Color—the theory and practice of painting Famous Artists Course in Commercial Ar, Ilystation and Design Guin Fosty (9049681, The color wheel ---------YELLOW, a of BLUE-GREENAn introduction to color Every artst who wir color should have a clear understanding of what color is ‘how to organize it snd how to employ i¢ to best edvantage Color is a sensation we experience when our eyes ate sruck by light waves of| varying lengths, We sce objects Because nature has given um avery sensitive and complex receiving system in the form of aur ees, nervous system, and brain, Our eyes pickup Hight waves and francate them into a sensation of sight jst 33 or fens pick up sound waves and ragalate them into a senstion of ound Tn arder for us to see anything, there most be light. The rays of ight which come ts from the san we al we light. Yet, strange as ie may seem, this white light contains all the colors that we ace around us This is demonstrated when you se a rainbow during a summer shower, or shine 2 ray of white Hight through 2 tiangelar piece of glass called 4 prim. Sir Tsiac Newton, in 1607, fst die fovered how pure white ight could be divided into diferent groups of color eaves by using the prism in this way. All colored objects contsin pigment which hat the abilisy to sak up certain rays of color, while reflecting others The pigment in he skin of & red apple, for instance, reflects only the ved rays and absorbs all the ethers. A green apple, on the other hand elects only the green rays to our eyes while absorbing the others Some materials are espedally rid in pigment. These materia ate carefully selected and purified into the paints you buy at your local at store. They have bbeen manufactured from various plants, animals and minerals. When you mix these pigments you are mixing pute color, In other words you are working with purified pigments which have the special property of rllecing the particular ‘colored waves you want to see, while absorbing all the others, rem now en, un Jess otherwise noted, al ou color discussion will bein terme of igen, and not flight (Color is «highly personal and variable clement. There are, however, cert Dasic principles inthe handling of color which you must master. The material resented in these pages wil explain these principles. Your ultimate development sa colorist, of course, will depend toa large extent upon your own imagination, ingenuity and tase ‘Most people describe color in a vague, general way. They wie such terme at “baby blue!" “apple green” “grat green,” “canary yellow,” “coral” “peachy” us" ete. Any person who works professionally vith color, however, whether the uses it in making paintings or for some other purpose, must be mere precie Hes faced with the problem of using snd contralling hundreds ofdlleren color Scientists prepared the way for the development of logical «olor systems As Jong ago as 1866, « scientit named Helmhola discovered that every color bas ee diferent characterises or dimensions: hue, value and intemsiy. He ne- flected to work out practical system for applying his theory, so it had litle in fluence on art until mich Inte Around the turn af the century, Albert H. Mon sel, an instructor ia are realized that everyone who wants t0 use color correctly must recognize and understand these color characterntic, Beginning with thie theory as 2 starting point, he developed complete system for the analysis and organization of colo. Teday the Munsell sem is widely yard throughout the sword “To work with calor, i is not necessary for you to study oF memorire compli cated systems of numbers and lewers. AS 2 practicing artist, you are mot con ‘emed nov with leaning how to recognie, judge ané control ferences in the three dimensions of evry sole: ac, value and inteniy "The fllowing pages wil give you the information you need in oder todo this, 1 you master this material, you will be able to judge and describe any coloe ac curaely. You will so know how to mix two o more colors together to make ‘eaely the color you want, Finally, you will etrm how to combine diferent colors fn pleasing and efective compositions. Ie is important to remember, however, that leaning to understand and we color results not from resting about how itis done, but by actual practice of eye tnd hand, These pages will give you the information you need, but the mot ir- portant thing i @ apply thi information to your own work with coorSection 8 Color ~ the theory and practice of pointing 1. Hue “The ward “hue” is edn these lesons to denote the positon of color on she color wheel Tehas nothing to do with whether the color is light or car, strong or weak. Hue, in reality, is the term used to mame a color. In speaking of