Element of Art: VALUE
Notes and Examples of How to Illustrate Value
Value
Value is the lightness or darkness of a color.
With the absence of color, value can be shown in stepped shades of gray.
Artists use different values to give flat, two-dimensional shapes a three-dimensional appearance.
Gradual changes in value is called shading.
Historical Example 1
Georgia O’Keefe, Drawing XIII, 1915. Charcoal on paper, 24 ½ inches X 19 inches. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Historical Example 2
Georgia O’Keefe, Stump in the Red Hills, 1940. Oil on Canvas, 30” X 24”. The Georgia O’Keefe Museum, Sante Fe, New Mexico.
Student Value Examples
Your design needs to show a smooth gradation from light to dark. 3 steps must be visible...light, medium, and dark.