Value, form and depth.

[dile]

yepp, been browsing the forum for a while, and been giving some quick tips on value and form...
I haven't gone into deep detail with anyone.. and neither have I had the time to do so either..
So I thought I'd write up a quick 'walk-through' on how I use value, and how
I believe using values will help someone read your piece.

So here is some notes on Value, form and Depth! :]]

Let me start out with this black and white thumbnail I sketched up a few days ago
here is the 'step by step .gif' for it.


few things about it that is worth remembering for everything you're doing.

-Don't use the same range of values for the head as for the feets.
Because
* The lighting is -most likely- not as intense where the feets are , as where the head is.
* Unless you wanna drag a lot of attention to the feet, doing so will take a lot of attention away from what you _actually_ wanna show
- Use values close to each other to define form in 'less important areas'
And use contrast and hard edgy value work to define forms in light areas where there is a lot of important information.

those are some of the things I think about while doing quick sketches..
other good things to keep on mind is

-Never let your darkest and your lightest value meet, unless for a very desired effect, ( You can say that for anything, cause once you know the rules, you're free to break them. )
- Keep your light values in the light, and your dark values in the dark. Decide what your dark is like, and never use your darks in the light. This will help you if you want to maintain any sort of realism in your images.
- Use value to show your eyes around.
- Use darks in foreground and lights in the background.. often helps to display depth and the feeling of 'looking into' a scene.. often relies on good value balance..
- Value Balance.. Try not to 'bore the eye' with bit flat areas.. unless its a black-wood-stove-in-a-dark-room-with-no-windows-in-the-middle-of-the-night there should always be some sort of value changes, will help with depth and form too.

_ using value in composition

1a
Heres a *very small* image from photoshop... If someone understands what to look at. Good for you.. :] Cause I wouldn't get it


1b
Here is the same 'variant' but with composition from value in mind


_This tutorial is a work in progress.

PLEASE feel free to add, discuss and experiment with these notes so that I can develop those notes for you with appropriate and useful information too.

[Toniko]

Why didn't I spot this earlier, this is good stuff!

[tribute27]

Wow, thanks! This helps a lot!

[udsahn]

There's some good insight in this thread. Unfortunately the graphic no longer shows up (I imagine something to do with the original host, blegh XD). I might add that value (or what could also be called shading) is a gradual thing (as was seen in the image before).

Using value shapes (or flat planes of one value shade) at the start of adding light to a drawing, scene, composition, ect. I find to have always been the best way to start adding lighting. Keep in mind, shading in many aspects is the same thing as what one would call 'lighting'--the only difference is that shading is how something appears when rendered on paper rather than the actual light that's bouncing onto the object. I.E. when we draw using value to define form we are 'shading'--hence shading is the act of rendering values (I've talked with some who have had issues with me using the term shading, so I figured I'd specify ).

I can't stress how important it is to study lighting in all its forms from life. Even if you can't get out and draw something, find an object (any will do, even a single box is good) and illuminate it using some lamps. This is what is called 'still life' which is different from 'life drawing' which is where one draws humans or living creatures for instance.

Once you light the object, find a good angle that looks good. For practice, any angle does fine. Some still life drawings sometimes will have angles that are more difficult to draw. These are usually best for challenging yourself.

First build a basic drawing, and then use shapes of one value at the start. Usually start angular with them in appearance and next to the final stages render them closer to reality. If you ever have problems seeing the actual value, simply squint your eyes. Doing so seems to increase the value contrast and makes the extremely bright and dark places stick out.

To finalize this post, I offer my suggestions on a basic still life setup.

My suggestions on getting a still life setup:

2 lamps (whether the desk lamp spot light or a lamp with a lamp shade will do)
1 white or very bright cloth
2 flat surfaces (I'll explain on this in a bit)
1 or more objects

What I mean by a 'flat surface' is a surface to place your still life objects onto. For instance, I use both my dresser and a small table I have set up in front of it. I drape the cloth over the dresser and let it fall onto the small table thus giving me a bright backing (this makes it easier to see the object). I then place the object to be lit on top of the cloth over the small table.

Suggestions on lighting subjects:

Point one of your lights toward a wall, and the other light directed towards the object. This is so that the light hitting the wall creates a gentle amount of bounce light (or reflected light if you prefer) while the other light will produce cast shadow and highlight.

Lastly, experiment! Don't use the same positions, lighting positions, or sometimes even the same lights. I have three lights for instance; two desk lamp spot lights, and one 3-stage light that creates a warm bounce light. The possibilities are just about endless so long as you use different lighting setups and objects (since any will do).