Value Exercises

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Art by mini kuš! #4 author Kuba Woynarowski

Value is the lightness and darkness of a color. It’s the range of light (white) to dark (black). It is how artists give the illusion of space and form in a flat 2-dimensional space. It’s the difference between maroon, red, and pink. How much white is blended with the color? How much black is blended with the color? Value alone is white to black and all the shades of grey in the middle.

value scale

Sketchbook Assignments:

Create a value scale using your Ebony pencils as shown above.

  • Draw a rectangle that is 1″ high and 10″ wide.
  • Divide the rectangle into 1″ squares.
  • Number the squares 1 through 10.
  • Begin at number 10, shading it in completely with the Ebony pencil to create your darkest value (black). It should be shaded completely but not so much that it becomes shiny.
  • Shade in number 9, but make it a little lighter. Do this until you reach number 1, which should be left blank (white).
  • I like to skip to number 2 and shade as lightly as I can to transition back towards number 10 and work my way back and forth until I reach a medium in the middle – for example: shade 10, shade 2, shade 9, shade 3, shade 8, shade 4, shade 7, shade 5, shade 6. Done.
  • Be sure your shading is blended nicely without smudging. Only use your pencil to blend. Avoid using your fingers or tissues to blend as they tend to leave oils on the paper and make it difficult to erase any mistakes.

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Value can also be translated with color. For our next value scale, we will be creating it using Prismacolor Colored Pencils.

  • Draw a rectangle that is 1″ high and 7″ wide.
  • Divide the rectangle into 1″ squares.
  • Number the squares 1 to 7.
  • In squares 1-7, color in lightly using the YELLOW Prismacolor.
  • In squares 2-7, color in lightly using the ORANGE Prismacolor.
  • In squares 3-7, color in lightly using the RED Prismacolor.
  • In squares 4-7, color in lightly using the GREEN Prismacolor.
  • In squares 5-7, color in lightly using the BLUE Prismacolor.
  • In squares 6-7, color in lightly using the PURPLE Prismacolor.
  • In square 7, color in lightly using the BLACK Prismacolor.

Value can also be created by mark-making, not just shading. Here are some ways to create value when using materials that do not blend well such as markers or Sharpies.

Hatching

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Cross-hatching

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Scribbles/Squiggles

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Zig zags

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Stippling

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Next, you will be filling in this chart using these techniques and some that you can make up yourself!

ValueWorksheet

3D Objects and Value:

sphere value

You will make your art more believable when you keep these basics in mind.

A Light Source and Shadows

A light projected onto an object or figure creates lights, darks, and cast shadows. Your source of light may be the sun, the moon, a light through a window or an artificial light. When several light sources are present the light and dark tones vary and are less predictable. To simplify the study of light and shadow in this first section, I will use only one light source.

Two Kinds of Shadows

There are two kinds of shadows that occur when one light shines on an object, a cast shadow and a form shadow.

Cast Shadow

When an object blocks a light source it casts a shadow. A cast shadow is not a solid shape but varies in tone and value. The farther a cast shadow is from the object which casts it the lighter and softer and less defined becomes its edges.

Form Shadow

A form shadow is the less defined dark side on an object not facing the light source. A form shadow has softer less defined edges than a cast shadow. Form shadows are subtle shadows essential for creating the illusion of volume, mass and depth. The changes in form shadows require careful observation – squinting at the subject to see value definition affected by figure-ground making value relationships clearer.

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THE LIGHT SIDE IN TWO PARTS

Highlight

The lightest spot or streak is where the light strikes the subject in exactly the middle of the light side between the shadow edge and the edge of the object. A highlight can be shinny and crisp on a glass or metallic surface, or fuzzy and muted on a dull or textured surface.

Light middle tones

Note, to avoid confusion, “always” keep the values on the light side lighter than the values on the dark side. In reverse, the values on the dark side are darker than the values on the light side. It’s the middle tones on either side that confuse the artist’s eye in value relationships.

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Form Shadow in Three Parts

“Shadow edge” or “core shadow”

The edge where the light is blocked from the light source is the darkest value on the dark side. The core or darkest value blends into the middle tones from the shadow edge on round subjects.

Dark middle tone

The variable values blended form the shadow edge on the dark side. Again, the dark middle tones are darker than any values on the light side. The human eye can trick the brain into believing the lightest values on the dark side are the same as the darkest values on the light side. If the artist is confused about lights and darks, the rendering is less understandable.

Reflected light

If the object being painted is sitting on a white table, the light from the table reflects back onto the object and makes the shadow side lighter. If the object of the painting is resting by something black or dark, the middle values will become a dark reflection. The concept also holds true when the object of the painting is sitting on a colored surface. If the reflected light is reobject.

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Cast Shadows

When the source of light is blocked by an object it casts a shadow. The length and shape of the cast shadow depends on the placement of the light source. Long shadows are cast from a side light source (as from the sun in late afternoon or early evening), and short cast shadows are cast from over head (as from a noonday sun). The shape a shadow casts depends on the shape of the object casting it and how close the source is to the object.

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Put them all together and you have:

A. Highlight
B. Light Middle Tone
C. Shadow Edge / Core Shadow
D. Middle Dark Tone & Reflected Light
E. Cast Shadow

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