Drawing - Value

               Over the break I decided to spend my extra time working on improving my drawing skills. For this piece, I created something using value. “Value is simply the artistic form for light and dark” (Lauer 214). To use this technique I drew a feather, making the bottom very dark, and lighter towards the top.

              

             I started by drawing the outline of the feather and created multiple sections inside. Then I filled in the bottom and worked my way up each section, making each one lighter. I used my finger to blend out the pencil and shade the top, so it would flow smoothly. Shading and blending has always scared me, and I never thought my art skills were advanced enough to use, but trying it out really helped me develop my abilities. I found that adding shading and using different blending techniques can make a drawing more realistic and three - dimensional.

              

              Value - contrast is the relationship between areas of dark and light. Since my drawing goes from light to dark in a consecutive order, the contrast between two connecting areas is very small and considered a low-value contrast. (Lauer 214). A high value contrast example would be an area where black and white touch. The difference in these shades is extreme.

            I'm really happy I decided to try something outside of my comfort zone because I was able to learn something new to apply in the future. Now I know a technique that will allow me to create drawings that are more realistic.

Have you ever tried using value in your artwork, and if you have, do you like it?

Do you think adding light and dark elements makes a piece look more realistic?

Lauer, David A. Design Basics. third ed., Thomson Learning, 1990.