BobBlast 618 - "Explaining Color Value and Why It’s Important to Me"

Weekly BobBlast Issue 618 Explaining Color Value and Why It’s Important to Me Welcome Back to Another BobBlast! Are you still squinting, while looking at the values in your painting? Good—it’s the quickest way to find out if you have enough contrast in your painting. Squint your eyes and see if it all blends together. If it does, then there is not enough contrast—you have used similar values or high contrast values in your painting. High contrast values are the darkest darks and the lightest lights. Squinting is one way to determine your contrast. There are other ways of looking at your painting other than squinting! The French Impressionists realized that red stained glass used for Notre Dame’s windows had another practical use: When looking at their paintings through a small piece of red glass, they saw the contrasting values as monochromatic—without the confusion of color. In my studio, I still use a small red Plexiglas sheet to view my work. The high tech way is to photograph your painting with your Smart Phone. Switch the color to gray scale and voilá! The contrast (or lack of contrast) is easy to see. Value can establish the mood of the painting. Soft, gentle low-contrasting values can be romantic or quiet. On the other hand, bright high contrasting values can be dramatic, eye-popping or even harsh.  Most artists are aware of the value scale—when I was in art school, one of the assignments was to make a value scale chart from ten to zero of all twelve colors from the standard color wheel. It took a week—but boy, did I learn the lesson about value! Hint: Color right out of the paint tube is the darkest that color will ever be. On the value scale that is a #10. The color, when lighter reads from #10 to #1. My demo is in color, using the three primaries—red, yellow blue, plus black and white. Remember, any color right out of the tube is still a #10. Yes, even yellow! When I paint, I like to use Contrast—I like to lead the viewer's eye to the contrasting point on the painting, which can be a value of #10 next to a mid tone Value of #5 or a stark dramatic value of #1. Contrast gives your painting punch, liveliness and dimensionality.  Practice this stuff—Make your charts! Want to Work with Bob in an In-Person Workshop? We have several in-person workshops coming up! •Gallery of Hermosa, Hermosa Beach CA •Dillman’s Creative Arts, WI •Franklin Square Gallery, Southport NC •Hudson River Valley, Greenville NY Go to our workshop schedule for details. https://robertburridge.com/workshop-s... Schedule Your 2026 Mentor Workshop Today! •May 28-31, 2026 •August 6-9, 2026 - 1 spot open! •November 5-8, 2026 - 1 spot open! These workshops are in-person, Burridge Studio, Arroyo Grande, CA Contact [email protected] Burridge Studio Workshops - Paint In-Person with Bob! https://robertburridge.com/burridge-s... 3-Day Loosen Up Painting Retreat •July 17-19, 2026 3-Day Larger & Looser Abstract Painting •August 28-30, 2026 Sign Up for an Upcoming Online Workshop! •May 23-24, 2026 Abstract Acrylic Painting & Collage https://robertburridge.com/zoomin-wit... •June 4, 2026 Abstract Florals from Loose, Colorful Splatters https://robertburridge.com/zoomin-wit... •July 1-2, 2026 The Not-So-Still Life https://robertburridge.com/zoomin-wit... Upcoming Online Demos •May 19, 2026 “Constructing an Interior” •June 11, 2026 “Drawing Back into your Paintings” •July 9, 2026 “Perspective and your POV” Click here for more info and to register https://robertburridge.com/monthly-de...  Bob's Monthly Demo Recordings for Sale Miss any Demos? You can purchase a recording! https://robertburridge.com/robert-bur... Give the Gift of Bob! Use the Burridge Studio Gift Certificates for: •Artwork•Monthly Demos•Private Lessons•Burridge Sponsored Workshops•Products from RobertBurridge.com https://robertburridge.com/burridge-g... To purchase a Goof-Proof Color Wheel, go to our website! https://robertburridge.com/burridge-p... We also have a Color Wheel App, available through the App Store. https://robertburridge.com/burridge-g... Burridge Online Coaching • Private one-on-one Critiques • Coaching • Comments • Strategies https://robertburridge.com/burridge-o...