3 |Value
Key Vocabulary:
value high-keyed low-keyed value contrast center of interest
I. Value
1. The range of light and dark is called value; the lightness and darkness of grays and colors.
2. White is the lightest value, and black is the darkest, with unlimited values between them.
II. Using Value in Design
1. Light can come from a single source or many sources in a painting or drawing.
2. Areas facing the light source are lightest in value. The farther they face away from the light source, the darker they become.
3. Light creates shadows and a single bright light can create shadows that are sharp and dark valued.
4. Multiple light sources or indirect lighting produce lighter shadows with softer edges.
5. Value can be used to show depth by making objects farther away lighter in color and softer edged. The closer the object, the sharper the image and darker the value.
III. Light Values
1. Lighter values can be used to depict happiness, warmth, or sunshine.
a. High-keyed colors have been mixed with white and are called pastel colors.
b. An artwork with many light-valued colors is high-keyed
IV. Dark Values
1. Darker values are used to suggest gloomy days, nighttime, or dim lighting.
a. The lack of brightness tells the viewer that the source of light is weak or far away.
2. Paintings or drawings that emphasize dark values can convey feelings of sadness or cold.
a. A work that uses mainly dark-valued colors is low-keyed. Low-key colors have been mixed with black or gray.
V. Value Contrast
1. Artists emphasize not only dark or light values, but values from all parts of the scale.
2. Light values placed next to medium or dark values create value contrast
3. Value contrast can be used to emphasize areas of a design or to allow viewers to distinguish between different parts of the design.
a. The greatest possible value contrast is between black and white.
4. The center of interest in a work is a special area to which the artist wishes to draw viewer attention.
