8/6/2019 5 Tips to Put Value To Work For You - Mary Bentz Gilkerson

5 Tips to Put Value

To Work For You
By Mary Gilkerson

In nature, light creates the color. In the picture, color creates the light.
~ Hans Hofmann

Color creates the illusion of light and form through contrasts in the four relative
attributes or aspects that define all colors.

Understand that value is one of the 4 Aspects of Color:

Value- the lightness or darkness of a color
Hue- the position of the color on the spectrum

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8/6/2019 5 Tips to Put Value To Work For You - Mary Bentz Gilkerson

Intensity- the brightness or dullness of a color

Temperature- the warmth or coolness of a color

The first three are physical properties of color. The last is an experiential,
pychological one. Of the four aspects of color, value is the easiest to begin working
with. Here are some tips to put value to work for you.

#1 Start with strong figure/ground relationships or notan.

Notan is the harmonious arrangement of black and white in a painting. It’s closely
tied to positive/negative shape relationships and creates a strong underlying
structure for a painting.

Notan sketch

#2 Use a full range of values from the darkest dark to the lightest light.
Using a full range of values creates visual richness in a painting. It’s not necessary
to have a full range of values in every painting, but if you’re using value to create a
sense of form and light then you’ll need that full range.

#3 Make your composition predominately dark or predominately light.

Avoid making a 50/50 split of the values in your composition. The relationship of
light to dark will be much more interesting if you split them at least 60/40, if not
70/30.

#4 Make sure to use three distinct values of each main color.

Avoid lightening with white and darkening with black. Instead lighten your colors
with an equally intense lighter hue and darken with an equally intense darker hue.

#5 Use high contrast in value to create a definite, strong focal point.

The human eye is drawn to difference and contrast in the midst of similarity. It’s part

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