Tonal Values 101: Understanding Light and Dark in Art

In this tutorial on tonal values for beginners, you’ll learn what tonal values are and why they matter for drawing and painting. Tonal values are essentially the levels of light and dark in your artwork. Mastering them helps you create drawings and paintings with a realistic sense of depth and form.

We will ll start by explaining the value scale in art, then show how using light and dark (also known as light and dark drawing techniques) can bring your work to life. You’ll see practical examples, follow a step-by-step guide, learn about common mistakes, and get exercises to practice. Mastering tonal values will also make it easier to tackle other fundamentals like color and composition.

What Are Tonal Values? Understanding the Value Scale

How Tonal Values Create Form and Depth

One of the biggest challenges in art is making a flat drawing look three-dimensional. Tonal values are the secret to achieving this. By observing the areas of light and dark on a subject and understanding the tonal values in between, you can capture realism and depth. Essentially, you mimic how light falls on forms. As one artist notes, “when we draw we want to mimic the way light falls on form to create the illusion of three dimensionality”. Correct placement of lights and darks gives your subject weight and solidity on the page.

For example, imagine drawing a simple sphere. If the light source comes from above to the left, the sphere will have:

• a bright spot where the light hits directly (the highlight),
• a gradation to medium gray on the sides (halftones or mid-tones),
• a dark shaded area on the opposite side (the core shadow), and
• a cast shadow on the surface beneath it (the darkest shadow right under the sphere).

By carefully shading these light and dark areas, a flat circle will suddenly look like a three-dimensional ball. This is how tonal contrast creates form. The greater the difference between light and shadow (higher contrast), the more pronounced the sense of volume.

Tonal values also help convey depth in a scene. Objects in the foreground often have stronger value contrast (sharper darks and lights), whereas distant objects appear lighter or more muted (lower contrast) due to atmospheric perspective. Using a full range of values in your drawing – from bright highlights to deep shadows – ensures that your artwork doesn't look flat. It also guides the viewer's eye to focal points, since our eyes are naturally drawn to areas of strong light-dark contrast.

Practical Examples: Tonal Values in Action

Example 1: Sphere Shading Demo

We already discussed a sphere as a basic example. To put it into practice, try shading a simple circle into a sphere. Begin with a clean outline of a circle. Decide on your light source direction. Lightly shade the side opposite the light source to establish the core shadow. Next, add a lighter shadow (halftone) around the core shadow as the form turns toward the light. Leave a small area almost white where the brightest highlight is. Don't forget to sketch a cast shadow beneath the sphere on the surface it sits on. As you build up layers of shading, constantly compare the values: the highlight should remain the lightest area (perhaps just the white of the paper), and the darkest core shadow should be one of the darkest areas of your drawing. The smooth transition of values will give the sphere volume.

Take your time with the sphere exercise. It teaches you how gradual changes in tonal value create a sense of curvature. If done right, someone looking at your drawing will clearly see a round ball lit from one side, not a flat circle. This is a fundamental skill in both drawing and painting – whether you're rendering a face, an apple, or a landscape, the same principles of light and shadow apply.

Example 2: High-Contrast vs. Low-Contrast

Tonal values affect not only form but also the mood and clarity of a piece. Let's compare two scenarios:

• High-Contrast Image: Imagine a portrait lit by a single small lamp in a dark room. The side of the face near the lamp might be very bright, while the far side falls into deep shadow. This high contrast (a big difference between light and dark) makes the image dramatic and the forms stand out clearly. Details in the brightest highlights or deepest shadows might be lost, but the overall image is striking. High-contrast drawings often feel bold and intense.
• Low-Contrast Image: Now imagine a portrait on an overcast day with soft, diffused light. The values on the face are much closer together – mostly gentle mid-tones with no extreme whites or blacks. This low contrast scenario can make the drawing feel more subdued or even flat. It's more forgiving (nothing is too dark or too light), but without some range of values, the drawing might lack depth and impact. Low-contrast images can feel calm and subtle, but if unintended, they may look dull or lack focus.

Neither high nor low contrast is "better" by default – they are artistic choices. The key is to be aware of tonal contrast and use it deliberately. As a beginner, it's wise to practice pushing your contrasts (make darks darker and lights lighter) so you learn to avoid the trap of everything ending up the same gray. You can always dial back extreme contrast if needed. Remember: a wide range of tonal values (from light to dark) gives you more tools to describe form and create interest in your art.

