No doubt you have heard the word "value" thrown around among artists regarding artwork. However, do you know exactly what the word "value" means?

Value is a very important element of art.

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we’ll take a look at the importance of value

What is Value?

Value is one of the seven elements of art. It can be defined as the darkness or lightness of a color. The relationship between darks and lights on and around objects affects how our minds perceive these objects.

Value can be measured through the use of a value scale. Light values are referred to as “tints”, while dark values are referred to as “shades”.

How value manifests in a drawing… The placement of dark values (shades) and light values (tints) creates the illusion of light and form in a drawing. Tints are typically used for highlights and shades are typically used for shadows.

The Arrangement of Values

The arrangement of values on and around objects is what informs the viewer of the light within the scene and the form of the objects within. These areas can be defined by specific names.

Highlight - area on an object where light is hitting directly. This area is typically indicated using the lightest values of a color.

Midtone - area of middle value

Core Shadow - area of shadow on the object. This area is typically indicated by the shades of the color.

Reflected Highlight - area on the object where light has reflected off of surrounding objects onto the surface.

Cast Shadow - area of shadow cast on surrounding objects.