Value in Art

Value is defined as the relative lightness or darkness of a color. It is an important tool for artists, in the way that it defines form and creates the illusion of space. Contrast of value separates objects in space and makes a pleasing composition, while gradation of value suggests mass and contour of a surface. In the drawing above, value contrast separates the wooden figure from the background, and the sphere from the background as well, while gradation suggests the curves of the sphere's surface and of the other forms.