The role of the middle value shapes

  As visual artists we often take note of the role played in our work by the darkest darks and the lightest lights, but we tend to overlook the mid value shapes.

Take a look at this study by Stanislaw Zoladz. What  Lovely, convincing light! Just one or two small triangles are enough to create a believable illusion.  But what would the illusion be without the subtle mid  values?

Here are a few images to experiment with. Paint the large, simple shapes very dark , or very light instead of middle value. If the shape you are about to paint is closer to dark than to light. paint it black. If it is closer to white than it is to black, leave it white. Read that last part again.