Step-by-Step Guide: Using Tonal Values in Your Artwork

Now that we understand the basics, let's walk through how to actually apply tonal values when drawing or painting. Here's a simple step-by-step process for analyzing and using tonal values in art:

1. Step 1: Create a basic value scale. Before starting your artwork, quickly sketch a small value scale on scrap paper (even just five values: white, light gray, medium gray, dark gray, black). This will serve as your reference and reminder of the full range of values. Think of it as a mini map of light to dark to guide your shading.
2. Step 2: Observe the values in your subject. Look carefully at your subject or reference image and identify the brightest area (lightest value) and the darkest area (darkest value). A great trick is to squint your eyes at the subject; squinting reduces details and color, leaving only broad areas of light and dark. This makes it easier to see the value pattern. Some artists also use tools or filters (like a grayscale filter or a value app) to help see values clearly. Note where the main light zones and shadow zones are in your subject.
3. Step 3: Sketch and block in the main tones. Lightly sketch the outline or shapes of your drawing first. Then begin shading by blocking in the largest shadow shapes and general light shapes. Don't worry about fine details yet – focus on big, simple areas of dark and light. For example, shade in all areas that are in shadow with an even dark tone (it doesn't need to be pure black, just noticeably darker than the light areas). Similarly, mark the brightest spots and keep them white or very light. At this stage, aim for just 2​4 broad tonal areas: darks, mid-tones, and lights. This establishes the overall value composition (the arrangement of light and dark patterns in your piece).
4. Step 4: Refine and add intermediate values. Once the major light and shadow areas are blocked in, start refining within those areas. Add mid-tone values where needed to create smoother transitions and more detail. For instance, within a shadow area, you might darken certain parts to indicate a core shadow and lighten the edges slightly where there's reflected light. Within a light area, add gentle shading where the form curves away from the light. Build up the shading gradually, layering more pencil/charcoal or paint to darken as required. You can blend edges softly for gradual gradients. Continuously compare areas: is this part slightly lighter or darker than that part? Adjust your values to match what you observe in the subject.
5. Step 5: Review your full range of values. Step back and look at your drawing as a whole. Compare it to your reference or to the scene. Do you have a full range of values represented? Ensure that you have some highlights (nearly white) and some deep shadows (near-black) if the subject calls for it. Many beginners realize at this point that they haven't gone dark enough in the deepest shadows – you can still darken those areas to punch up the contrast. Conversely, check that you haven't made everything too dark. Preserve the brightest areas. This final check is about balance: you want neither a washed-out drawing nor an overly muddy one. Touch up your shading as needed to ensure the lights, mid-tones, and darks all make sense relative to each other and to the light source.

By following these steps, you'll systematically incorporate tonal values into your process. With practice, this workflow becomes second nature. You'll start to see any subject in terms of light and dark shapes, which is like a superpower for an artist! Remember, patience and observation are key – take the time to compare values and adjust your drawing as you go. Your artwork will have much more depth and realism once you master using tonal values effectively.

Common Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

Working with tonal values is a skill that improves with practice. Beginners often run into a few common pitfalls. Here are some typical mistakes when it comes to values, and tips on how to fix them:

Exercises to Improve Your Tonal Value Skills

The best way to get comfortable with tonal values is through practice. Here are a few exercises to strengthen your understanding of light and dark:

• Value Scale Drill: Draw your own value scales by hand. Start with a 5-step scale and also try a 9-step scale. Fill in each step with a distinct tone from white to black. Strive for even jumps between each step. This exercise trains your hand to produce specific tones and trains your eye to distinguish subtle differences. It's like doing scales in music – fundamental but powerful for building skill.
• Sphere and Basic Form Shading: Practice shading the basic geometric forms. Begin with a sphere (as described above). Then try a cube: determine which plane is lightest, which is darkest, and which is in between. Next, a cylinder: observe how it grades from light to dark around its curve. By mastering spheres, cubes, and cylinders with proper light and shadow, you'll gain the skills to tackle more complex subjects (since most objects can be broken into these simpler forms).
• Grayscale Photo Study: Choose a photograph with clear lighting (strong lights and shadows). Convert it to grayscale or just ignore the color. Draw the scene using pencil or charcoal, focusing only on reproducing the correct values you see. Simplify at first: maybe sketch a small version with just 3-4 values blocked out, then do a more detailed rendering. This exercise separates value from color, allowing you to concentrate on accuracy of light and dark. It's an excellent way to see if you can match values from reference.
• Notan Sketches: Notan is a concept of reducing a scene to black and white (two values) to study its composition and light/dark balance. Pick a simple scene or object arrangement and try painting or drawing it using only black and white (no gray at all). Then try the same with three values (black, white, and one mid-gray). These notan studies force you to prioritize the most important light and shadow shapes. It's challenging but really sharpens your sense of overall value composition and design.

Each of these exercises will help build your confidence with recognizing and using tonal values. Over time, you'll start to instinctively notice the value structure in everything you draw or paint. Remember to be patient and enjoy the learning process – every sketch you do is another step toward mastery of light and dark!