Three Value Exercise

Limiting yourself to only THREE values in a painting, 

really drives home the importance of getting your values right! 

It forces you to simplify the shapes 

and make design decisions ahead of time. 

My Demo 

Today, on white watercolor paper, we used only three values; 

black, white and a middle value grey (50% black 50% white).

Note: The tendency is to mix the middle value too dark 

so be sure to compare it something! 

NO Blending. Just flat shapes!  

It is surprising how much drama you can create with

 just three values and good design! 

Here is just a sampling of the results!  

I recommend this exercise to both 

beginners and experienced painters. 

It's eye opening and a lot of fun!