Value Studies: Painting with More Confidence
Updated: Sep 23
Why Value Studies Matter
In the excitement of starting a painting, it’s easy to rush past some of the most important decisions.
One of the most useful things I can do before I begin is make a small value study. A value study helps simplify the subject into lights, middle values, and darks so I can see the overall design before getting caught up in color and detail.
I think of it as a roadmap for the painting. It helps me decide what is important, where I want the viewer to look, and whether the composition has enough strength before I begin the finished piece.
Simplify Before You Paint
A value study doesn’t need to be detailed or beautiful. In fact, keeping it simple is part of the point.
I often use gray markers because they allow me to work quickly and think in larger shapes instead of getting distracted by small details. The limited values force me to ask better questions:
Where is the strongest contrast?
What can be grouped together?
Which shapes are important?
Where should the darkest darks go?
Where do I want the viewer’s eye to travel?
The goal is to solve some of these problems before I start painting.
Finding the Structure of the Painting
Plein air painting especially benefits from this kind of preparation. When you’re working outside, the light is changing and there’s a temptation to react to every detail you see.
A quick value study gives you something stable to return to. It helps you remember the larger design even as the light and conditions change.
The study doesn’t have to dictate every decision, but it can keep the painting from becoming a collection of unrelated details.
A Sketch Isn’t Always Enough
A simple pencil sketch can help me eliminate unnecessary objects and begin thinking about composition, but it doesn’t always give me enough information about the overall value structure.
In this example, the drawing helped me decide what I wanted to include, but the design still felt weak. The values were too similar, so the painting lacked depth and there wasn’t a strong enough path for the viewer’s eye.
That is where a more deliberate value study can help. By reducing the scene to a few clear light, middle, and dark shapes, I can see much more quickly whether the composition has the strength I’m looking for.
Why I Like Using Markers
I like using gray markers for value studies because they encourage me to work quickly and think in larger shapes rather than individual lines and details.
Limiting myself to just a few values forces me to simplify. It helps me establish stronger contrast, organize the composition, and decide where I want the viewer’s attention to go before I begin painting.
I like using gray markers for value studies because they help me:
simplify complex subjects
work more quickly than with pencil
think in broad shapes rather than lines
use a fuller range of darks and lights
establish contrast and depth
see whether the composition works before I begin painting
When I limit myself to just a few values, I’m forced to make decisions. That limitation can actually create more clarity.
Want a practical guide to the materials I use for watercolor?
My free Watercolor Guide covers my preferred brushes, paper, paints, palettes, and other supplies, along with a few helpful tips on color and technique.
Value Studies Build Confidence
The more clearly I understand the value structure before I begin, the more freely I can paint.
Instead of wondering where every shape should go, I can focus on the watercolor itself — the washes, edges, color, and movement of the paint.
That’s one of the reasons I find value studies so helpful. They don’t make the painting rigid. They give me enough structure that I can be more spontaneous once I begin.
For plein air painting especially, that little bit of preparation can make a big difference.
If you’d like to explore value, composition, watercolor technique, and the decisions behind a successful painting with me, I’d love to have you join me at Illuminating Watercolor.
