Most artists begin their fundamentals through drawing, especially those who have been formally trained. Drawing, being such a simplified medium, makes it easier to learn and refine the basic elements of art. Developing a good set of values that spans from dark to light is one of the key elements of art. When working in pencil or charcoal, it is easier to recognize the scale of values because of the monochromatic qualities of drawing.
Variety
Establishing a nice variety of values within an oil painting is just as important. However, the added element of hue and the possibilities within it, make it harder for the novice painter to discern different values among changing colors. This is because certain colors have intrinsic values different than others. For example, red tends to have a lighter value than blue, even if in the same concentration. As a demonstration, I suggest printing out this article on a black and white printer, to notice the red and blue squares in the figure above appear as two different shades or values in black and white. This is because, although they are the same shade hue (i.e., primary color with no black or white tint), the hues themselves have a different value. As you can see, it is difficult to discern the difference while they are in color, versus black and white.
Simplify
Perhaps you are a painter at heart, like I am, and would prefer not to waste precious painting time by practicing shades and values with pencil or charcoal. If you would like to refine your understanding of values through painting, all you need to do is simplify. In as much as it is easier to discern different values in pencil because of the elimination of color, it too is easier to learn the same while oil painting just by simplifying the palette to a monochromatic one. Moreover, a neutral color works best. I have found that the best oil colour to teach the basics of color value is Burnt Sienna.
Burnt Sienna
Burnt Sienna is a warm tinted brown color. It is available from every oil paint manufacturer and considered one of the basic colours for every palette. It's value in its true form, straight from the tube, is right in the middle of the scale from dark to light. It is transparent and tints easily with black and white, making it ideal for shading. A palette using only Burnt Sienna with just a small amount of black and white will allow a greater understanding of the subtle value of color.
Go To Page: 1 2
