Which is more important in your Painting: Colour or Value?? - Painting & Drawing Tips

I have often heard experienced artists say "Colour is not important as long as the VALUE is right"

How can that be?

Being a realist painter I felt that was blasphemy!!  

TINKA - Commission - Easier to see Value when working in Black & White

Being a Realistic Painter, it seemed to me, getting the colour right was very important.  Sometime it would take forever to find just the right colour to tell my story.  I would fret and stew over my photo references hoping they were just 'right' so I could match the colours to it.   

All that has changed for me. . .

I now know what they mean.  I have seen the light.  Really, I ask you "What is the true colour of anything?"  Is grass really green? Is the sky blue?  No, I don't mean to mince words to confuse.  The colour of things is very much about what is happening around it:

1.  Is the object in direct sunlight?

2.  Is it in shadow?

3.  What is next to it?

4.  What colour is the reflected light?

What colour is an ORANGE?  

What colour is an orange?

As you can see the orange has many colours depending on how the light hits it.  Its local colour moves from almost white to black. It journeys through yellow, reds, oranges, purples and finally black in the deep shadows.  Also in the mix is the reflected light off the surrounding area and its affect on the 'orange' colour.  

Reflected light also has a huge effect on local colour.  

Sketchbook Work: Lighthouse at Amphitrite Point, Ucluelet, BC 

This little sketch really opened my eyes to the whole Colour vs Value discussion.  I had challenged myself to paint the rocks with a different colour, one I would not have normally used. I went off in a world of pinks and purples.  I soon realized that I needed those colours in other places: the water, the sky, the trees and bushes.  Even the 'white' lighthouse would have to have a hint of pink/purple.  Suddenly, everything made sense.  This wasn't some kind of bizaar landscape with unreal colour.  This was a coastline bathed in the sunset reds and purples.  It was 'realistic'!!  

Lighthouse at Amphitrite Point, Ucluelet, BC in Black & White

When you switched my sketch to black and white and really looked at the values, more things became quite clear. The value pattern I had developed gave my sketch depth and mass. Even a touch of drama. The colours created the mood.  The sense of realism is not lost.  

Values can change everything.

They can emphasis an area or mute it. They can create mass or leave things feeling flat. Create eye catching movement or leave things in the doldrums. 

 

TINKA - WIP - Lights and darks are blocked in but need subtle taming. 

Note my picture of Tinka above.  She is not quite finished.  I have blocked in her value pattern and I can see she looks like a nice cat.  But subtle things need to change.  Compare her to the final picture at the top of this post.

- darken the fur on the sides of her face give it a rounder look.  Making her appear younger. 

- blending of the values on her head and brings them together, they are not as prominent.  This is a more natural look

- subtle darkening of the values on her face also makes the white around her mouth area stand out. Note the white lines around the eyes now read as white but not as white as the white around her mouth.  As they should.  

- Overall value change to the body keeps the folds in the fur but gives it a richer more supple look.  

The effects of value changes is often easier to see when dealing with black and white.  It is however, pretty dramatic in colour as well.  Being aware of the value of each of your colours helps you keep in  control. See post: Values and Colour in Action for more discussion on the value of each colour.  

Values and Colour - Do you find them a challenge?  

Further Reading:

Playing with Light, Shadows and Values - includes VIDEO Support Get Those Values Right and FREE Downloadable Mushroom Activity Sheet to work on Light, Shadow and Values.  

Values and Colours in Action - discussion on the Values that Colour have.  

A Full list of all my videos and links to their supporting PDF's is on my Website - Workshops - Videos by Wendy Mould.  

Happy Drawing!

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Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy