Depth Through Value

Gennady Yepifanov, illustration for Pushkin's Queen of Spades, 1966, atmospheric black-and-white image with strong value recession creating depth through light and dark

This entire post consists of images pulled from one of the most amazing blogs on the internet, 50Watts. I attempted to share images that related, at least in part, to atmospheric perspective as well as share this amazing website and these amazing illustrators. Sometimes, illustrations, with their greater sense of economy and need to communicate effectively, are fantastic to look at for quickly gleaning how certain aspects of visual grammar can be put to use. Enjoy!

Heinz Kiessling, illustration for Malbuchgeschichten by Ilse Firbas, Germany 1949, atmospheric depth through value with pale distant landscape receding behind darker foreground silhouettes
Heinz Kiessling, illustration for Malbuchgeschichten, Germany 1949, second image showing value-based atmospheric depth with layered tonal planes
Illustration from Galaksija magazine, Yugoslavia, science fiction scene with depth created through atmospheric value recession from dark foreground to light distant space
Guy Gérard Noël, The Killers, 1964, illustration with strong value contrast creating depth, dark silhouetted figures against a lighter atmospheric background
Georges Kerfyser, Earth Versus the Flying Saucers, Columbia 1956, illustration showing dramatic value contrast and atmospheric depth in a science fiction scene
Antoni Pucek, Rio de Oro, illustration with panoramic landscape depth achieved through atmospheric value gradation from dark near ground to pale luminous distance
Eppo Doeve, book cover illustration, value-based composition with atmospheric depth and strong tonal contrast between foreground and background elements
Paul Lehr (American, 1930–1998), Best SF 73 paperback cover, acrylic on board, science fiction landscape with sweeping atmospheric depth through value and color
Takeo Takei or Virgil Finlay, 1928 children's physiology and hygiene story endpapers, illustration demonstrating atmospheric perspective through value, dark foreground giving way to pale distance

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