I read an article once that said an artist is either really good with value or really good with color (only great artists are good with both).
While I know artists need to know about color basics: complementary, secondary, analogous, etc.; I believe value is one of the most important elements of art. It’s value that adds depth to a work of art. It’s value that makes a drawing pop.
I love working in black and white with only value. From black to white with all the values in between—from distinct to subtle.
I used to say “I don’t know anything about color so I work in black and white.” Now I say “working in black and white has taught me so much about color.” It’s all about values.
If there’s one thing I want beginning artists to know, it’s not to be afraid to put a wide range of values in their work. I’ve seen so many artists who have created a good drawing but are afraid to put in the darkest values. They’re afraid of ruining it. It’s doing that very thing that will take their drawing from good to great. It adds a great deal of depth, is visually more appealing and interesting, and helps you see where your values in other areas of the drawing need to be darker.
The sketches above are good examples of what I'm talking about. The sketch, above top, shows a piece of driftwood that has mostly very light values that make the image look flat. The one on the bottom shows how much more depth is added when the darkest values are added along with a variety of lighter values.
I know an artist (a painter) who says if he can get the value of a color right (even if it’s not quite the color of the thing he’s painting) it makes the color look right. It’s all about value.
I have a friend who was looking at one of my drawings, turned to look at me and said “I can almost see the color.”
留言