Sharks and Values

In my experience, value — how light or dark a color is relative to its background — is the most important color element when communicating form. I often draw with charcoal and chalk on a gray background. Gray allows me a greater range between my lights and darks. A pure white background, by contrast, will overpower just about everything in the foreground.

Sidenote: My paper, charcoals, and chalks are not true gray. They are desaturated, or low chroma, blues. Although some people might see different hues or no hues at all. Most people, however, can see light and dark.