ValueThe Elements of Art

Is the relative lightness or darkness of a given surface.

When drawing, artists use value when they are shading.

● Value helps define the form of objects being drawn

or painted. All colors have natural value.

● Value is what helps us create an illusion of 3

Dimensions, volume, and a sense of reality in a

drawing. It can also communicate mood.

Value

Value Scale

Tints = Highlights

(Color + White, lighter

values of a color)

Shades = Shadows

(Color + Black, darker values of

a color)

The value scale is a system of organizing values. It consists of values ranging from white to black, with several shades of gray in between. These shades of gray make up the “meat” of a drawing, and helps to create the illusion of depth and three-dimensionality.

Conveying Light Using Value

Form

In drawings and paintings and

other 2D work, form is the illusion

of 3 dimensions in your subjects.

Without changes in value in

relation to the light source things

look flat.

M.C. Escher

Drawing Hands

1948

Escher frequently employed a visual game in which he transformed a flat pattern into a three-dimensional object. The artist used his own right hand as the model for both hands depicted in the print.

M.C. Escher. Drawing Hands, 1948. Lithograph.

Dutch illustrator whose innovative works explored

patterns, perception, space and transformation.

Worked on engravings and prints that captured

natural landscapes and architecture, startlingly

playing with perspective, orientation and shadow.

Escher was the youngest son of civil engineer.

He used to be ill often and was placed in a special

school. Although he excelled in drawing, his other

grades were generally poor.

M.C. Escher

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Val

ue It is important to identify the

different values in art.

What forms or textures

are shown?

How has the artist made

use of light and dark areas?

M.C. Escher. Hand with Reflecting

Sphere, 1935, lithograph, Rosenwald

Collection.

Chiaroscuro

A technique in which artists use

extreme contrast between light and

dark areas of the artwork to create a

sense 3D space and volume.

Albrecht Dürer added subtle shading

allowed him to makes one of his most

evocative works in his studies of

draperies.

Albrecht Dürer. Study Of Drapery, 1508.

● Contour Hatching

● Cross Hatching

● Parallel Hatching

● “Tick” Hatching

● Stippling

The Different Types of Line Strokes

Parallel Hatching

Consists of rows of parallel lines,

placed closely together. With parallel

hatching, the lines will remain straight

and usually run vertically or horizontally.

Notice that some hatch marks are closer

together, such as along the top of the

index finger. When you increase the

density of a collection of hatch marks,

the area will appear darker, which can

be useful for creating value variations.

Contour Hatching

The lines follow the contours of

the subject. Here, the hatch marks

follow the curves of the hand.

This method of hatching greatly

enhances the sense of volume and

three-dimensionality of anything

you are drawing, in addition to

providing value.

Cross HatchingAfter laying down one pass of hatch

marks, another set of hatch marks are

drawn on top, usually in a

perpendicular direction to the first

set.

This method is one of the quickest and

most effective ways to darken the

values in your hatching.

It creates a richer overall feel to the

drawing.

“Tick” Hatching

Short parallel strokes or “ticks.” The marks

are so small and short, you can almost pile

them on top of one another to create

density, without worrying about cross

hatching. This style often works best with

a thicker pen, to increase the graphic

quality.

Stippling

Stippling is the creation of a pattern

simulating varying degrees of

solidity or shading by using small

dots.

The bottom line is that with the

stippling technique there is no line

work whatsoever.

What kind of narrative

or story do you think

is taking place?

How does the artist

use value in her

artwork?

Elena Climent

Kitchen with View of the Viaduct

1995, Phoenix Art Museum

Climent uses the objects in a still life painting to pay

homage to her mother who passed away in 1993.

Many objects evoke special memories of her mother

and her mother's kitchen. The objects in the painting,

as in many of still life paintings, each hold a special

meaning and are purposefully included and thoughtfully

arranged.

The plane, the red car, the 2 ears of corn, the pop

bottles, the 2 chairs, the herbal tea and its container,

the different tiles, and the calendar all hold symbolic

meanings.

"I think wherever we are we reproduce

ourselves. People reflect themselves by their

surroundings. We create an order around us, a

mirror of what we are. I'm fascinated by what

objects absorb of people." ~ Elena Climent

What do you see?

Jennifer Lewis Takahashi

What do you think

the artist is trying

to tell us?

The Secret Place

Still life was the best subject because I could arrange things exactly how I wanted them.

That, along with my realistic style. This piece of art is busy, crowded and echoed how I

was feeling in many ways.

As my kids got older and I continued painting,

I found I was thinking more about my own

childhood — what made it magical and what I

didn’t need to pass on to my kids. This was

then reflected in my subject matter; one or two

items that had meaning to me which I then

built a story around.

● Complete a Value Chart Worksheet using the different types of line

strokes that was presented.

● Practice creating highlights and shadows for each type of line on the

value scale.

Your Task Today….