VALUE - The use of light and dark in a painting - is the most neglected element in amatuer paintings. I saved this subject for last because it is the most important.
One may create beautiful paintings using only various amounts of white, greys and black.
White is the brightest light we see and Black is the absolute darkest dark we can imagine.
It is enough if artists use only three - Dark, Middle and Light - values in their paintings. Too often artists are concerned with painting objects and forget to paint the lights and the darks.
Interesting patterns of a variety of three values will reward the painter with more interestng paintings.
VALUE . . .
From Tony Couch, "Watercolor: You Can Do It!" Copyright 1987
