Lesson 2
Hues have value when compared to each other. Blue is darker in value than red. Red is darker in value than yellow. A particular hue can change in value depending on the amount of light it receives. A blue box may be dark in value, but the value changes when it is placed near the light of a window. It appears lighter on the side that faces the light. To show this in paint the artist tints the original blue. To tint is to make the hue lighter. Tinting can be done by adding white to the hue, or as with watercolor, allowing the white of the paper to show through in a wash.
Thomas Gainsborough, The Blue Boy , c. 1770. Photo Credit: Dover Publications Inc.
Look at just the blues within this painting. In the small areas of the coat and pants, we see the original hue.
On top of the folds and on his chest we see that the blue is tinted, making it lighter where light falls onto the blue suit. The suit appears very dark where light does not fall. This is called shading and we will learn about it in the next unit.
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