people, one says ‘What is he name of the man?” In ar we say, “What the Fe of the color? Yellow. blue, green. volt, rad-orange, and so on, are ditler cent ier, They le at dierent points on the wheel. In the same vay, we can dstingulbh variations of hue within a Single, basie color. For example, yellow-green and yellow-orange The closer together hues are located on the eolor wheel, the more relate ane harmoniows they are, becae each colo con tains some ofthe color ling next to it On the other han, hes which are separ from each other are more distantly related. (Cobos which ate opposite each other across the wheel have ab- scluely nothing in common, They form the strongest contrast poslble, and create a neutral gray when mixed together, Warm and cool colors ‘When arsts speak of “warm and “cool” colors, they are agen liwussing the qualities of hue. rather than of value and in: temity. I you will divide the color wheel in hall by an inag inary line between yellow and yellow green atthe top, and be thecen rel-violet and vole a the httom, you will ce that he Inve inthe Tele half ofthe wheel centering around orange, apy [pear warm: whereas these on the right centering around blue, pest cool "This reference 1o colors as warm or cool reuls from astoca tion, The words acually deseite the physical sensation we fel when we are surrounded by large masses of these colors In room with blue walls for example, we td tf enol Int room decorated with yellow, bot re or oranges, we fel warm. ‘There isa good reson fr this physical reaction to color. From ‘ur daily experiences we asocate yellow, orange. or red with fire. This, ley mean heat. Cod, deep water is bluish or green Jah, A saris winter shy i blue. Ice has ats of green ad blue ‘These socations secount for ou vatious emotional reactions to the temperature quality of ll hues. We have mote to say about the pachologcal elects of color, later on in the tex "The colors hallway between these warm and cool extremes, such as yellow green and re-violet, are fairly neural they ee neither Yery warm nor very cool ‘The warm and cool qualities ‘of color ae these point are very able, Seeing a green lie which is fairly clos 1o yellow, we sense that I tends to be warm 38 com. pared with a green further around the whee, toward blue, This wre rpenk ofa "warm green” and a “cool green” ‘We can extend this distinction throughout al the hues ofthe ‘nlor wheel, For instance, consider red or oet there leans toward the orange, it is a warm red becaise yellow fas been ded. 1C¥¢ contains more be, i cool red. Similarly, i a violet leans toward the red, it i a warm violet If it contains more be, iis «cool violet. Inthe main, ny hue is warmed by the addition of yellow, ‘cooled by the addition of Blue Theoretically, neither white, Black, nor any neural grays mixed from white and black, are colors. Ther Inck two of the ‘eaental color dimensions hue and intensity. However, they ate both very wsetul for mosifying the values and intensities of the ‘colored pigments, Of the blacks, ory black is considered war fr than lamp black, fake white warmer than sine white, It isnot enough simply to understand the principles of the color wheel, and warm snd col calor You must be able t0 Fecogaize them in natate, and in pntings From now on, ake ita habe wo know the colors tht you see around you, in cloth ing cats, Buildings, ete. As an artist, you eamnot sete for the ‘general color description of re, yellow, or bie, You mut learn to recognize weveral diferent reds that range from cool, vole ted, to warm, red orange. Certain painting subjects call for a ‘warm color scheme, otlers reuize cool hues throughout. You -may even combine both warm and cool hues in single painting. ithe problem call for wach striking contrasts. Teall depends ‘upon the wlkimate effect thatthe att fas in sind. The impor tan point ito control the warmth of coolnes of the hues. Later you wil see how this knovledge will hep you to paint asl He and poruait and create the effect of sunlight and halve in 4 Idacape udFamous Artists Course in Commercial At Ilustation and Design Section 8S 4 Tine replete a. a rae, ai nom sn6 Section 8 Color ~ the theory ond practice of painting 2. Value The fest dimension of color ix hue. The second dimension is dalue. For any artist working in colo, value 18 the mast impor tant dimension. It is imposible to overemphasize this simple feet, Mivtkég made in choice of ue or intensity are far let serious than errs. in value, At all est, lear to heep Your values correct! When we wie the word “value” we ate referring fonly to lightness or dankness ofa color I's that simple The words int and shade rler to the value of color. To rake 2 tnt we add white to-4 pore