WHEN the Lord Almighty declared for light to appear, we can surmise that the darkness was parted and colors of all sorts started to appear.

Man’s achievement in art today has perhaps brought forth from the earth all possible and conceivable pigment of colors in existence.

"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.

Colors are constant in our environment. Despite the availability of the color spectrum and the color wheel, artists tend to return to doing again and again the monochrome of black and white drawings.

That is primarily because the basics can always be relied upon to sharpen the artists’ skill in drawing.

Regaining important, dormant techniques and relearning drawing can allow the artist to experience again the significance of how correct forms are made through proper application of light and shadow, which is also known as tonal values.

Darkness is the absence of light such that without it there can also be the absence of color.

Black and white drawings may be made using two methods: Black pigments may be drawn on lighter ground or the reverse, using white pigment on dark ground.

In Cebu, almost everyone in the art scene is capable of creating work worthy of a black-and-white exhibit because local artists haven’t abandoned this classical technique in the craft.

Here are threes artists whose works in black and white are standing out in a sea of color. The pen and ink drawing of a veranda by Guido Lubanga is a fine example of a highly detailed work.

In contrast, Cesar Castillo’s minimalist “Less is More” in watercolor leans toward a modernist concept using the ever-reliable off-centered golden mean composition.

The cubist figures of Celso Pepito’s paintings emerge from darkness, revealing form and volume and come alive through shading.

Art is also the search for truth and reality. Remember what it means when we say “in black and white”: That means to present only the facts.