As part of my 'learn painting in an hour' series , my second article ('articlette' really) has just come out. This one's an introduction to and touvches on one the most valuable exercises we do at the School, tonal sketching. Tonal sketching is really a (the) planning skill for traditional painters. In the simplest terms it gets one to think about, abstract balance, the placement and ratio of light to dark, and therefore of translucent to opaque paint if one is working very traditionally. Creating a good tonal sketch (the cartoon) was reckoned to be amost on a par with producing a finished painting in the 1500's, as it was widely understood that the heart of painting was planning, and the planning was in the sketch Taking just the first point - abstract balance - try this. Get an old master and run it through Photoshop then 'posterize' it starting with say 12 blocks then 8 then 4 then 2. You'll be amazed how many great pictures are decent abstract pictures first. I know it sounds simplistic - but then these things often are when one gets to the heart of it. I remember the first day at design college when my tutor impressed upon us ( a group of cool and disinterested youths) that 'contrast is the key to design'. I thought it was just a slick throwaway thought then, but soon learned better. Design is big against small. black over white, calm against busy - try it how you will. I now realise that I started learning to paint that day. What the article can't convey as I can at the School , and what I suspect will stop most people in their tracks - is just how cavalier one has to be with these sketches; if you have a go then really go for it. Slap the paint on, darken the darks, lighten the lights and excite yourself. Its true that the finished picture might have to be pulled back a little from the concept tonal sketch, but to find the best possible solution you sometimes have to think the impossible.