Mix First

The new strategy is to mix my colors before painting anything. I am looking for the simple value shape shifts inside a form that is basically all the same value although it has two distinct colors.
I am looking to reduce things to the simple essentials of form, shape and value.
What I have learned so far:
Simple forms are harder to paint than more complex ones because of the lack of visual information. From a distance this apple works very well so I am on the right track.