VALUE

Definition:

Value is the gradation from light to dark

across a surface, which is determined by

the lightness or darkness of the object and

the degree of light that strikes it.

The six categories of light:

highlight, light, shadow, core of shadow, reflected light, & cast shadow

Techniques for create value in drawing - artists whose work may is an example

1. tonal (smudging, erasing, rubbing or with washes) - Dine, Kollwitz, Tiepolo, Arikha

2. hatching (parallel, cross, contour, random) - Rembrandt, Durer, Ingres, Cadmus

3. scribbling (tightly tangled to loose and airy) - Giacometti, Abakanowicz, Daumier

4. stippling (dots or rough textured paper) - Seurat

Uses of value:

1. Arbitrary

a. to create focal point

b. to balance areas

c. to imply movement, pattern, direction

d. to organize composition

2. Descriptive

a. to create physical structure - volume or planes

b. to indicate weight - the response to gravity, darker values at base

c. to portray the light source -

highlight, light, shadow, core of shadow, reflected light, & cast shadow

d. to impart space

1. actual: light to dark or foreground, middle-ground, & background

2. flat or patterned

3. negative or reversed

Value scale:

High/light light (step 1-3)

Middle mid range (step 4-6)

Low/dark dark (step 7-10)

two-step B & W

three step B & W and gray

five step B & W and 3 grays

Exercises:

1) Reduce an image to two-step value. Google Notan on YouTube.

2) Draw an egg with one strong light source using the 4 techniques for creating value: tone, hatching, scribble, stippling.

3) Tone a paper with charcoal to a middle value gray by rubbing and blending to create a continuous tone. Erase out highlights. The figure should be lit with a single strong light from

directly above, or from below (stage lighting).

4) Incorporate a representative gray scale in a drawing.