Values
by Armand Cabrera
I believe value to be more important to the success of
a painting than the actual color used. While we can key
a painting’s value to use a limited part of the
total value scale, we cannot manipulate values in the
same way that we can manipulate color. All good paintings
start with good value plans. This arrangement is what
gives strength to your paintings.
The Value Scale
The value scale is the scale that we are limited to in
pigment between black and white. While we can divide the
scale into as many steps as we want, usually it is divided
into ten steps or less. I divide this scale from 0 (black)
to 9 (white).
When creating a value plan it is better to let one value
dominate. The other three values, in total, should make
up an uneven division of space, less than the dominant
value.
Theses examples show a few of the possibilities:
The amount of variety is infinite once you start modeling
the large masses and manipulate edges to soften or harden
shapes. Remember---the strength of a painting comes from
its organization and a unifying idea. It is the way you
manipulate reality to get that idea across. Value, more
than color, helps you achieve this.
