Class Notes: Explaining with Value?

We are talking about VALUE but what that really means is: Explaining the LIGHT!
These sketches of a simple set-up, all explain the light - in 4 different ways. We used only 2 values for each item: light & dark. In sketch #1, top left, the light parts of each object are under painted with acrylic orange and the dark values are under painted with acrylic black.
To the right in sketch #2, the entire space was under painted in acrylic black and the shapes are defined in only light and dark. This version has the most drama and a very graphic look.
Sketch #3 has a traditional, oil/thinner, wash under painting, warm under the light areas and cool in the darks areas. The Cerulean blue in the foreground is too intense but does communicate light on a dark background - which will almost always be darker than the dark areas of a white object, such as the cup.
Sketch #4 is painted in the "direct" method; no under painting. All 4 sketches break up the values in a way that clearly explains what the objects are and how they are effected by the light.