VALUE


Value is the lightness or darkness of a color. Value is also called Tone.

Categories of Values:

Tint is adding white to color paint to create lighter values such as light blue or pink.

Shade is adding black to paint to create dark values such as dark blue or dark red.

High Key is where the picture is all light values.

Low-Key is where the picture is all dark values.

Value Contrast is where light values are placed next to dark values to create contrast or strong differences.

Value Scale is a scale that shows the gradual change in value from its lightest value, white to its darkest value black.

Practice Tone by Creating a Gray Scale or Value Scale

The two extreme tones or values are black (very dark) and white (very light). Recognizing the tone or value of a color, rather than the hue, is important to an artist/designer because successful works have tonal contrast in them, or a range of values.

A painting with only mid-tones risks being flat and dull. Value or tonal contrast creates visual interest or excitement in a painting. A high-key painting is one in which the contrasts in value or tone are extreme, from black right through the range of mid-tones down to white. A low-key painting is one in which the tonal range is narrower.

Value Project:

Create a 10-tone Value Scale using magazines to find our tones. You can use pieces with text or texture in an image to show interest. You have the freedom of what shapes and sizes you use as long as all ten tones fit inside an 18" x 6.5" matte board. You can also choose to frame each one as in this example, or use one solid frame. You could also choose to leave them and have the black matte board frame them alone.

This is an example of the project