24d • General discussion
VISUAL LANGUAGE FUNDAMENTALS: THE 2-MINUTE VALUE STUDY
"If you get the values right, you can get the colors completely wrong and the composition will still hold together."
THE BIOLOGY OF SEEING
Before you touch a pencil or a camera, you have to understand how the human eye is wired.
The human eye contains roughly 6 to 7 million cone cells, which are responsible for color vision and fine detail in bright light. However, we have over 100 million rod cells, which are responsible for seeing light and dark.
Because of this massive biological imbalance, humans process Value (Lights, Midtones, and Darks) first, and far more accurately than we process color. Value is the most accurate tool you possess for controlling exactly where your viewer looks.
THE GRAND TRADITION
The masters didn't just understand this biological quirk; they weaponized it to create specific emotional responses. Observe how they manipulated value:
- Rembrandt: Used sharp, extreme value contrasts to create intense drama and focus.
- Da Vinci: Revolutionized three-dimensional volume and sophistication with chiaroscuro (light/dark contrast) and his soft-focus sfumato.
- El Greco: Manipulated value to create spiritual, otherworldly atmospheres.
- J.M.W. Turner: Controlled value to paint dense, heavy, atmospheric environments.
- Monet: Used high-key (lighter) values to capture bright, cheerful, and fleeting sunlight.
THE EXERCISE: THE 2-MINUTE DRILL
Training your eyes to see in value first is paramount. It is more important than drawing, color, or any other element of design.
This exercise is designed to be fast, cheap, and repeatable. Do this daily until everything you look at is evaluated in terms of light and dark.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
- 3 Prismacolor Markers: 1 Black, 1 Mid-Grey, 1 Light-Grey.
- 1 Pad of Tracing Paper.
- Reference Material: High-contrast Black and White photography. (Vintage 1940s-1960s Hollywood movie star portraits are perfect for this).
- A Timer.
THE PROCESS:
- PREP: Lay a sheet of tracing paper over your black-and-white reference photo.
- THE CLOCK: Set your timer for exactly 2 Minutes. You must work fast to prevent your brain from over-analyzing details.
- THE SQUINT: Squint your eyes. This blurs the fine details (like eyelashes or texture) and forces your eyes to only see the major pools of light and shadow.
- BLOCK THE DARKS: Using your Black marker, quickly block in only the darkest shadows.
- FIND THE MIDS: Switch to your Mid-Grey marker. Block in the transitional midtone shapes.
- THE BLEND: Use your Light-Grey marker to smudge the transitions and hit the lighter areas, leaving the raw paper for your absolute brightest highlights.
STOP WHEN THE TIMER RINGS. ### THE ASSIGNMENT
Your goal is not to create a beautiful, detailed drawing. Your goal is to train your brain to identify the abstract shapes of light and dark that make up a recognizable image.
Take 10 minutes a day to do five of these 2-minute studies. Note: The studies you see attached to this lesson were done in 1997. They took two minutes each. They also got me hired for my first full-time Graphic Design job because the Creative Director recognized that I actually knew how to see.
ACTION ITEM: Complete three 2-minute value studies today. Snap a photo of your tracing paper and post it in the community comments below.
THE GEAR LIST (AND WHERE TO GET IT)
You do not need to spend a fortune to master this. Here is exactly what you need to get started today:
1. The Markers (Prismacolor Premier Double-Ended Art Markers) I recommend the "Cool Grey" spectrum because it provides a very clean, neutral value scale without the brownish tint of warm greys or the bluish tint of French greys.
- The Dark: Black (PM98) - [Find it on Blick Art Materials or Amazon]
- The Midtone: Cool Grey 50% (PM112) - [Find it on Blick Art Materials or Amazon]
- The Light: Cool Grey 20% (PM110) - [Find it on Blick Art Materials or Amazon]
2. The Tracing Paper You want something with a smooth surface that won't immediately bleed out your markers.
- Strathmore 300 Series Tracing Pad (9"x12") - [Find it on Blick Art Materials or Amazon]
3. The Reference Material You need high-contrast Black and White photography. Vintage 1940s-1960s Hollywood movie star portraits, classic film noir stills, or high-contrast street photography are perfect for this.
- Digital Reference: Pinterest is a great free resource—just search "George Hurrell Hollywood Portraits" or "Film Noir Stills."
- Physical Reference (The Best Way): There is something about working from a physical print. You can hunt down original vintage 8x10 studio stills on eBay for just a few bucks, or grab a used photography book like Hollywood Glamor Portraits.
THE PROCESS:
- PREP: Lay a sheet of tracing paper over your black-and-white reference photo. (...continue with the rest of the original process steps...)
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VISUAL LANGUAGE FUNDAMENTALS: THE 2-MINUTE VALUE STUDY
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