value

Value:
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·  1. Value is a range from highlight (the brightest highlight being white) to shadow (the darkest being black) and all of the tones in between. The 3tones to know are white (highlight) middle grey, and black (shadow).

·  2. The aim of realist value drawing is to show the light and shadow and surface tones, creating a three-dimensional illusion.

·  3. We can use value to make a 2D drawing look 3D.For example, we can make this circle look like a sphere by using a range of value to give the illusion of form.

·  4. Outlines only define visible edges and don’t tell us anything about light and dark. Linear drawing and value drawing are two different systems of representation.

·  5. One of these drawings has been made using both outline and value, the other only uses value to describe a cube. By eliminating outlines and using value to describe the differences in the surface of an object a drawing becomes more realistic.

·  6. A good way to begin using value in a drawing is to assign each shape in the drawing a different value. Notice the different shapes of value in this ink wash drawing.

·  7. Define only by light and dark, not by outline. Most successful value drawings use light and dark through out the entire composition.

·  8. Value drawing is like painting in graphite or charcoal. The process is different than using a brush – you need to think in terms of AREAS as opposed to lines. Shade the darks, observing the shape and value while being careful to shade up to the edge of adjoining light areas. The realism seen in some images takes a very high degree of detail, where the tonal values are closely observed and finely drawn.

·  9. When creating a value drawing, you need to shift out of line-drawing mode. The best way to do this is to forbid yourself to draw a line, and focus on areas of value. You may use the lightest of lines to get down the basic shapes. From there, build up the shading. Often the outline will be at the join between two different values, and is created by the contrast between the light and dark area.

·  10. Contrast! Remember the lines between values? Well, those hard lines form contrast. High contrast is when subjects are illuminated by a bright light source and cast dark shadows. Light and dark values will be next to each other. In the value chart, you would be skipping a value or two (or more!).

·  11. Low contrast uses values that are next to each other on the value chart. With low contrast, values close together will define the bulk of the subject. You could selectively highlight or accentuate portions with lights or darks.