Page 10 - DPM3_Fall_2021_Flipbook

certification corner OVERALL EFFECT: It All Works Together – Part 2
by Lisa Price mda Value Management
Value is the relative lightness or darkness of a
color. Value creates form. Without the proper values, objects can appear flat and lacking shape. I want to stress that value is the most challenging property of color to grasp. It is the most critical technical principle in painting and the most difficult to master.
First one must learn the placement of value within each of the four basic forms (cube, sphere, cylinder, and cone) to achieve the correct shape of the object. Then you must create value change within your overall painting to guide the viewer through it.
Most of what the eye sees is in the middle-value
range, but we must learn to see all values. Learning to
translate values correctly is one of the most difficult
skills for an artist to develop. Many students try to
substitute color for value but then light and dark relationships simply don’t work. You can paint with correct values and the wrong colors and produce a pleasing painting. That is how important value is.
Munsell’s value scale is based on a scale of 0 = black to 10 = white. There are nine (9) values of gray between 0 and 10. To create form within an object, you must use a minimum of three (3) values (light, medium, and dark). An object painted with five to seven correct values will create even better form. I encourage every student to practice creating value scales and painting forms. I promise you this practice will prove to be crucial lessons in your growth as an artist.
Light values will appear lighter when placed next to a dark value and vice versa. Remember that value is relative to what is around it. Your light source can determine the values within your painting because values create space. A wide range of values can create a strong center of interest. Objects close in value will recede. The contrast or lack of contrast between elements can create a visual journey through the painting.
When planning your painting, always remember that the background of your painting has a value as well. It will set the tone of your painting and will determine if it is a high-key or low-key painting. A high key is a light background and a low key is a dark background. Many artists use a middle value for the background. I have been guilty of it myself. This is one of the most challenging backgrounds to be successful with because it makes it very hard to create depth and drama throughout
the painting.
Intensity
The intensity of a color or hue is the brightness or dullness of the pigment. Understanding intensity can really give your painting a boost. But you must know how to use intensity. A bright hue is a high-intensity color. When you neutralize a color, you lower the intensity and create “dullness” to the color. Earth colors straight from the tube are low-intensity colors (raw umber or burnt umber).
There are several ways to neutralize or lower the intensity of a pure hue. One of my favorite ways is to mix the color with
its complement. Other ways to lower intensity are adding an earth tone to the color or adding a neighboring color from the color wheel. Adding black to a color will also lower the intensity and can create a shade, but it may also change the hue to a completely different color. Adding gray will lower the intensity of a color oftentimes without changing the value, if you use the same value of gray as the hue you are neutralizing.
8 TheDecorativePainter • FALL 2021