cola; to make a shade we Value sealesFamous Adists Course in Commercil Art, Illustration and Design Section 8 7 tu black. In ncither case do we change the fue-only the valve The chart on the opposite page shows how the vale of pre cols from the ibe can be change and controlled bythe addi don of black and white To handle color effectively you must frst be able t see and recognize these value diferences in your subject, then interpret thee ferences om your palette. We sy interpret, rather than match, besa the range of aus in mature i much greater than thst of your pigments. Black pane is much Fighter than 3 ‘ery dark shadow; white paint many times darker dua sunlight Fellecte! fom a shiny suface. ‘The ars, looking at his subject, decides which srea in the lightest andl which i the darkest. Then he decides how light oF lark he will make these extremes in his painting, and relates All the other tales co them. The examples om this page show you that the valuespread from light to dark can be limited to h, mide, oF low key, or include the whole range trom black to white The choice depends on the efet you ish 0 ‘create. The main pein co gain irom these pages i the impor tance of value control” Once you decide on a value range that seems appropriate for dhe effect you want, Keep fe consistent thoughout your whole picture. ‘This page is simply « black and white photograph ‘of the opposite. poge. Ii demonstrates. the importonce of ‘fective, although they contain fonly valves, no hues oF intensities,Section ® Color — the theory and practice of painting 3. Intensity ‘The thied dimension of color is intensity. This word refers to the strength, saturation, or purty of color A pure ed of full interity aives-our eyes the sensation thae it i “redder” than when diluted with gray, oe some other color. There is more red pigment in the pure red It has greater ability to reflect the zed ays of ight ‘Mest colored pigments are of maximum intensity as they come foun the tube, In panting «picture, you will ekdom we your colors in ths pure tate, unless you are striving fora particularly Iniliant effec, To reduce the intensity of any pure pigments you may add black, cr white, or gray. Two pages back we di fussed the value changes in the bars of red, yellow, and blue [Now turn back to that char, and noice that the calors become tecaker in intent, atthe same time as they change in value The imensty of any calor on the wheel can also be reduced bay mixing it with its cam plementary (its opposite onthe whee!) Foresample, rel canbe weakened or grayed by adding green All around us, we may abserve changes of intensity in fare cera abject, The leaves of the tres go through evo cycles of Jnuensy each year, The fist leaves of sping are of an imtense yellow-green. As the summer wears on, they gradually lec this ft brilliance, and become increasingly 2 grayergreen. With the first {ros of atm, the same leaves suddenly Deccone in terve asain, This ime their hue also changes and they appear 3s intense yellows, oranges, and reds. Again, they brgin to fade By miwiner they turn gray-brown, and are ay Uo ot io dk gray leal-mel “The color ina pair of “blue jean” is mos intense when they fre new, With repeated washing, the color Becomes dull and faded, Ks imtense: The colar ofa house isa its maximum in tensity when freshly painted. ‘The color of a landscape lose their intensity when sten thecugh fog or smoke, and regain it in brilliant sunlight. Colas in the distance are reduced in interity, nse 9 he sane color see close-up ‘Aspart of your practic with color, experiment with chaning the intensity of all your colors in varying degrees Do thi on your paete, or on scraps of paper, You'll be surpried how ‘many diflerent effects your patches of practice strokes wil show. “This exercise will help you to fix in your mind what you have Just ead about the Wied dimension of cl You will se, in the following pages ofthis section, thatthe color in practically every brash stroke in each painting is 2 tiferent combination of ow0 oF more colos. The intensity of faci color has heen ase by mixing ie with others. spare tiefasly important ¢o learn to contol tensity if you plan to pint landscape, sill ifs, oF portrais. Natur is full of subtle grays The eky snot simply a blue from the tube, nor gras a Teady-mixed green We have uscused the cree dimeasinns of volor separately, {in order to make each one clear. However, you must cele that you are actually mixing color as you paint, you rary change just one ofits dimensions, In most cases yu alter the hue, value, and intensity simultaneously, For example i we mix yellow sith blue-volet, we create a biish green that i lighter And grayer than the original blue-ilet, A summary Tn the fint part of this section we showed you that color has three dimensions: (1) HUE, (2) VALUE, (3) INTENSITY, Before going on, les briefly review these dimension. 