Background information on color...
Primary/Secondary/Tertiary Colors and Complements
In dealing with color the organizational system of the COLOR WHEEL is used. This system is useful because it illustrates the relationships between colors.
Red, Yellow, and Blue are known as PRIMARY colors. These are colors that cannot be mixed from any other color, and can (in theory) be used to create every other color (in combination with black and white.) Mixing two primary colors will give you a SECONDARY color. Secondary colors are:
Blue + Yellow = green
Blue + Red = violet/purple
Red + Yellow = orange
Mixing a primary and a secondary color will give you TERTIARY color. Tertiary colors are:
Blue + green = Blue green
Blue + violet = Blue violet
Red + violet = Red violet
Red + Orange = Red orange
Yellow + green = Yellow green
Yellow + Orange = Yellow orange
Looking at the color wheel, you can divide the color into two groups: WARM and COOL colors. Warm colors are those that fall between yellow and red violet. Cool colors are those that fall between Yellow Green and Violet. Because of how our eyes work, warm colors tend to appear to advance toward you while cool colors tend to appear to recede. This effect can be deployed to accentuate depth and control value. If possible, you might use cooler colors in shadow and warmer colors in highlights.
In these examples, we're mixing between colors along the perimeter of the wheel.
Each color along the perimeter of the wheel has what is known as a COMPLEMENT or COMPLEMENTARY color across from it on the color wheel. This organizational relationship is important. Complements can be used to shift the value of colors darker without using black.
Complements are:
Blue and orange
Blue violet and yellow orange
Violet and yellow
Red violet and yellow green
Red and green
Red orange and blue green
For this painting we are going to try and mix colors without the use of black as much as is possible. For example, if you need a green to be darker, start by adding red. If after using this method you still can't get it dark enough, you can add a small amount of black to your green + red mixture to shift the value darker. Color with black added to it is know as a SHADE. Color with white added to it is known as a TINT.
The greys that we used in our Black and white still-life were NEUTRAL GREYS that only used black and white. CHROMATIC GREYS are greys made up of a mix of complementary colors along with white, black, or grey. Chromatic greys can be cool or warm depending on the base colors from which they are derived.
As you are mixing color a few things will be helpful to keep in mind:
• Intensity of color is known as SATURATION. Bright, intense colors would be described as high saturation. Dull or muted colors would be described as low saturation. Controlling saturation can be an Even highly saturated colors like orange or yellow lose their intensity/saturation when mixed with other colors.
• The inherent color of an object is know as LOCAL COLOR. Keeping in mind the local color of an object can help you determine which complements to use.
• Similar to our conversations about reflected light when we discussed value, look for reflected color when painting. Light bouncing off of an object will likely project that color onto the objects around it. This can shift or change the local color of the object that is being projected onto.
Scumbling and Glazing
As mentioned above, mixed color loses saturation and intensity. Therefore, it can be challenging to get a mixed color bright enough to accurately capture light values. Using the techniques of SCUMBLING and GLAZING can give us a greater degree of control of color as it relates to value.
SCUMBLING is the application of opaque color over your dry underpainting, wherein you create color or value changes through some areas of the underpainting showing through more than others. You likely used this technique throughout the black and white painting.
Here's a quick example about scumbling:
GLAZING is the application of transparent color over a dry underpainting. Because it is transparent, light travels through the glaze layer and reflects off of the lighter values below. It can be used to shift the color of an area, shift the value of an area, or both. If you're struggling to get a color bright enough, you might focus on getting the value correct using tints and white, and then apply a glaze of color on top to achieve the proper color.
Here's a quick example of how you might use glazing; it's not extensive, but it lets you see the effect that I'm describing:
Comments
Post a Comment