Nice work.
I haven't taken the class. But it looks like it is doing good things for you.
Also spending how much time on each value study? Just out of curiosity.
Overall, your value studies are good. So what I am saying is really nitpicking. And the reason I ask the above question. Because any of these nitpicks can be fixed with time.
Some of your darker dark's are being used to generalize a shadow shape, or a figure, when it should perhaps be a shade or two lighter.
Be aware of the darker darks getting into your backgrounds. We are losing some of your sense of atmosphere. Again, quick fix. And it is probably something that you will be doing in later steps of the painting to add atmospheric perspective detail. Or depth, or ambiance, whatever people want to call it.
Your gradient maps are a bit warmer, or more saturated, in the shadow areas of the figures. When they should be cooler, or duller. And maybe you are trying to avoid this, compensate for a poor value choice, or learning to control the tool. In any case you are no doubt going to figure it through.
When gradient maps change the values of the paintings it is in regard to the color picked set to the value you choose, and the setting that the layer blend mode is set too. That's it.
Check the value of a reference area. Compare the value number to your value of your study, then the value setting of your color in the gradient map.
In your case you could actually use it to your advantage, to improve your own paintings shortcomings you had in the value study. Learning to bend the tool to your will and needs of the fundamental theory to improve your paintings as you progress.
Go ahead and check the value of the reference against the values placed in your gradient map sliders and value studies you painted. Learn from what you see and what you are painting and manipulating. See how how you are prone to error in one aspect of your observation but not another. Your first one is the best example. All the dark areas are entirely too bright. So later you may have compensated, and made some of the dark's too dark.
The art police are not scratching at your door because you are not practicing perfect color mixing tai chi on a water color pallet....so use the gradient map for what it is, in its strengths and weaknesses.
Then paint over when you need to paint over. But in the end it is really your preference.
Painting from the beginning, will teach you to mix colors and manipulate their properties more quickly. Every time you are mixing a color you have to choose,
lighter or darker
duller or brighter (chroma)
hotter or colder
Thats it. You just have to do each of those every single time you generalize an area in a reference with squinting or blurring, then applying the paint. But value is the more powerful of those.
Eventually you could take any reference, and will understand when someone makes a request like, "Make a high value, low chroma, complimentary color scheme using 'this' reference." And you will know exactly what they need.
Great job.
