Third Grade Art Lesson 12
Working With Value to Create Form
Objective:
The students will know that value is the range of lightness and darkness of a color and that value reveals form. The student will distinguish between shape and form.
Materials:
Black crayon, one narrow strip of white paper, one sheet of white drawing paper.
Procedure:
Ask the students if they have every seen a black and white movie or photograph. Tell them that it is value that enables us to see these images and that without value we would have only black or white. Thus value is the range of lightness or darkness of a color. Ask the students if anyone knows what a gray scale is. They may recall using a gray scale from other Arttango lessons. Explain that a gray scale shows the variety of value you can get with a given material. We will make our own gray scales. Take your strip of paper and black crayon. At the top color a portion (1/5) of the strip as dark as you can possibly press down without breaking your crayon. Next draw the same size shape, only this time don't press down so hard. The value should still be fairly dark. Continue working your way down the strip of paper, gradually lightening up the value. Leave the bottom fifth of your paper plain white. Ask the students if they can tell you difference between shape and form. Shape is two-dimensional, meaning it has height and width. Form is three-dimensional, having height, width, and depth. In art value reveals form. Take your white piece of paper and lightly draw a free form or organic shape. We are going to use our gray scale as a reference to turn this organic shape into an organic form. Begin by coloring on one edge a dark value. Make your coloring strokes curve as if to curve around the form. Gradually lighten up on the amount of pressure on your crayon as you move across the form. Be sure that your form has at least as many values on it as you have on your gray scale. Avoid leaving an outline around your shape, which tends to give a flattened appearance. Rather, blend the outline into the value around the form. Refer to the examples provided to help you refine your form.
Conclusion:
Before calling your drawing complete, ask the following questions: Have I used a full range of values on my form, including white? Have I colored in such a way that my form looks round rather than flat by coloring in a curving motion rather than using straight lines? Did I leave an outline which makes my form look flat? Can I explain the difference between a form and a shape? Ask the students what does value reveal.
Artwork and Examples used in this lesson
Teachers Example
Gray Scale
Value Study