ValueThe Elements of Art
Is the relative lightness or darkness of a given surface.
When drawing, artists use value when they are shading.
● Value helps define the form of objects being drawn
or painted. All colors have natural value.
● Value is what helps us create an illusion of 3
Dimensions, volume, and a sense of reality in a
drawing. It can also communicate mood.
Value
Value Scale
Tints = Highlights
(Color + White, lighter
values of a color)
Shades = Shadows
(Color + Black, darker values of
a color)
The value scale is a system of organizing values. It consists of values ranging from white to black, with several shades of gray in between. These shades of gray make up the “meat” of a drawing, and helps to create the illusion of depth and three-dimensionality.
Conveying Light Using Value
Form
In drawings and paintings and
other 2D work, form is the illusion
of 3 dimensions in your subjects.
Without changes in value in
relation to the light source things
look flat.
M.C. Escher
Drawing Hands
1948
Escher frequently employed a visual game in which he transformed a flat pattern into a three-dimensional object. The artist used his own right hand as the model for both hands depicted in the print.
M.C. Escher. Drawing Hands, 1948. Lithograph.
Dutch illustrator whose innovative works explored
patterns, perception, space and transformation.
Worked on engravings and prints that captured
natural landscapes and architecture, startlingly
playing with perspective, orientation and shadow.
Escher was the youngest son of civil engineer.
He used to be ill often and was placed in a special
school. Although he excelled in drawing, his other
grades were generally poor.
M.C. Escher
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The
Val
ue It is important to identify the
different values in art.
What forms or textures
are shown?
How has the artist made
use of light and dark areas?
M.C. Escher. Hand with Reflecting
Sphere, 1935, lithograph, Rosenwald
Collection.
Chiaroscuro
A technique in which artists use
extreme contrast between light and
dark areas of the artwork to create a
sense 3D space and volume.
Albrecht Dürer added subtle shading
allowed him to makes one of his most
evocative works in his studies of
draperies.
Albrecht Dürer. Study Of Drapery, 1508.
● Contour Hatching
● Cross Hatching
● Parallel Hatching
● “Tick” Hatching
● Stippling
The Different Types of Line Strokes
Parallel Hatching
Consists of rows of parallel lines,
placed closely together. With parallel
hatching, the lines will remain straight
and usually run vertically or horizontally.
Notice that some hatch marks are closer
together, such as along the top of the
index finger. When you increase the
density of a collection of hatch marks,
the area will appear darker, which can
be useful for creating value variations.
Contour Hatching
The lines follow the contours of
the subject. Here, the hatch marks
follow the curves of the hand.
This method of hatching greatly
enhances the sense of volume and
three-dimensionality of anything
you are drawing, in addition to
providing value.
Cross HatchingAfter laying down one pass of hatch
marks, another set of hatch marks are
drawn on top, usually in a
perpendicular direction to the first
set.
This method is one of the quickest and
most effective ways to darken the
values in your hatching.
It creates a richer overall feel to the
drawing.
“Tick” Hatching
Short parallel strokes or “ticks.” The marks
are so small and short, you can almost pile
them on top of one another to create
density, without worrying about cross
hatching. This style often works best with
a thicker pen, to increase the graphic
quality.
Stippling
Stippling is the creation of a pattern
simulating varying degrees of
solidity or shading by using small
dots.
The bottom line is that with the
stippling technique there is no line
work whatsoever.
What kind of narrative
or story do you think
is taking place?
How does the artist
use value in her
artwork?
Elena Climent
Kitchen with View of the Viaduct
1995, Phoenix Art Museum
Climent uses the objects in a still life painting to pay
homage to her mother who passed away in 1993.
Many objects evoke special memories of her mother
and her mother's kitchen. The objects in the painting,
as in many of still life paintings, each hold a special
meaning and are purposefully included and thoughtfully
arranged.
The plane, the red car, the 2 ears of corn, the pop
bottles, the 2 chairs, the herbal tea and its container,
the different tiles, and the calendar all hold symbolic
meanings.
"I think wherever we are we reproduce
ourselves. People reflect themselves by their
surroundings. We create an order around us, a
mirror of what we are. I'm fascinated by what
objects absorb of people." ~ Elena Climent
What do you see?
Jennifer Lewis Takahashi
What do you think
the artist is trying
to tell us?
The Secret Place
Still life was the best subject because I could arrange things exactly how I wanted them.
That, along with my realistic style. This piece of art is busy, crowded and echoed how I
was feeling in many ways.
As my kids got older and I continued painting,
I found I was thinking more about my own
childhood — what made it magical and what I
didn’t need to pass on to my kids. This was
then reflected in my subject matter; one or two
items that had meaning to me which I then
built a story around.
● Complete a Value Chart Worksheet using the different types of line
strokes that was presented.
● Practice creating highlights and shadows for each type of line on the
value scale.
Your Task Today….