Value Project

Art 105: 2-Dimensional Design  

Professor: KyleStevenson

Project 4: VALUE (Seeing + interpreting in Grayscale tones)

MATERIALS:

Hole Punch (a single hand held punch, don’t get a 3 hole punch)

5 copies of a given Grayscale chart.

Black Pens 1 Fine Point Sharpie + 1 two-sided (Fine/Broad) Prisma Color Marker

Exacto Knife or tweezers (for placing the hole punches)

Graphite Pencils Pack of 4 Graphic or Soft Sketching Pencils (HB, 2B, 4B, 6B)

Design Ebony Drawing Pencils Pack of 2      

Metal Ruler: 18” or 24”

T-square or triangle with 12” inking edge

Pad of Bristol Paper 14” x 17” pad

Variety of Erasers

INSTRUCTIONS:

This project comes in two parts, follow the specific directions below.  This project will serve as an example of your ability to see, choose and interpret value in a variety of images.

Part 1

You are to do all 4 of the projects below (1A-1D), making value studies of different images using a variety of grayscales and techniques.  Cut out and mount your studies on a two sheets of Bristol. 

1A. Value Grid Hatching with pen and ink

Start by creating a grayscale with hatching or cross- hatching with a fine point pen at the top of the page. Try to make the transition between each step as smooth as possible as you go from white to black.  You will then transfer a version of this grayscale to the small grayscale above the left image.  Finally, you will go square by square on the left grid and you will choose from the value steps in the small grayscale trying to match the value of the squares in the image on the right.  Try to make each block a single value like your grayscale. This will make it difficult to keep detail in your translation of the image.

1B. Value Grid Even tone Graphite pencils (2H, B, 2B, 4B)

You will start by creating a grayscale with subtle even tones of graphite at the top of the page. Try to make the transition between each step as smooth as possible.  You will then transfer a version of this grayscale to the small grayscale above the left image.  Finally, you will go square by square on the left grid and you will choose from the value steps in the small grayscale trying to match the value of the squares in the image of the Mona Lisa on the right.  Try to make each block a single value like your grayscale. This will make it difficult to keep detail in your translation of the image.

1C. Value image w/ Continuous Tone using Stippling with pen and ink

You will start by creating a grayscale with stippling with a fine point pen at the top of the page. Try to make the transition between each step as smooth as possible.  Finally, you will translate the image of the landscape with randomized points of stippling where you let value accumulate by the amount of dots you put down. You are not required to work in the grid fashion, but remember your goal is to interpret the value more than the detail, and that it will be difficult to keep finite details in your stippling translation of the image.

1D. Value image w/ glued on hole-punch taken from Xeroxed value scale

To start, you will be given a few grayscale charts with 11 steps of value.  On this chart, the first step is white and the last step is black and there are 9 steps of gray variations in between.  Looking at the range of value in the grayscale chart as compared to the image of the eye, you are going to try to interpret the image of the eye at the top into the 4x6 space on the bottom of the page by gluing in the different values of the hole-punches that you will punch out as you go. You are not required to work in the grid fashion and you can overlap the hole-punches to create clearer detail. But remember your goal is to interpret the value more than the detail, and that it will be difficult to keep hard edges and finite details in your hole punch translation of the image.

Part 2

Next week, you are to choose and bring in 2 different B+W photographic images that contain a full range of value throughout the image. Don’t choose an image that has too much contrast with too much black and white or an image that is too flat with too much gray. Try to find an image with the full range between black, and white, including a wide range of grays.  Next, you will make at least one photocopy for each of the 2 images, each copy should be at least an 8x10 section on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper. (Sometimes copy machines are tricky and will under or over expose your image. Make as many copies as needed until you have copies that contain the full range of grayscale steps. Also, it is probably best to keep the original image, if possible, to use as your first and best reference.)  Looking at your 2 images, I will help you choose the image that is your best example of a good value range, and then you will choose one of the first four methods you completed in the first part of the assignment.  You will be creating an 8x10 value translation of the decided image with your choice of method.  If you choose a grid method, your squares need to be .25 or ¼ inches big. Try and understand the range of value in your image and anticipate where different areas of value are going to fall  (Think paint by number style).  For the final step, you will grid or trace your image over to an 8x10 section of Bristol using very light pencil marks. Finally, you will start adding value with your chosen method and materials. Remember, you are trying your best to interpret the value in your copy onto the Bristol Paper.  Try to meticulously mimic the value using the different gradations and the range of grays you are capable of getting with your chosen method.  The final value interpretation will be an 8x10 section on a sheet of Bristol.