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Circling back again to the topic of values, there are certain situations where I'm especially on the lookout for subtle shifts in value. An example that comes up fairly often in my work is painting a white or high key object where there are smaller shapes connected to a main dominant shape. A classic example of this would be a white porcelain teapot with a spout and handle. Once a note of paint has been mixed to represent the areas of that teapot out in the light, there is a strong  temptation is to use that same mixture, not just for the main part of the teapot, but for the lid... and for the spout... and for the handle. Our brains are thinking --'This object is all made of the same porcelain clay and I've matched that color, so therefore the same mixture of paint will work just great for the entire teapot."

A better thought would be ---"This is another one of those areas where I should ignore what my brain is telling me and trust my eyes." When those high value notes for the larger form are employed everywhere, the handle and spout can often end up looking stark and cut-out. This overstating of the secondary forms comes about because we make assumptions and fail to notice that smaller planes, even under the same lighting conditions, won't appear as lit up and reflect the light quite in the same way that bigger planes on a larger form will. It can be just a slight difference, but the larger the shape, the lighter in value it will tend to appear. While I do want the handles etc. to end up looking like a part of the object they are attached to, it's not typically going to be in the painting's interest to make them more attention getting than the larger shape of the main form. Dropping the value just slightly will usually be enough to keep these supporting players from becoming more important than the image as a whole. That's not to say there aren't occasionally compositional situations where I might ignore this principle and place more contrast on a handle or spout, but just as a general rule I slow down and carefully observe these subtle differences, staying faithful to what my eyes are seeing and the principles of physics. In my experience, adjusting the values works far better than trying to downplay an edge that has too much contrast by simply blurring the edges together. I might soften the edges after I adjust the values, but the result will be less tortured and more believable than if I tried to get the same effect by softening alone.

Here is a closeup of the painting at the top of the page, illustrating an example of where I put this lesson into practice. The light is really slamming into the far inside planes of the cup and because it's a larger area the values there are very high key. In relationship to the inside of the cup, the planes of the handle are relatively tiny so they don't catch the light in the same way. At one point I had the values on the handle lighter and with the contrast of the dark areas behind it, the handle was talking too loud and coming forward too much -- so I scraped it down and repainted it. This notation of the subtle value differences also reflects my vision of what I want the story to be --what it is I want to say in my work. I'm always trying to capture a strong feeling of light, depth and form, so I try to keep the viewer engaged in those areas where the form is the most apparent. My intention is to convey the impression of a cup with a handle, rather than a handle with a cup attached to it. That degree of emphasis is important to me as well as important to the mood and atmosphere I'm trying to acheive. 

It's an odd trick of the mind that makes us get caught up in drawing problems and noodle around in areas, which regardless of how well they are done will never stand alone on their own or contribute to the painting all that much. If a flower is painted with really convincing light and form, it really takes so little effort on the part of the artist to make the viewer believe there is a stem attached, so usually my focus will be on the flowers and overall composition rather than the foliage. It's the same thing with a handle.  People generally know that teacups tend to have handles so it doesn't take a ton of work to explain all of that to them. The viewer's eye is going to travel where the artist is telling them to look. Playing down contrast by not over-emphasizing values can often help make supporting areas easier to paint, while at the same time doing the composition as a whole a favor. 

"It's impossible to learn that which you think you already know."  --- Epictetus