Colorful pumpkins in gouache with Marj (Studio Handog)

Table of contents

• Getting started with ArtistAssistApp
• Choosing colors to paint with
• Drawing an accurate outline
• Tonal value study
• Accurately mixing the colors from a reference photo
• The finished painting
• About ArtistAssistApp

Marj (Studio Handog), a self-taught artist who began painting at 30, demonstrates how the ArtistAssistApp sped up her learning process. In the video, she explains the app’s key features: Color set, Color picker, Color mixing, Outline, and Tonal values. She uses the app step-by-step to complete a gouache painting, describing how each tool saves time, paint, and frustration.

She recalls that when she began learning to draw and paint at 30, she struggled with several basics: she didn’t know how to draw without tracing reference photos, how to mix colors, or what tonal values were. She often became overwhelmed by every detail in a reference photo and struggled to simplify sketches. Most of her progress came from trial and error, which meant wasted paint and paper. To learn tonal values, she used a manual method - converting references to black-and-white and using the “squint your eye” technique.

She says that ArtistAssistApp could have helped her from the start. The app runs in a web browser on desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones with no installation required, though it can be installed for offline access.

Getting started with ArtistAssistApp

Upon opening the app, she points out the visible tabs and their functions. The Color set tab lets users pick the medium and brand of art supplies they’re using. The Color Picker identifies which paints or mixtures in the selected set match areas of the reference photo. The Color Mixing feature allows experimentation with color mixes and proportions - helpful to avoid wasting expensive paints. The Outline tab converts a reference photo into a printable sketch for tracing, and the Tonal Values tab displays light tones, midtones, and shadows. Marj mentions there are many more tabs to explore, but focuses on those she’ll use while painting.

Choosing colors to paint with

For the demonstration, she chooses a reference photo and her Holbein Irodori Artist Gouache Autumn Set. First, she selects her medium and color brand in the Color set tab and manually adds white to her palette, then clicks Save & proceed.

Learn more about creating and managing color sets in this tutorial.

Drawing an accurate outline

She uploads the reference photo and opens the Outline tool to start sketching, preferring the Quality mode version for clearer outlines.

Learn more about converting a photo into an outline for tracing in this tutorial.

Tonal value study

After sketching, she checks the Tonal values to better understand the image’s lights and shadows.

Learn more about tonal values and contrast in this tutorial.

Accurately mixing the colors from a reference photo

Before painting, she switches to the Color picker, clicking portions of the reference photo so the app suggests which colors and mixes to use. She starts painting: beginning with the lightest pumpkins, choosing mixes that best match the reference; then painting red-orange pumpkins after checking suggested colors; next tackling the largest, darkest pumpkins; and finally painting the shadowy grass.

Learn more about mixing colors from photos in this tutorial.

The finished painting

When the painting is finished, she expresses surprise at how easy the process was and praises the app as an excellent way to learn about colors - so much so that color selection and mixing could become second nature.

Marj reflects that if she had known about the app earlier, it might have shaved years off her learning curve.

About ArtistAssistApp

ArtistAssistApp, also known as Artist Assist App, is a web app for artists to accurately mix any color from a photo, analyze tonal values, turn a photo into an outline, draw with the grid method, paint with a limited palette, simplify a photo, remove the background from an image, compare photos pairwise, and more.

Try it now for free at https://app.artistassistapp.com to improve your painting and drawing skills and create stunning artworks.