1, Hue: What we commonly call the name ofa cole. Red yellow, blue, Ble-green, et are hues. 2, Value: The lightnes or darines of a col. 3. Intensity: The srenth or purty ofa color. As mentioned above, when you mix colors fora painting you will usually be changing hues, wales and intense all at once, a3 you dip your brush from one color to another on your pate ‘There is no need for you literally to stop and measure the change of hue, value and intensity each time. With practice you will soon know what effet ne coor as on the other, and mix tue of colors will become as familie and automatic 36 writing fe word aller another to erate complete sentence. ‘owever, f you undestand and recognize these dimensions you wl be able to create the colo effets you wan, quicy and iectvey. Therefore, be sure you understand what we have ‘explained so far, befor proceeding. What follows “That which has gone before has deat with the basic struture car. The text whic flows will sow yas how to apply this knowledge to the actual pigments you mix and ase in your painting. We will demonstate how ene color affees another, how certain colors appear to come forward ina pict, and how others recede, We wil show hiow colors change under die ferent light conditions. The emotional effects of color will be overed also the control of moors, andthe use of color propor tion in a composition, Flowing tis you wil ce demonstrations ‘which explain the important steps in painting landscape, still He aad portraitFamous Atists Course in Commercial Art, Ilustation and Design Section 8 910 Section 8 Color ~ the theory ond practice of peinting One color affects another Whensver you use one color in a painting. it will always be alfected by the colors arvund it As you gain painting exper fence, you willbe able to sticipace dese elects of one coler on For example, when you fst lay in your shadow tones om piece of white paper oF canvas they may appear too dark, This fe de to the white area around them. Az soon a you have covered the whole eam, the shacows begin to take ther proper place and appear jue right. This Mision of a change of values fs the most cogimon problem forthe painter in handling color Hever, the hes and intensity of every color are also affected by the colors nést ti. You will nd uh painting i a process of making constant adjustments of hue, value, andFomous Artists Course in Commercial Ar, Ilvstration and Design Section @ Advancing and receding color rey eae de thy eerste ce ee rea ee re eter cab area REE apiaeaees War ela eed, orgs, al yllow, neal appese stein pecan eescr nl nemeapec a sue et come lighter and grajer, ot less Iniense. "This § due 10 the Poae atmosphere between the object and our eyes, The ase of thee folorchanges to create the illusion of distance in a panting in tallad aerial peripeice. The picture below demonstrate howe this principle works in a painting. Alhogh the earth in the plowed eld is he same throughout, the foreground uppents Inost intense in color. See how the color gradually becomes raver, cooler, lighter, in the distance, The sme principle has Been used to eeate the illusion of greae datance beewsen the Hea arkn Section ® Color — the theory and practice of painting a Color under different light conditions “The color of every object you see is determined by three important factors: 1) the local color of the object: 2) the color ofthe direc light under which the object is seen: 8) the local color of ‘any aifaces which reflect light back upon the abject. [AL the left, above Is solid eae showing die direction of the light, and its elect on the three sishle planes. Below this eabe is another ee et on a rellecsng surface. The light xource is the taine. The shadow plane atthe eight the only plane receiving flected light. ‘All the colowed cules below retin the same value relationships in the light, halftone, and shadow planes, nardless athe color of the light wncler which they are seen Ta pane the cubes iuninated by yellow ight, we added a small amount of yellow pigment to the colors ofthe top and let vertical planes, It we added the same amount ofr orange, bie or green, we would cre te the illusion thatthe ewke wae seen under red, orange, be, or gree light. In the bottom row ofeubes the color of the shadow plane showing rected light depends on hice factors: 1) the color of the direct light; 2} the local color of the reflecting suslacey 5) the local color ofthe plane receiving the velected light. To paint the shadow plane showing rlleced Tighe, we added a small