Weekly Exercise - Values Alter Shapes

Changing Values ... Changes Shapes

The importance of choosing the value of a shape can't be ignored. Color is both seductive and deceptive.  Being aware that even slight alterations of value can either diminish or strengthen the mood of a painting could make the difference between creating a painting that expresses your experience ... or doesn't.  Here is another valuable exercise from my old, lesson plan book.

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You will need twelve small pieces of paper of the exact same si e.  Mine were 3" x 3.5".

Step One:  On the first piece of paper, invent either a simple landscape, still life or abstract using only two basic, compositional shapes.  On the second piece of paper, repeat the two shapes and add a third.  On the third piece of paper, add a fourth shape.  On the fourth piece of paper, add a fifth shape. (Illustrated above - the column on the far right)

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Step Two:  (Illustrated above - center column) Repeat the compositional shapes.  With a soft pencil, make one of the two shapes as dark as possible.  Make that same shape as dark as possible on the other three pieces of paper.  With each added shape, create a new value.  The fourth drawing should have all five shapes, each a different value. One of the shapes should remain white.

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Step Three -Moon shape and sky shape are the same value in this drawing.

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Step Three: (Left column of top image) On the last four sheets of paper, draw the five basic shapes very lightly.  As you did in Step Two, make the same shape as dark as possible on all four sheets.  On the first of the group, make the other four shapes as light a value as possible, but make all of them the same value.  Repeat on the second of the group, then choose on of the light gray shapes and make it darker (a value midway between our light gray and your darkest dark).  Repeat on the third of the group, then choose one of the remaining light gray shapes and shade it a value between your mid-value and your dark value. On the last sheet, shade the shapes as close to the last sheet of the second series as you can.  The difference between these two sheets will be that you will not leave a shape white in the last series as you did in the second series.  The shape will be a very light value, but not as light as white.

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Observe the differences between the drawings.  Focus on the subtle differences between values of neighboring shapes the next time you stand before your easel.

 
Weekly Exercise - Values Alter Shapes