CONVERTING COLOUR
When workingincolour,itcanhelptotakeaphotographofapainting
that you are working on and converting it to black and white, either on
your computer or even just with a smartphone. Seeing your work-in-
progressreducedtotonesinthiswaycanhelptoremovethedistraction
of colour and identify areas of composition that need adjustment.- A FOCUS ON COMPOSITION
Compositionalmistakes(thekindthatyoudon’twantto
keep) are more obvious and therefore easier to rectify in
black and white.
Use of colourveryoftenmaskstherealreasonsa
painting isn’tworkingand,becausecolourisnolonger
a distraction,youcanfocusontheoverallcomposition,
knowing that any issue in your drawing or painting is not
down to whichcoloursyouhaveusedbutrathertheangle
TOP A watercolour
study with simple
colour scheme
TOP LEFT A sketch of
Bedruthan Steps
LEFT Low Light
over Fields,
charcoal on paperOriginal painting Converted to black and white