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Grayscale and Tonal Values

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Grayscales and Tonal Values in Painting

The hardest parts for beginning landscape paintings are:

1. establishing the composition,

2. identifying tonal values, and

3. creating interesting shapes.

Starting with the grayscale and applying it to your preliminary sketches is probably the easiest way to get ideas down that you can easily manipulate to your satisfaction.

If you have photo-editing software that enables you to alter photos, that is the good place to start.

Although, the initial sections of this article relates to landscapes, the technique can be used in any painting if it makes it easier for you to plan.

Contents at a Glance

What is the Grayscale?
Converting Your Photo to Grayscale
Drawing in the Three Value Areas
Revising the Tonal Shapes.
Converting Grayscale Values to Color Ton...
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For clarity, the grayscale we will be using consists of ten gray tonal values ranging from #1: White, to # 10: Black.0

There are scales that have more levels and scales that look at Black as # 1.

Check the reference scale you are using so you don't get confused with the explanation that follow.

Converting Your Photo to Grayscale

Taking the photo in the introduction, I went into my photo-editing program and changed the picture to the grayscale version of it. In my software, I clicked on "Image", then "Mode" and then "Grayscale.

This is different then the "De-saturation" feature found in some software. If that is your only choice, however, it gives similar results.

Look at this picture and the grayscale and identify groupings of

Light tonal values (#2 and 3),

Mid tonal values (#4 and 5), and

Dark tonal values (#6 and 7).

I've decided that the sky would be light, the tree on the right would be dark and everything else would be mid tonal values.

Don't panic by saying "But there are mid and light values in the tree on the right." That is OK. This is just a guide for laying out your painting. Those other values will be added in as you actually do the painting.

Drawing in the Three Value Areas

Either sketch the value areas on you sketch pad, or create a new layer over the grayed photo and draw in the shapes of the three areas. This is my initial drawing. It helps me look at the shapes of the tonal areas.

The dark area on the right is very distracting to me with all the finger-like projections and essentially straight overall line separating it from the two other values.

The two mid values are broken up by a narrow light tone. I think I would prefer to have them joined for more continuity. I find the shape of the left tree interesting, but find the line separating the distant trees from the sky pretty boring.

It is time to make some revisions to the first sketch.

Revising the Tonal Shapes.

Here I made some significant changes to the dark area.

I joined the mid values together and changed the silhouette of the trees.

In making these changes, I not only improved the flow of the dark and light areas, but look at how much more interesting the shape of the sky is.

I could make a few other minimal changes, but for now I think I'm happy with it and am ready to block in my painting. How you block in the painting or lay down color depends on what media you are using, but at least now you have a guideline of where to begin.

This method also helps to stop you from copying a photo exactly how it looks. You can focus more on achieving interest shapes, points of interest and depth by taking in environmental consideration in you tonal values.

Converting Grayscale Values to Color Tonal Values

Now that you have established the values for a given area in your painting, you can start creating the appropriate color values for each area. I know that this is easier said than done, but there are several things you can do to help.

I find that using a glass palette with a mid gray background under it, helps to establish if the color I am mixing is darker, lighter or right in the mid range. I did this by painting the bottom of my seal-able palette box with a gray paint in the #4-5 range. and then placing the clear glass over it.

Cutting a square hole in pieces of paper that are a light gray, mid gray and dark gray can be used as reference to compare mixed color values either on the palette or on the painting. Amazon has a very inexpensive gray scale and value finder that works really well that I have listed below..

There are also many books available on mixing colors that give samples of values. I find it best to make samples of the colors on your palette so you get a more accurate color.

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Looking for resources for grayscale and color tonal value tools, here are some that are available

Testing Your Tonal Values

Using my Grayscale and Value Finder, I was able to test to see if I had achieved the tonal values I wanted and alter them if needed.

In this example you can easily see that the tonal value of the violet is #3 which is just where I want it.

In this example, the leaf colors are #4 while the background is a #l or #2.

This is a good level of light/dark ratio helping the leaf to stand out from the background.

The third example shows that part of the leaf is #3, while another part of it is #4.

Using the Value Finder has made it so visibly easy to see the different color values as they compare to the grayscale.

To establish a value before you put it on the painting:

Mix a color,

Paint a small sample on a piece of scrap white canvas paper or something similar,

Place the Value Finder over it, and

Adjust the color value up or down as needed.

Tonal Values in Landscape Painting

Following the tonal value sketch from above, I mixed white and cobalt blue for the sky.

I added some orange and more blue to the next mixture for the mid tones. I checked the values with the value finder before applying the mid values."

I put the lite blue tones in for the sky.

Next, I put the mid tones of the ground in and created the more interesting silhouette of the distant trees from my initial sketch.

I did not put the mid tones in for the trees because I want to be sure that the sky shows through the tree limbs.

I used the value finder to check the levels
and established that the sky was #2 and the foreground was #4.

I sketched in the outline of the rest of the mid-color value on the left.

On the right, I sketched in the outline of the dark values.

Here is the completed painting. As I look at it, I see that I didn't completely follow the outline of the dark values on the right. This is all right, but I could change it if I wanted.

The red line represents possible adjustments I could make.

1. It gives variety to the nearly straight alignment of the branches.

2. It also changes the alignment of the lower branches of both trees.

I would make these changes by painting over the areas I want to eliminate with titanium white and then blending in the blue of the sky so it wouldn't appear patched up.

Hope this demonstration helped. Give it a try yourself and see how it can help you in planning and completing your paintings.

About the Artist

I have been a professional artist since 1994 when I resumed painting after retiring as a physical therapist for forty years. My works are in pastels, watercolors, water-soluble oils and acrylics. Recently, I've been developing skills in computer art and combining the paintings in a mixed-media format with regular acrylics.

For 15 years, I marketed my paintings mainly through art fairs and was successful at it. When the economy started to take a downward turn I reduced the number of shows I did, eliminating the less profitable ones. My health also took a turn so I had to stop doing shows. Now I market prints of my paintings over the internet at judy-filarecki.artistwebsites.com

I originally started out painting birds, but have started doing more landscapes for the past several years. I spend half the year in northern New York and the other half in southern Arizona, so I have a wide variety of subjects to choose from. Driving back and forth twice each year, also gives me opportunities from across the United States.

I also spend time writing and teaching art. I have an educational website for artists at filarecki.com and am active in a forum for people using water-soluble oils. You can view the forum at watersolubleoils.forumotion.com

Check out my Blog

Reply

CarlArmes Mar 22, 2012 @ 6:52 am | delete

Thank you for this Lens, it has reminded me about information I had completely forgotten, about the use of grey scale in pictures and how it gives a picture depth.

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Judy_Filarecki Mar 22, 2012 @ 11:49 am | delete

i'm glad you found it helpful. I frequently have to remind myself to use it, and when I do , it really helps.

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SimplyTonjia Jan 30, 2012 @ 11:06 pm | delete

Nicely done lens on an important aspect of art. Thank you.

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Judy_Filarecki Jan 31, 2012 @ 7:55 pm | delete

Thanks Tonjia

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WordCustard Oct 2, 2011 @ 2:11 pm | delete

This is very interesting and helpful to aspiring artists everywhere. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Judy.

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Judy_Filarecki Oct 2, 2011 @ 3:30 pm | delete

After having done this, it made me take a second look at some of my paintings and make adjusts in values. Thanks for the comments.

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cffutah Sep 30, 2011 @ 6:42 pm | delete

great start to your lens! Enjoyed the photos the best. If you like to browse lens as I do, mine has a great educational topic with poll questions for my readers to enjoy.