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bright or dark?

Tone is how bright or dark a colour appears. We sometimes call this the value of a colour.

a feeling of distance

You can use tone to create a feeling of distance.

Look at how these images give the illusion of depth because the colours get less intense – have a lower value -the further away an object is.

Image credit: Horatio McCulloch (1805-1867) / Sergey Pesterev on Unsplash

In this video artist Bob Davis explains how painters do this:

Understanding Tonal Value Contrast video thumb

Elements of Art

You can use tone to create a feeling of distance. We also sometimes talk about colours looking warm or cool. This is because the higher the value, the stronger a colour. A bright red looks ‘hotter’ than a dull red. And a lighter blue looks cooler than a dark blue.

Element of Art Explained in 6 minutes video thumb

Look at these images. What colour is skin?

Although the skin may be the same colour, it has lots of different tones made by the light falling on it. If you look at a black and white photo you can see the tones without the colours.

Image credit: Anna Shvets from Pexels / Luca Pellegrini on Unsplash

YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT …

Look at this sketch of a corridor with arches and steps.

Can you see that it is possible to create a fantastic picture using just black and white to create shades of grey. That’s tone.

Your Task

Drawing in 3D

Get yourself a pencil and a piece of paper and find something white to draw. Perhaps a candle or a mug or a plate. Now put it against a white background – like a wall or another sheet of paper.

Now draw the object. You’ll have to focus only on the lights and darks – the values and tones. Look at the shadows. Look at where the light is coming from. It will make your drawing look 3D.