Value is one of the most important elements of art to reflect any level of realism in your art.

The funny thing is, we often use line more than value when trying to convey our ideas or what we observe.

Today let’s observe some shadows and highlights in a still life set up by my student Elsie (thanks Elsie!) inside of Self-Taught to Self-Confident, my program all about drawing foundations.

We will see how shadows can layer on top of each other, how perceived edges get in the way of drawing what we see, and why lines can be an impediment to your work.

Additionally, we will discuss why it’s important to know if you tend to go too dark with your values or too light in your work.  Watch here.

Then I’d love to know: what’s your big takeaway or point of advice? Be sure to subscribe to Artist Strong and then share your thoughts in the comments below.

What to learn more? Take my free quiz, “What are the secrets to drawing realistic faces?” here: https://quiz.artiststrong.com/sf/ceda4809