amount of reflecting surface color tothe shadow pls The influence of direc ight on color D fe (2 ‘Shine ow Noles ht ben ese per mae he yl fat ri hein at echt sl ced by Hara) smal set of Yt eit ta ao at he fo ‘The influence of reflected light on color 2 [2 @ S ¢ SDifferent lights create different colors efore you stant any painting, decide fst onthe eft you wish vo ceae, then onthe colors needed wo produce this elec. Make it a practice t stady the colo dilferences caused by varlous typeof lighting sac a munlight, aria light, moon Tigh, re light, the light on 2 cloudy da, et. A you view the scene under these diferent lighting conditions, analy it ie ture in your mind's eye the colors you would use to pint i Study ie through squinted or halfclosed eyes. This eliminates any confusing decals and makes it easier to compare the hue, ‘alae, and intensity of exch color. On this page, you will see ‘hat there iso such thing asa ready mixed flesh coor, or sky Color, or grass color. Each diferent eype of lighting erentes @ fnew set of colors, The only way to know and understand what happens to color under diferent conditions ito observe and remember the color characterises of each type of lamination. es icon dant ms Section 8 13,“ Section 8 Color ~the theory end practize of painting The emotional effect of color Color have 3 strong flect om our emotions. They can cesta snost any hired of mood, According to whee and How they are ted, they can make ws feel cheerial or deprened, excited or soothed, filed with longing, or at peace. In paintings quite apart from subject matter, drassing, or design, they can be te ‘oalfert the emotions ofthe viewer i any way that Is rogue Because ofthis It vita for you to fen as much about these flees a posible, to gain control of them, an to take full ad- vantage of them to ereate the mood you wantin your pitts, You are probably familie already with the more usual assoc ations beeen color and emotion, sich as red suggesting excite tment or heat: blue, elm or distance; geen, mae or coolness, yellow and orange for sun and sunshine; violet, mystery. Later ‘we discuss thee asaristions and color syubolian in detail Now, apen your ova awarenes much, much further, See the ‘extent to hich color is used in all art forms to induce mood fit emotion, Inthe thenter ys see we or lighting and coe fumes, lor semosphere and sting —even (or characteration For sence, pink may be used for scenes of sentiment ad 10. sane, a green light [or gharlines and horrer ble to suger sooalight and evening. Bright, warm colors in Hight anid cor umes ate use for excitement snd aie, snd ool grayed ones for a wood af silloen or despair. Movies we calor im the seme vay and so does color television “The visual art forms, however, ate not alone in wing the fect of color. Lack a this excerpt fram Gone With The Wind, by Mangaree Michell and sce hove strongly we react a writen Aeseription of color “Spring lad come early that year, with warm quick rine and suaden frothing of pink peach blowoms and dogwood dapling with white stars the dark river swamp and farot hills, Already the plowing was nearly finished, and the Bloody glory of the sunsée colored the frebcut furrows of red Georgi ely to even redder hues. The most hungry earth, waiting upturned fr the ‘cotton seed, showed pinkish on the sandy tops ofthe furrow, ‘ermilion and saree nd maroon where shadows lay along the sides of the wenches. The whitewashed brick plantation house seemed an island sti wild re ea sea of spiraling, curing, ‘escent billows petted suddenly at the moment when the Dinkstipped waves were breaking into suf. For here were no Tong, staight furrows such a could be seen in the yellow cay fel of the Mat middle Georgia country or im the Tush black ‘ant of the conta plantations Applications in other fields In many other forms of st, too, color is drawn upon to crete chotanal response, In hospital rooms are painted in soothing Colors vihere patents are to convalee oF wat, and in more simulating colors where they need to be cheered nd encoun ed back sno atv factories, ores an arganatons of all kints colors are wed as backgrounds to enhance product, induce welling for employees, and in general ince the cntomers desire to acqlte products In the fhion world, farment ina paniculaly apgeating color wil sell out immedi Achy, while the same garment in another lew enticing col, will hoc mov al rack. The enor wed in travel oer cam At sso strongly that we yearn to visita place ‘Weather alerts ws powerfully, as, with its shifting color. A clear day in whieh all the colors of earth and sky are biliant vearm, makes us optic ga. A day with tle light, and tere fore litle color can lower our spirits Yor