Short answer
Sort every area of the scene into three values before you shade: paper white, a mid tone and a dark. Squint to see them. Keep the sky and the lit faces light, put the darkest darks in the foreground and at the focal point, and do not let everything drift to middle gray.
Make a value scale
Draw a row of five squares. Leave the first as bare paper and make the last as dark as your softest pencil allows. Fill the three between in even steps. Pin it next to your drawing and compare: every area should match one of the five.
- 1: paper white. Sky highlights, sunlit snow, white water, cloud tops.
- 2: light. Sky, distant mountains, lit grass.
- 3: mid. Middle ground hills, shadow sides of far trees.
- 4: dark. Shadow sides of near trees and rocks, water under the bank.
- 5: darkest. Cast shadows and gaps at the base of things in the foreground.
Which pencil for which value: drawing pencils. H grades are harder and lighter, B grades softer and darker (Eckersley’s).
Three value thumbnails
- Draw a frame about 2 x 3 inches.
- Draw only the big shapes: sky, far land, near land, the main trees.
- Fill each with one of three values: white, mid, dark. No lines, no detail.
- If it reads as a landscape, draw it big. If not, move the darks.
Where values go in a landscape
- The sky is usually the lightest large area. Land is darker than sky in most daylight scenes.
- Value gets lighter with distance. See atmospheric perspective.
- The strongest contrast goes at the focal point: the darkest dark next to the lightest light draws the eye.
- Light things look lightest next to dark ones. That is how waterfalls and snow work.
What you need
Next: the marks that make each value in shading techniques.
Questions people ask
What is value in drawing?
The lightness or darkness of a tone, from white to black, regardless of color. In a pencil drawing, value is everything that is not line.
How do I see values in a landscape?
Squint. Half closing your eyes blurs detail and merges similar tones, leaving the big light and dark shapes. A black and white photo of the scene does the same.
How many values should a landscape drawing have?
Plan with three (light, mid, dark), then finish with five or more. Three value thumbnails are the fastest way to check if a composition will work.
Why does my drawing look washed out?
Not enough darks. Most beginners stop at a mid gray. Use a 4B to 6B and push the darkest areas until they are clearly darker than anything else.
Sources
Last reviewed October 29, 2026. Product lines and listings change; check the details before you buy.