Look at Figure 4 and squint your eyes until the image seems to go out of focus. Compare the darkest values to the lightest, and try to see the abstract shapes created by the different values. The second drawing shows what you may see when you squint. Take note of the shapes created by the values. Figure 4: Squinting to see values and shapes. Turning colors into values with squinting Many drawing media, such as graphite, are designed for black and white drawings. Yet, almost everything in the world is in color. You need to adjust your visual perceptions to see these colors as shades of gray when drawing. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could simply press a button in the middle of your forehead and magically transform the world from full color to gray values? This ability would certainly make drawing a lot easier. Thankfully, simply squinting your eyes can help you develop this skill. Try these suggestions to help you train your mind to translate colors into values: Lo