Archive for November 10th, 2009
Value: The Second Dimension of Color
The second dimension of color is value. Value is the most important dimension for any artist working in color. Errors made in hue or intensity are much less serious than errors made in value.
The value of a color refers only to the lightness or darkness of a color. If we lighten the pure color by adding white, the result is called a tint. If we darken a color by adding black, the result is called a shade. In neither case did we change the hue, only the value.
In landscape paintings, the artist must recognize value differences in the subject and properly interpret them using the colors on the palette. The dark of some landscapes is much darker than the black of the palette, whereas, the reflection of light on a metal is many times lighter than the white.