A Munsell-Accurate Value Scale
(last updated June 9, 2024)
Artists and designers can use this value scale:
available
on Ebay,
to assess how light or dark a colour is, or to mix colours of a desired value. The scale
can be laid directly over a printout or painting:
When a colour has the same value as a particular square, then the visual difference between
the square and the colour, seen through the hole in that square, will be minimal; the eye
might sense the colour change as a "vibration." If the colour has a different value, then
it will appear noticeably lighter or darker. The red in the cheek at value N5.0, for example,
has value nearly N5.0, and almost seems to disappear when viewed through the hole in the N5.0
square. The shadow colour in the neck, on the other hand, is definitely darker than the
surrounding square of value N7.5.
Mixing a colour of the correct value can be tricky, especially because values are
judged in terms of surrounding values. In a typical case, an artist might start a portrait
on a blank white canvas. The value of Caucasion skin is about N7.0, so it should be
painted at about this value when seen in light. The correct colour will appear too dark
against a white canvas (whose value is probably about N9.8), but will appear correct when
the rest of the canvas is painted. In this case, an artist can use the value scale to
mix a flesh tone of value N7.0, rather than try to judge the value against a white
background. Similarly, a moderately dark shadow tone for skin might have value N4.0, while a
very dark tone might have value N2.0. Colours of these values can be pre-mixed with the
value scale.
The following figure shows how to find the value of a paint mixture:
A fleck of paint, in this case a cadmium red, can be applied directly to the value scale, which
is laminated. When the paint is applied to a square of the same value, in this case N4.5, it
will appear to vibrate, or to produce a minimum of contrast. Once the value has been
determined, the paint can be wiped off with a rag:
This value scale is available
on Ebay, for
$10. It should be a handy tool for any artist's studio or designer's workshop.
