Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. Colors mixed with white are called tints. Pink is a tint of red. Colors mixed with black are called shades. Burgundy is a shade of red. Paintings that use only one color and the tints and shades of that color are called monochromatic (one=mono; color=chromatic).

Tints and shades of red make up nearly all the colors used in this painting, along with a tint of violet. For the most part, this painting could be called monochromatic.

Saturation or intensity refers to the "purity" of color. A pure color is at its highest saturation, its most intense and brightest form. If white, black or another color is added to a pure color, its saturation decreases and its intensity drops. On this palette you can see many colors in their pure and most intense form as well as colors that have lost some intensity after the artist mixed them.

Dramatic changes in intensity can be made by mixing varying amounts of two complementary colors. Where equal parts of two complementary colors are mixed together (here, green and red), a neutral brown is created.

A variety of browns are used in this bowl. Mixing different sets of complementary colors creates different browns. Some browns appear to have more of one color in them than another. For example, the brown background glaze used in this bowl appears to have more red mixed into it than its complement, green.