Creating Value

The objective of these two projects were to learn how to use value and apply it to our artwork. The first project was a value scale practice that helped us learn how to shade and how dark and light to make certain areas and how to make the shading look smooth and natural. The second project was a self-portrait where I used the full value scale to re-create a picture I had taken of my face, adding a little color in the lens of the sunglasses.

The first project didn't take very long to complete, but I did spend a lot of time on the self-portrait. For the value strip, I started off dark, then slowly went light and used a tortillan to make it look more smooth. With the self-portrait I started in the top right corner and lightly outlined certain areas in the grid wear spcertain features/shades would go. Then, moving from the top right diagonally I shaded and used a tortillan to make the whole piece look smoother. Using selective color, I made everything but the lens reflecting clouds on the sunglasses black and white.

The picture that I chose of me was the only one I was really comfortable choosing because it has a large value in it and it wasn't a picture that I just took in the hallway really fast because I needed one. I took the picture at my camp, with my friend Amela, and it's one of my favorites because it was during one of the most fun and present vacations in my mind. I chose to reflect the sunglasses in color (not only because Mrs. Medsker suggested it) but also because it was really an interesting color to shade because the lenses were tinted, causing the clouds and sky to look more dark purple/red.