no other reson. On = bilan, hot day a poo! of czol blue will leok wonderfully i Siting See how the same color can create an opposite eet however. Imagine the same cool blue pool an a cod, gray day “The warm red ofa Gre om a fot dy wil make us fel tied bat the sine re on a gray day wil make us fel ney. By using the varying colors of the tessons, ton, you can recreate the hopelul {ecling of spring, the finality of fll, the lrines of summer, oF the bleskness of winter, no matter what season ft really i. The effects of color are too numerous to list, 0 Took around you and ‘ober for yoursell as many ax you powibly can, Make color symbols consistent ‘You will fin ic helpful co study paintings, a6 well for heir ‘lor content alone, With experience, you will soon iarn that ‘ertain artists are so consistent in thelr choice of colors that you ould rcognive their work fom a distance, without even seeing the subject matter on which itis based, Try to vislie, a8 4 test howe ineffective a painting by Rembrande would be if she Inah, clashing colors of Van Gogh were substituted for the warn, low-eyed reds and browns, Note how other pane, like [ydr, Caravagiio, La Tour, and EI Greco, have chosen pales and colors that invariably give an aura of mystery tothe work Jn sharp conuast to dhse men Is the work of such palnuers 25 uly, Bonnard, and. Monet. ‘Their bright, highkeyed colors imate the majority of their work seem five, full of light. “The arist should have a good understanding of color sock sions and symbolism and keep them very much fn mind when he plans paincing. In one picture he may want to create ight and airy mood. In another he may wish to surround his subject ‘with a somber, brooding atmonphere of mystery. Certain colors immediately sugges certain moods to the average person, 20 ich of these platings cis forthe wse of eliferent ‘colors. In every picture the artist mast apply his knowlege of color an! how people respond to ii hei o achieve the ft he wit Yout may, of eoune, take ibertes with the accepted and cred ible but you should alvays have a good reason for doing this Somedimes you wil find situations where the natural color of the subject mater contradicts the effect that you want. This may be due fox numberof elements, sich asthe color of the ight, or surroundings ete. The cicus scene withthe elephant, relered tw onthe opposite page, isan example of this. Therefore, before Picking up your brush and starting to paint you shold alays isk youselt number of questions. Some of them should be: [Are these colors typical ofthe aubjecd Do they create a warm ‘or col eset? Which effect do Twant) What colors might sug fest the right mood? Ae the eolor in good taste? Should some ‘ors be grayed others made more intense? Should the overall ‘et be eolorel or muted? cs wise to make this rule for yourself and Keep to i th fully, Hefore you even squeeze your colors on your palette. try to vimalize te elect you want and how you ate gong ta create it If you fellow this rule you will be in'a good peiton to use cor to its fullest advantage.16 Section 8 Color ~ the theory ard practice of pointing Color proportion Colo in paint, ike colori decoration odes, can be abused, Cr used in good tate. Although all of the hues in the color wheel are available for we in your pictres, you will probably never employ all of them, at Ell strength, ina single picture you study the eolrs in good paintings or lastations, you il he surprived at the limited range of huss that you find in ‘most of them. In fac, one of the major robles forthe begin ner in colors, sto ave tendency to pt every pigment on hie plete into each petre "The experience rts wes fewer hues, but takes advange of the nite numberof colo differences which cam be eeated by varations of ilue and intensity. For example, a red can be ‘ated to produce pink or brow "Normally, bright, advancing colons serve their purpose best in sivall areas to attic attention — as accents. A good decrator ‘uses this principle skillfully in planning an attractive ising room, Baclground colors ae quiet, livable, and newtral Against such backgrounds, a sparkling accent, o small brilliant area of Color i mon efecive, The same principle applies to paintings Don't tse several equally intense color in the same sized ats They wll compete with each other, and their individual ee tivenes will be canceled oxt, i'd ian ar ou tenon A epee,Set palette One ofthe simplest ways toachieve color harmony, oF uni, in your pictare isto paint ie with set patete of colors This ean be done in various ways. The pictures on this page show how to create cor hartnony by adding asa aroun ‘of any one colr, oF gray tone, o all the others on Your pal ‘te, Note that