Design Elements Form & Value

To understand and apply the designelements Form & Value.

Form

• Form describes volume and mass, or the three-dimensional aspects of objects that take up space.

• Forms can and should be viewed from many angles.

• When you hold a baseball, shoe, or small sculpture, you are aware of their curves, angles, indentations, extensions, and edges - their forms.

Form

• Shape is only two-dimensional; form is three-dimensional.

• You can hold a form; walk around a form and in some cases walk inside a form.

• In drawing or painting using value can imply form. Shading a circle in a certain manner can turn it into a sphere.

Value

• Value is the range of lightness and darkness within a picture.

• Value is created by a light source that shines on an object creating highlights and shadows. It also illuminates the local or actual color of the subject.

• Value creates depth within a picture making an object look three dimensional with highlights and cast shadows, or in a landscape where it gets lighter in value as it recedes to the background giving the illusion of depth.

Categories of Values• Tint is adding white to color paint to create lighter

values such as light blue or pink. • Shade is adding black to paint to create dark values such

as dark blue or dark red.• High-Key is where the picture is all light values.• Low-Key is where the picture is all dark values. • Value Contrast is where light values are placed next to

dark values to create contrast or strong differences.• Value Scale is a scale that shows the gradual change in

value from its lightest value, white to its darkest value black.

Value - relative light and darkness

• The overall lightness and lack of contrast in the top image conveys a sense of spirituality and harmony between the tree and the circular sky. The dramatic mood of the other work by Gustave Dore is created, in large part, by the high contrast of light and dark.

The Five Elements of Shading

• To draw realistically, you must fully understand how lighting affects an object. There are five elements of shading that are essential to realistically depicting an object’s form. With any of these elements missing, your work will appear flat.

1. Cast Shadow

• This is the darkest tone found on your drawing. It is always opposite the light source. In the case of the sphere, it is found underneath where the sphere meets the paper. This area is void of light because, as he sphere protrudes, it blocks light and casts a shadow.

2. Shadow Edge

• This dark gray tone can be found in the area called the shadow edge. This area is where the sphere is turning back away from you.

3. Halftone

• This is a mid-gray. It’s the area of the sphere that’s in neither direct light nor shadows.

4. Reflected Light

• This is a little gray. Reflected light is always found along the edge of an object and separates the darkness of the shadow edge from the darkness of the cast shadow.

5. Full Light

• This is the white area, and it’s the strongest point where the light source is hitting the sphere.

Contrasting Edges Indicate Shading• In order to indicate a light

edge of an object, you must place it against a dark background. As you can see in the sphere, the darker background makes the entire drawing seem less intense. The tones of the sphere seem subtler in contrast. Notice how there is no discernable outline around there sphere. All you see is tone against tone, which creates the edges.

InstructionsPART 1Read about The Five Elements of

Shading. 1 Using pencil on a plain white sheet of

paper, reproduce the chart you see above with two columns.

1 In the left column, draw these flat shapes with no value except the outline: circle, square, triangle, rectangle.

2 In the right column, draw these related forms in a range of value (shade them): sphere, cube, cone, cylinder.

3 Label each shape and form as I have.

Shapez Form

Circle Sphere

Square Cube

Triangle Cone

Rectangle Cylinder

InstructionsPART 21 On the back of your paper, create a simple scene using each of these shaded

forms.1 Fill the page - no tiny drawings!2 Transform the forms into real items. For example, the sphere can become a

sports ball. The cone and sphere together can become an ice-cream cone. The cylinder can become a soda can. The cube can be a television set.

3 Get creative! Find a way all four forms can work in a single scene.4 Add more forms to complete the scene if you like.5 Color the scene in colored pencil if you like (markers or crayons can ruin subtle

shading)2 You'll be graded on time, effort and creativity.