The Beauty of Low Key Paintings: A Guide to Dark Value Paintings

As artists, we are often drawn to light and color. However, have you ever explored the wonder of dark value paintings? These paintings, also known as low key paintings, can be mysterious, intriguing, and hold a certain power that brighter paintings can’t evoke.

Though perhaps not as popular as high key paintings, low key paintings have captured the hearts of many artists for centuries. In this article, we’ll explore what low key (dark value) paintings are and why they’re important. In addition, you learn about their presence in art history and how you can create your own low key masterpiece!

What are low key paintings?

Low key (or dark value) paintings, are paintings that contain darker values than the standard range of values that brighter paintings normally have. The paintings mostly use values from the lower end of the scale, creating a moody and mysterious feel. They express a unique beauty that can be as captivating as high key paintings.

For example, in the painting below, most values come from the low end of the value scale. We might see some highlight areas that are a little bit lighter in value – but these are very small.

Why dark value (low key) paintings are important

While dark value paintings may lack a light and airy quality, they can still make a striking impact with color. With dark tones, it’s easier to mix rich colors that have depth and character. Also, working with dark values provides you as an artist with flexibility. As you are able to create subtle changes in tone and contrast, that can be trickier to achieve in lighter value paintings. Just like a lower range in music, dark paintings can create a different mood and atmosphere in art.

Saturated colors are darker

In high key painting you are not able to use very rich colors. Dark value painting is entirely different in that you have the possibility to push color as much as you would like. Therefore, it affords you the opportunity to create paintings with intense and luminous color.

Examples of dark value paintings in art history:

There are many examples of low key/dark value paintings in art history. The prominent American landscape painter George Inness would often work in low key range with rich dark tones, making his paintings glow with an almost spiritual quality. The way the subtle tones contrast with areas of more saturated colors makes for a beautiful interplay of color notes.

Dark Value, Dutch Paintings

Many Dutch and Flemish painters of the past would also work in the darker value range, creating paintings that are at once moody and intricate. The darkness in these paintings add depth and emotion to the artworks. Also, because of the contrast between the dark values and the slightly lighter highlight areas – a soft glow is created.

How to create your own low key paintings

To create your own low key paintings, it’s important to start with value studies of simple subject matters. Begin first with darkly lit and low contrast scenes. Then work on imposing a darker value scale to a normal motif that may be lighter in value. Experiment with different tones, and colors and how they interact to create layers and depth.

In order to successfully impose a dark value scale onto any subject matter you need to have a solid foundation in creating strong values. Because venturing into darker values is a more advanced step. So you want to be able to create a clear value structure easily, to avoid great frustration!

Start small with dark value thumbnails

If you have an established foundation in strong values, start to create monochrome thumbnail value drawings with darker values. This will help you to figure out how to create darker values on a smaller scale in monochrome before dealing with the complexities of color on a larger surface area.

Next steps in dark value painting

Dark value paintings hold a unique and special place in the world of fine art. They offer artists an opportunity to explore depth and complexity in tone, contrast, and color. Working with darker values not only adds mood and character to a painting, but also allows artists to create complex, subtle changes that are often difficult to achieve with lighter paintings. If you haven’t explored the world of low key paintings yet, it’s high time to step out of your comfort zone and give it a try!

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