te alld color has greater efet on ts ‘com plementary” (color opposite on the wheel) lem elect om the folos adjacent to, You cat vary this procedure by adding fone color al the light areas in your painting, and another ‘olor t all the shadows, These ade olots may be wari, for cool depending on the lle you dese. Ifyou wish to ‘enphasie one color in your picture, the color you choose suld cau be mixed wi every other color, except the One 10 he acente. This principle an be extended to emphaive so oF more coors You ean exeate vue harmony, and extablish the key fof your whole picture by adding a light, middle, or dark ‘vale of any fue to each color an your palette, Since the ‘coors which you add to your regular palete can vary in hve, ‘value, and intensity, che number of combinations is endles. A set plete fx no ital when the chil objective i to ‘obtain an accurate color record of mature, I that exe, 9x ‘hold match the he, values, al intensities of each color Jn your subject, as closly as posible, using any and all com binations of colos. If you wished to paint the same subject With see palete,you would adda sual amount of unifying ‘olor (or colors) 1 each of the cons in the realist paling ‘When sng a set palette, you mst be ensistent throvgh ‘out the entire picture, or the whole purpose of eeating unity and harmony by this means is deeated. v18 Section 8 Color ~ the theory and practice of pointing You can use coler in two waysUsing what you have learned about color Color can make your pictures succesful or it can mark then instantly asthe work of an art lacking the Knowledge and ability to use color ineligenl and aeiticaly. The people who see your work can be just as depres or exhilarated by its foot as they can be by the weather. You must decide arly in the development of your picture just what color “climate” you To use color eeetively you must poses a sound knowlege ofits three parts ue, valve, and intensity. Hesies having 3 fond understanding ofthese baie principles and applring them {in your pitates, you must also make sie thatthe colors you ‘hoowe are appropriate to your subject and consistent with the eater Suppose that you are painting a very relic or naturalistic piewte of a pine tree, Ie makes sense tht the colors you te should be just ae realise or matral ax the actual tre i On the other hand, if you ae interpreting the tce in 3 more percha ‘ray and ate taking deliberte berties with the design and Arswing, your ue of color shoul be just free ad imaginative, "The color reproductions of the paintings on the facing pge are excellent examples of color used in its mos effective we. 0 ‘ach cae the artist's approach to color is based on his orginal ‘oncept of the painting, In the painting ofthe fh the artists main inceres i in rea ing the illusion of vealiy. He is reporting very litertly what he saw. Because he drew the forms just as they actually appear, he sd his color in the same way. “Try to imagine this picture withthe fh’ spots a bright red ‘We ae sure you will agree that no matter how beauifl a red ic might be, or how wel it elated tothe rst ofthe pte in ‘ale and intensity, it would be avery incongevous adition to an otherwise completly factual picture In dhe second painting the art hes taken his forms and de ‘ge chem in avery personal way. He war not ering to minke a ealistic picture, although he used yea ebjets a a. sare pint, His prpene here wa to create 2 highly fndivetval ard original design of interesting shapes, extures, and color com binaons Since the artist was not tying to pine am illusion of realty he no longer nee 0 represent the objecte with their factual ‘oor and wat able to selet and wie his color in more personal and abitrary way. For insane, he found theysrong contrast ofthe yellow against black and gray exciting, and dl not hes ‘ate fo use it eventhough this color combination was not present in his abject, Asyou paint more ad mote pictures you will nd your work developing a disney personal syle. With experience a in ‘ened confidence you. 100, will fel free to give color fuller ‘ein not feel compelled © copy what you se, but originate, invent and crente exiting color combinations “The succes ofa picture depends very much upon the psycho logical effect it has upom the penple wh ae it. they ae colee and color patterns which plese them, dey are attracted tothe picture consciously or unconicioly. Te i your job to sce hat they are atraie Choosing your medium “Just asthe picture can often dictate how you interpret colo, it ‘an al to some extent dictate your choite of medivm. ilects ‘ary greatly with the mestiam, and in planning 2 picture you should decide which one wil suit it best. Eventually you should become familiar with all mediums. As you acquite experience, you ean tell very quickly which mediom anv which color oer ‘he ost intelligent solution wo the problem of the moment Oil paint isthe tradicional painting medium. Ic is mos vers tie inthe effets you can achieve with fe can be applied thin Iy or thickly, so tha surfaces ranging from perfectly smooth Nat ‘ones to heavily textured ones ae readily created. Becase of the ‘opacity of oil pant ie exty to make changes, but ic does take ich Tonger to dry than any of the water-soluble mediums The word “tempera” generally means any opaque watercolor or gouache, Temper is usally applied rather ¢hinly;excenive piling up of paint results in cacking and Making. 