Elements of Art Value

“To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist.” Robert A Schumann

Value An element of art, value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. Value becomes critical in a work which has no colors other than black, white, and a gray scale. For a great example of value in action, think of a black and white photograph. You can easily visualize how the infinite variations of gray suggest planes and textures.

Gray Scale or Value Scale Stepped grades of value gray scale - The range of neutral values, or shades of gray in an image. The gray scales of scanners and terminals are determined by the number of grays, or steps between black and white, that they can recognize and reproduce.

Gradual Value Scale gradation - A gradual, smoothly nuanced, step-by-step change from dark to light values or from large to small shapes, or rough to smooth textures, or one color to another. As a principle of design, it refers to any way of combining elements of art by using a series of gradual changes in those elements. Gradation is unlike contrast which stresses sudden changes in elements.

Value Scale Hatching and Cross Hatching Used in illustration (Comics)

Monochromatic Value

Value in Color Each color out of the tube are at different values. Notice the dots in the columns. They indicate which cell matches the others in value. When you add black to a color it is a shade of that color. When you add white it is a tint of that color. More on that later...

Chiaroscuro A word borrowed from Italian ("light and shade" or "dark") referring to the modeling of volume by depicting light and shade by contrasting them boldly.

Shadow An area that is not or is only partially illuminated because an opaque object is between the area and the source of light. Or, the image cast by an object blocking rays of illumination. Also, a faint indication, a vestige or remnant.

Value in Art Landscapes Still Life Portraits