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The 3-Value Practice: A Game-Changing Exercise to Master Light and Shadow – The Atelier Newsletter
Published 10 months ago • 3 min read
Here’s a simplified approach that helps you nail light and shadow every time : the 3-value practice — a dead-simple but powerful painting exercise that teaches you to control light and shadow with razor-sharp clarity.
Let’s break it down.
The 3-Value Practice: A Game-Changing Painting Exercise for Realism
1. Why Most Paintings Fall Apart at the Value Stage
In the early stages of a painting, it’s tempting to jump into every subtle change of tone you see. But here’s the truth: most realistic form and depth come from just three main values.
Light
Shadow
Half-tone
That’s it. You don’t need 100 shades of grey. Just three.
Don’t worry, it will not always look this cut out because, eventually, out of these 3 fundamental values, all the others can be recreated. But in an organized manner.
Simplify your palette to get more clarity.
One of the biggest beginner mistake with values is trying to copy every little shade nuance without organizing the values first. Your eye may notice infinite shifts, but a good painting needs clarity. Those 3 values are how you shape that clarity.
2. How the 3-Value Practice Works
The idea is simple: take a subject—a photo, cast, portrait, or still life—and reduce it to only three values.
The easiest way to practice this is to follow the link below and download the assignment sheet I created, specifically for that.
As you can see, this Model has 3 Values. Not four. Not five. Three.
One value for the lights
One value for the shadows
One value for the half-tones, no transition (we don’t blend in this exercise)
It’s like squinting at the world until the noise disappears and only the fundamental structure remains.
It might feel limiting at first, but that’s the point. You’ll be forced to prioritize shape and value hierarchy. No distractions—just essential light logic.
3. Why This Practice Trains Your Eye (and Hand)
This isn’t just about simplifying for fun. The 3-value exercise teaches you to:
See big shapes instead of getting lost in details
Group shadows instead of breaking them up prematurely
Reserve your brightest brights and darkest darks for where they matter most
Build intentional contrast that supports the form
After you’re done with the assignment exercise with its already simplified values, try practicing from a normal picture.
Here’s a simple way to try using the same logic but, this time, with a reference that has not been simplified in advance:
Choose a reference with clear light—like a strong side-lit portrait or still life. Color filter it in black and white.
Squint your eyes until you see only major light and shadow shapes. You can use photoshop if it helps but don’t work from the simplified version, work from the real, black and white version.
Use just three values:
Light
Shadow
Midtone
Paint the entire thing using only those values. No blending. No smoothing. Just flat, confident tones.
5. What next? You can add more values and blend.
Once you master this, adding more value steps and blending becomes so much easier. Do it while the paint is still wet. But now, you’re not guessing anymore. You’re organizing things. You’ll see how much easier it becomes now that your foundations are locked in.
Using the same 3 value painting, while it’s still wet, add some extra intermediate values to increase the roundness of the form and start blending.
Adding more values (5 here)
The 3-value practice is deceptively simple. But if you do it regularly, your paintings will get stronger, your forms more solid, and your confidence with light and shadow will skyrocket.
Blending to finish (do it while it's still wet)
This is the kind of exercise they’d have you repeat again and again in a classical atelier—and for good reason. It works.
Free Art Newsletter filled with the best oil painting and drawing tips, directly from the Atelier tradition. Timeless techniques to enjoy weekly to grow and inspire.
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