Blending judgment (blend when necessary, avoid overblending, maintain painterly marks)
Choose where to soften, preserve, or sharpen paint marks so forms turn without losing texture or painterly character.
What it is
Blending judgment is the moment-to-moment choice to soften, preserve, or sharpen edges while you paint. It concerns how much mixing a form needs and where visible strokes should remain, regardless of the tool used.
You may begin with separate color patches, then blend selectively to describe form. A cheek may need a softer transition as it turns from light into shadow, while a nostril edge or eye highlight may stay crisp.
Brush character also guides these choices. Keep texture where it supports the material, and smooth it where it distracts or disrupts the form. The image can remain visibly painted while retaining solid, dimensional forms.
Why it matters
Overblending can remove plane changes, texture, and color variation, leaving overly smooth surfaces. Underblending can leave faces faceted, skies patchy, or forms divided into disconnected patches. Sound blending judgment supports readable forms, distinct materials, and varied brushwork.
You can check it when
- ✓Point to areas where visible strokes support the form or texture and do not read as leftover marks.
- ✓Squint at soft transitions and check that forms read as turning planes without flat blobs or airbrushed halos.
- ✓Repaint an overblended area and stop earlier, retaining more edge variety and color variation while keeping the form solid.
- ✓Check a finished piece for hard, firm, and soft edges placed at form boundaries, occlusion shadows, cast shadows, and highlights.