MODULE 8 - Lesson 7 & Lesson 8

VALUE and COLOR

LEARNING OUTCOME

• Demonstrate understanding of element of arts.

• Recognize and evaluate basic elements.
• Produce creative artwork that demonstrate the elements of arts.

LESSON PROPER

Introduction:

How to define hue, value and intensity.

How artists vary hue, value and intensity to create many different effects in artwork.

How to recognize and discuss artworks that use value and color to show mood or emotion,

Differences between the basis color schemes.

Objects reflect light. That is what allows us to see them. In a cave or in a room without lights
or windows, what can you see? Probably not very much. But in your everyday life, and in art,
you see thousands of objects, and they all have value and color.

VALUE, the range of light and dark in artwork. A value scale shows you nine steps in the
value progression from white (the lightest value) to black (the darkest value). One way artists use
values is to help them make objects look solid. Using dark and light values in this way is called
shading. The technical term for this is chiaroscuro. Shading can also be used to create mood in
artwork.

Color is a property of light. When a beam of light passes through a prism, the light divides
into the seven colors of the rainbow, also called the spectrum. We use a color wheel to show the
spectrum colors.

Color has three dimensions: hue, value, and intensity. Hue identifies a color, tells you what it
is. Red, yellow and blue are the primary hues on the color wheel. Orange, green, and violet are
the secondary hues. Intermediate hues lie between the primary and secondary colors on the
wheel: they are yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, red-violet, and red-orange.
Complementary hues are directly opposite each other on the color wheel: red and green are
complementary colors, as orange and blue also.

You have already learned about value, the lightness or darkness of a color. Color values can
be changed by adding white or black to the color. Lighter values of a color are called tints.
Darker values are called shades. Paintings that make of tints and shades of just one color are
called monochromatic.

Intensity is the brightness or dullness of a color, also called its saturation. We see low-
intensity colors as dull; high-intensity colors are considered bright. Mixing a color with its
complement results in a duller color, while colors straight from the bottle or tube tend to be
bright.
 Colors are affected by other colors placed on top of them or near them. A color’ hue, value,
or intensity can be affected by colors nearby. These effects are called color interactions.

Colors that create satisfying or startling effects when placed together are called color
harmonies, or color schemes. There are many different color schemes that artist can use. Each
scheme can create a particular visual effect.

Colors create powerful reactions in people, so artists use them to help express ideas and
feelings. Warm colors such as red, orange, and yellow, make us think of hot things like the sun
and fire. Blue, green, and violet-the cool colors – remind us of cool things, such as leafy trees,
cool water, and shade.

LIGHT and DARK, VALUE

Without light we could not see lines, shapes, forms, or any objects. In fact, unless it is a
source of light itself, an object is visible only to the extent that it reflects light.

In artwork, the range of light and dark (seen under normal light conditions) is known as
value. Typically, values are represented on a nine-step scale. White is at one extreme and black
is at the other.

The lightness or darkness of a particular value is relative, depending on its context. In

other words it is or dark in comparison to its surroundings.

The amount of reflected light can make the value of an object seem lighter or darker. You
see the cue ball as being very light-either white or off-white. Now, cover the right half of the ball
with your hand. You see that the left half of the form is not very light (or white) at all. Reflected
light causes the difference in value between the right and left halves of the ball. In this case the
reflection is stronger on the right.

Artists often take reflected light into consideration when they want a form to look solid.
The artist made the polyhedron look three-dimensional by making some surfaces darker than
others. Using lighter and darker values to make something look three-dimensional is called
shading. The technical term is chiaroscuro, an Italian word that literally means “light-dark.”

Color Interactions

Color rarely appear in isolation. They are affected by other colors. A particular color can
look different when placed side by side with, or on top of, another color. Its hue, value or
intensity can be affected, depending on the combination.

Hue Interaction A patch of yellow-orange appears more orange on top of a square of yellow.
On top of a square, it appears more yellow.

Value Interaction A light- colored square appears darker on a light background than it does on a
dark background.

Intensity Interaction A medium bright blue will appear brighter on top of a neutral than it does
on top of a bright blue.

Color Harmonies

Color harmonies are combinations of colors that are considered satisfying, or that produce
certain effects.

Triad harmonies consist of three equidistant hues on the color wheel.

Analogous harmonies consist of adjacent hues on the color wheel, for example: yellow, yellow-
green, green and blue-green.

Monochromatic combinations consist of tints and shades of a single hue. Because all the colors
are the same hue, they go together very well.

Artists are aware of the power of color-whether they have read the research or not. Reds,
oranges, and yellows (the colors on the left side of the wheel) are considered warm colors.
Blues, greens, and violets (the colors on the right) are considered cool colors.
Describe What You See

• What style does the work belong to?

• What colors are evident? Are they bright, dull, contrasting? What is the dominant color?
• Describe the plant forms. Are they true to life?
• Where do you see fantastic or imaginary forms/

Analyze the Way It’s Organized

• How does color contribute to the unity of this artwork?

• Where do you see a complementary color used? Where is dull green used?
• What is the dominant arrangement of forms in the painting, and why?
• How are the mechanical forms connected? Where do the tubes go?
• In which plant forms have the strongest value contrasts been used? Which plants seem
the healthiest?
• Use the above information to explain visual movement through the painting?

Interpret What It’s Saying

• What moods or feelings do the pulsating colors in the plant forms and the glowing reds
suggest?
• What do you think the “green heart” apparatus is doing? Is it magic? Do the imaginary
organisms symbolize something?
• Write a metaphor or simile that relates to what the work is saying.
• What does the work communicate to you.

SUMMARY

This chapter is about two closely related elements: Value and color. The source of both
value and color is light.
Value refers to the range of light and dark that can be seen in a work of art. A value scale
shows this range, with white at one extreme and black at the other. An object’s surfaces
have lighter or darker values depending on the amount of light they reflect. Color is a
complicated subject. Usually, artists are involved with the colors of pigments rather than
the colors of light. Pigments absorb light rays, reflecting only the colors not absorbed.
Combining all pigments results in black, the absorption of all light rays.
Hue is the name of any color in the spectrum or color wheel. Hues can be divided into
certain groups such as primaries, secondaries, intermediates, and complementaries.
Color value is the lightness or darkness of a color. Lighter values are called tints; darker
values are shades.
Intensity describes the brightness or dullness of a color on a scale from bright to gray.
Hue, value, and intensity are affected by color interactions. Certain color combinations,
or color schemes, are often used by artists and designers.
Colors may be warm or cool. Color affects people. It is a powerful tool of expression.

Evaluation
Explain and elaborate your answer.
1. Why are we able to see objects?
2. Explain how artists use value to make objects look three-dimensional.
3. What colors are you going to mix to create or produce a secondary color.
4. Produce a drawing or painting that shows chiaroscuro effects.