Either painting plein air (in open air) or in the studio the basic understanding of values and color is primary to any type of creative painting. The Masters’ through the history of art understood this concept. In a quality art school or university values verses color is a basic part of the education.
When viewing a beautiful work of art the first thing that is obvious to the viewer is the color. Color enhances and glorifies the entire painting. You are drawn into the atmosphere, the illusion of space and time which the painting represents.
When stepping back to take in the whole painting one wonders how the artist could possibly capture such atmosphere. Really, there’s no mystery. He or she simply knew what they were doing with colors…AND values.
In simple terms, “value” refers to a color’s lightness or darkness. And each color has its own value system that can be altered as the artist mixes lighter or darker colors on his palette. As the artist paints, he’s aware of the many value possibilities to create dynamic contrasts within his/her art work.
A tool the artist can use to determine values is squinting at the subject. When squinting the sharpness and details of objects are blurred and the values are easy to identity.
I talk about value and the use of values extensively in my workshops, including how to identify values in the subject and recreating those values in the painting. Specifically, I address the nine values available as taught in quality art schools and how to use them effectively so that your work stands out with the look of a professional artist.
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