/ˈvæl.juː ˈstrʌk.tʃər/

Value structure

noun phrase · painting

What it is

Value is the lightness or darkness of a tone, measured on a scale from black (value 0) to white (value 10). Value structure refers to how those tones are organised across a composition — where the darkest darks and lightest lights are placed, how the midtones distribute, and how the value transitions correspond to the underlying form. A painting whose value structure is correct reads as solid even if the colour is mediocre; a painting whose value structure is wrong reads as flat no matter how brilliant the hues.

How painters use it

The standard workflow is to plan value before colour. Painters do thumbnail studies in grayscale first (6–12 thumbnails per project), then small colour studies in the chosen scheme, then the final piece. The grayscale stage answers compositional questions; the colour stage answers palette questions. James Gurney's working consensus — "value does the work, colour gets the credit" — has been the dominant advice for at least a century.

In atelier practice

The Bargue method's tonal stage trains the painter to read value on the cast plates with precision. The Asaro head identifies where value transitions sit on a planar head model. Munsell's three-dimensional colour system makes value a measurable coordinate independent of hue, which is why most professional instruction uses Munsell vocabulary.