maintaining a strong value structure

A strong value structure is possibly the most important part of a painting. A painting with a strong value structure has large, clearly defined areas of the major values, while a weaker painting may have small shapes of many values scattered throughout. Before painting, make a thumbnail sketch to identify just three to five values in large shapes; this sketch will help you maintain a strong value structure. As you develop the painting, you may break these large shapes into smaller shapes of closely related values, but the strong structure at the beginning will help prevent the values from being scattered throughout the composition.

If you’re working on sanded paper or a heavily textured surface, you can draw your composition onto the paper with extra-soft vine charcoal, using the charcoal to identify the major values. Because the darkest applications of charcoal will be in the area where the darkest pastels will be applied, you don’t have to worry about the charcoal muddying the pastels. Let your paper be the lightest values, and when you have completed your charcoal sketch, step back to see if you have a pleasing balance of values, and if they group together to create large shapes of similar values. If so, proceed to your painting. (If you’re working on a less-toothy surface than sandpaper, give the charcoal a light application of fixative.)

If you work on a toned surface of a middle value, you can use your charcoal for the darkest values, and a light application of a light value pastel (a NuPastel would work well, since it won’t fill the tooth) for the lighter values. Let the paper stand for the middle value. This will give you a clear value structure to follow as you begin the painting.

As you begin to apply pastel to paper, it’s helpful to identify the lightest and darkest value you see in the composition. Choose a pastel to represent each of those values and place a mark of each in an appropriate area of light or dark. Leave the pastels out on your “working palette” (those pastels you’re using in the painting) and compare subsequent sticks as you select them, ensuring that no other value will be lighter than the lightest light you’ve identified, or darker than the darkest dark.

simple value sketch on white paper
A charcoal drawing on white Wallis Sanded Pastel Paper shows a simple value structure. The darkest dark values are in the group of pine trees in the foreground right and the single pine in the foreground left. The next darkest dark values are the foreground bushes and grasses, and the trees in the middle distance. The lightest light is the sky, with the next lightest lights in the two distant mountain ranges and the river. Middle values are used for the plains surrounding the river. Following this value structure as the painting progresses will keep the values clear and simple.

use a neutral tone for middle values
This sketch shows a simple value structure, with the neutral beige color of the paper used for middle values. Like the sketch on white paper, the darkest darks are sketched in with charcoal, but in addition the very lightest lights are indicated with two values of light gray.

halftone areas
Keep in mind that the progression from dark to light includes halftone areas. If you’ve taken any art classes, you probably remember the exercise of drawing a simple cylinder. The cylinder was lightest in value on the side closest to the light, and darkest on the side farthest from the light source. In between those values, there is a progression that moves in each direction to the halftone—an area that is pretty much half dark and half light. That progression from light to halftone to dark described the shape of the cylinder, and can also describe rounded objects such as arms, tree branches or even mountains.

color definitions

• Value is the relative lightness or darkness of an object. In a black-and-white photograph, you can see what objects are lighter or darker than others. A value scale is a visual aid to determine value, which is much harder to see in color. Usually these scales (available at art supply stores) are in ten steps, with black being Value 1 and white being Value 10. (See the importance of value)

• Color temperature refers to the warm or cool characteristics of a color. In general, reds and yellows are warm, and blues are cool. However, more subtle colors may appear warm or cool depending on the surrounding colors. In a predominantly red-yellow painting, purple may appear cool, while in a predominantly blue area, the red pigment in the purple may make it appear warm next to the blues. In general, cool colors recede, and warm colors come forward.

• Local color describes the actual color of an object. For instance, the local color of foliage is generally green. The highlights could be yellow-green, and the shadows blue-green.

cast shadows
Don’t confuse the value of the shadowed side of an object with a cast shadow. The value of a cast shadow is darkest closest to the object that casts it, but rarely darker than the shadowed side of the object. As the shadow moves away from the object casting it, it diffuses and becomes lighter in value. Careful observation of the values of shadows and cast shadows will help you describe them accurately in your paintings.