Prep Love: Underpainting from Ali Kay
A grayscale doesn’t have to happen in gray.
Artist (and upcoming guest!) Ali Kay uses purple to map her value pattern (almost like a notan and then a 3-value study) in her underpainting.
Once she lays in her mids and darks, she has a path to help guide (and her students) as she begins building up her painting.
So if you don't love the idea of doing a thumbnail, there are other places you can do value-focused thinking.
(These flowers are part of Ali Kay’s upcoming lesson in her Fall Florals series for her Fresh Paint community.)