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Of all the elements in a painting,  it seems that determining the correct value proves the most difficult for many painters.  Do not confuse color with value. Value is simply the measurement of any color from its lighest tint (white) to its darkest (black) shade. Coupled with a strong drawing, the value pattern creates the bones of the composition, making the 2 dimensional forms in the drawing  appear to have depth and solidity.

The easiest way to determine value when beginning a painting is to squint until the scene becomes a simplified pattern of darks, medium values and lights. Beginning painters sometimes find it hard to believe what they are actually seeing when squinting and often try to rely on their idea of the assemblage of objects in front of them — the tree, the building, the road, the fence.  Putting "things" on canvass cretes just that, a collection of disconneccted things. To create a cohesive painting , its critical to begin the block-in by thinly laying in the arrangement of values that are in the scene.  Objects often share different value passages. In my last blog, Thumbnail Sketches, I discussed using quick thumbnail sketches to identify and organize your compositon before beginning painting.

When designing and organizing a composition, simplicity is the key. Forget about all the details.  Find the major dark, midtone and light areas, more than that is not necessary to get started. I block in my major value areas from my thumbnail sketch not the scene. Begin the canvass by  painting the threee major areas onto the canvass without worrying about any detail.  Now starting with the largest passages in the darkest value area, suggest the broad range of forms .  Repeat this for the midtones and light areas. Continually compare your painted areas with the value pattern in your scene and in your thumbnail sketch. Remember that as light shifts during the day, value patterns change. In the summer you have more time; in the winter, value patterns change very rapidly. Avoid chasing the light!

If you are having trouble seeing the range of values, use  a value scale. If you are having problems, take a photo of a finished painting and include a value swatch in the shot and then convert the picture to grey scale.  You should see a complete range of  value from black to the lightest highlights in the painting and in the included value scale. Photographers who specialize in museum quality work include color control and value swatches with the painting to insure correct exposure in their photo; the swatches are cropped out before publication.

Easy to Use Value Scale

There are dozens of  these contraptions on the market but the one below is cheap, easy to use and quickly  reprinted when the old one becomes covered with paint or lost.

Value scale. Click on the image to download an Adobe PDF file of the scale for printing.

Download the PDF file and print it on photo paper. Heavy weight paper is easier to use in the field.  Cut the file lengthwise into 1" or wider  strips, leaving only the "white"  in the white swatch.  After you have blocked in the major dark, midtone and light areas, hold one of the strips up to area that you wish to paint.  Compare the grey swatches to the intended passage and the one grey that matches the form in the passage is the correct value.  Mix the correct color and paint it in.

If you are unsure that the color that you are mixing is the correct value, put a dab of the color mix on the grey swatch that matches the value that you have just identified.  Squint.  If the color disappears on the grey swatch strip, you have mixed the correct value.  Continue this process to complete the midtone and light areas of the painting.  Do not paint the highlights or dark accents until the painting is almost complete. Save the these for the final few brushstrokes. Use these passages around your center of interest and use them sparingly. Highlights are rarely ever as light they seem and dark accents are not black holes in your composition.  

Happy Painting!

Quote to remember:

"Color gets all the credit, but value does all the work." 

Don Stone NA