Chapter 7: Value and Its Use in Picture Making

Overview

This chapter is about the most important artistic principle in picture making: value. Nothing is more important than value when you are making two-dimensional images, especially if you are creating representational art. When you get the values correct in your images, you can do whatever you would like with the color and the picture will still work visually. If your values are wrong, no amount of color will overcome the problems associated with placing the values in the wrong place.

Value is why we can see the world around us and then interpret that world onto a 2D surface. Look at Figure 7.1. What is the picture of?

Figure 7.1: A polar bear in a blizzard.

Isn't it obvious that it's a polar bear at the North Pole during a blizzard? This figure illustrates that without the value differences, we could not see the world around us. You can prove this to yourself. Simply close the door and turn off the light in a room with no windows . Your ability to see the world around you-let alone draw that world-is dramatically crippled. Many of us have visited a cave where the guide turned out the light. You cannot see a thing because there is absolutely no value difference in the space surrounding you.

We are so dependent on value to perceive the world around us that we really do not need color at all to visually understand our environment. Black and white imagery works so well that we can often accept it as a representation of reality without any color. This is best demonstrated by the success of black and white photography.

Now that you are convinced that value is the most important principle when you are creating either traditional or digital art, let's go over a few principles that may help you use value wisely when creating your art. If you are interested in trying out the information presented here on your own, you can use just about any 2D application.