful paintings.

A good painting begins long before the colour goes onto the canvas. In this workshop, you’ll discover how simplifying a subject into its essential light and dark shapes can help you make better decisions about composition, focus and tonal balance.

We’ll explore notans—small black-and-white studies that reduce an image to its simplest pattern of light and dark—as well as slightly more developed value sketches. These quick preparatory studies allow you to test different compositions, remove unnecessary detail and identify potential problems before beginning a painting.

You’ll learn a practical planning process that can be applied to landscapes, still lifes and photographs, helping you approach your paintings with greater clarity and confidence.

What you’ll learn

• How to simplify a complicated subject

• How to identify and group the main light and dark shapes

• How to create simple two-value notan studies

• How to develop three- and four-value sketches

• How to test and improve a composition before painting

• How to establish a clear focal point

• How to use your chosen study as a plan for a painting

Who is it for?

This workshop is suitable for beginners and improvers who want to improve their compositions, avoid getting lost in detail and develop a more reliable way to begin a painting.

January workshop: Sat 16th Jan

February workshop: Tues 16th Feb

Times: 10 - 4pm

Fees: £150 (materials included)