Value Techniques

Students in middle school created these abstract designs to practice creating values with various techniques. We began with a set of instructions that the students could interpret for their design. Students were instructed to draw 3 straight lines, a curved line, a zigzag line, 5 circles, 2 other shapes and several types of stripes. I showed the classes how to create value with ink using stippling and cross hatching. Then, I showed them how to use colored pencils to create values from light to dark and also from color to color. Students needed to use light and dark values to keep the composition balanced as well. This is a great project to get students comfortable creating various types of values.