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Practicing the Art of Finding Value

~ Post by Elsa

noun: Value

1. the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.
"your support is of great value"
2. a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.
"they internalize their parents' rules and values"


verb: Value

1. estimate the monetary worth of (something).
"his estate was valued at $45,000"
2. consider (someone or something) to be important or beneficial; have a high opinion of.
"she had come to value her privacy and independence"

Value in art is defined as the relative lightness or darkness of a color. It is an important tool for the designer/artist, in the way that it defines form and creates spatial illusions. Contrast of value separates objects in space, while gradation of value suggests mass and contour of a contiguous surface.










The samples above highlight how to capture value in photographs, using strong light sources to create a broad range of light and dark areas. The drawings also show a progression in finding the shapes of the chosen objects and then a quick sketching process of separating the darkest areas from the lightest areas using pencil strokes and an eraser. These drawings could be refined with blending pencil marks as well as continuing to remove areas that should be lighter with an eraser. Working on the whole image, rather than only concentrating on one area, gives a more balanced result in representing accurately the shadows, light and the allusion of space within a drawing.

Comments

  1. I think it's interesting to see the differences in the steps you took to create the darks and lights in your drawing verses the steps I took. I love how in both of your two pieces I can tell that it's your art work - every person has their own techniques and process that is unique to them that allows for others to be able to recognize them and see their artistic character.

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    Replies
    1. This is so true! Yes, every person leaves their own mark and their own artistic character. It's what makes me appreciate the vast beauty and variety that can be found within humanity. Appreciating the differences that we see in each other is a valuable gift.

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