Form and Value

Value is often the single most important element in paintings and drawings that allow us to see forms. In other words, it is value and the changing values in pictures that make us see not just shapes, but 3-D looking forms...Implied Forms.

In this engraving showing the interior of the Glasgow Cathedral, the artist made it look like the light in the scene is streaming in from the high windows to illuminate the rich ornamentation and decorations of the left wall. The artist’s subtle handling of values here almost makes us sense the air in the cathedral.

The values in this bar range from 0% to 100% black. It is called a gray scale. Can you point to where it is 50% black?

Here are a couple of interesting things about how ClarisWorks provides value control for graphics.

It’s hard to tell by looking, but each of these small squares of gray is a different percentage of black!

First, open a new paint document and go to Edit-Preferences. Scroll the slide bar down until COLOR shows up in the left column. Click on Color and you will see some choices come up... Click on Load Palette and a list will appear...Select 256 Grays, click on Open, then OK. When you return to your document screen, pull out the color fill palette and drop it in a convenient place on the screen. It will look like the one on the left.

By clicking on the ribbon picture on the left, you will be able to copy the image and paste it into your own paint document. Then, using the paint fill and gradient fill, you will be able to add values to the image to make it look three dimensional and shaded like the one on the right.