1 dis ‘quickly and has a lovely mat surface. Another opaque water soluble metivm which hes Tound widespread use fs enc te pera ecan Be handled cinly Ike ordinary tempera or, Becase OF the suengh ofits casein inder, built up like ois Te ean be ted ny Helin combination with other water eolory or as 20 tunderfainingfor el pal “Transparent watercolor is wefal when light and airy fects fare ded. Its spontancity and immediacy lend themacives ‘quite beauiully 6 certain atmospheric eet, Acrylic or poly. ‘her paints ae becoming increasingly poplar, They cn he we fn various ways ata thin wask or thick opaque, for example CColoret inks and aniline colors an dyes are sometimes tid individually, but frequently they are combine with other me ium in she sume picture, As you experiment with the various ‘moti you will oon discover which are best for your ov work. You should try each medium and become Famili with allot them, Using color to suggest mood One ofthe ways you achleve noo in plcture Is by composition or the placing of your objects and forms. You ean also sugges rood by the we of color. Ava rule, you would not do 3 quit sentimental ssene in hot Feds ad yellows snd you would not ‘ee cool grays for an exciting, olen pictre ‘At we atid before, color has strong flee on people snd causes definite reactions, Red, for example, iva oniveraly se cessful color in advertising becuse ofits elementary qualities of20 Section 8 Color ~ the theery end practice of painting strength and visbility and its appeal to the basic instincts of people. Red suerte strong emotions a, by varying the sade, {yor can soggen variations of such emotions. A bright, clear te fenerally is mos pleasing. while a dark dncy ved ean suggest powerful emotions auch as passion and hate ‘Orange has great warmth. It Lends ise well vw grayed tones and is usually goad color to ase when friendly or warm human qualities are w be exprened. Ie abo an eppetisng color andl ees well with pictures of font and interiors. Yellow sa cheer ful, happy color, suggesting sunlight and life, A yellow sec again dark or black background sands out mote cestly and sthrply than vitally ny other color in combiaation Green is natures color and gives an effect of outloors and rowing plans In its yellowegcen tones it combines well wih Yellow to provide acheesfl atmosphere. In its cooler or bls fren is effet is neater to that palace by bse, which is a flor suggesting distance, ar, water, and a quiet, pearl ‘mosphere Blue can slo give picture 3 gloomy, somber quality ‘when is tones are dark ne grayed, Purples and violets are alo useful for expressing dark and serious moods in 2 picture, The revolet are very ti and hence can be used to indicate (uxury an elgnce of back round. A prestomsinance of grayed blue purples i likly t0 be depresing. Avoid them unless you are purposely tying 10 seggen ich a mood, All of these colors can be darkened ot grayed, and then they produce difeenc eels Richnem or jn some eves 2 serious oF floomy atmosphere will be suggest, pusticularly it the set Founding colos are similarly grayed or darkene In doing wil life of foe or drink, ail siggesions of blue, greene tr purple inthe food or drink unles they actually appear that tay. These cold colors wggest mol and decay, jest the oppor site ofthe freshness nd srt sich you protaly deste to — Colors affect each other All color in nature iy alloted by its surroundings aml jn tum has its elect on its surroundings. Think of 4 olor ot only as color by itself, but abo in elation to its neighboring calor in the picture — how i alee the sind is allied! by them. We will not consider the chemist of color oF it wine aspects involving the breaking down of light nto the spectrum stead, we will approach the subject more dseetly by comeing jus how the colors which you buy in an art supply sore can be uscd in making piewres. ‘When you paint one olor next to another, often i does not appear the sime as it would by ieell. Our eyes teset strangely in such eases For example, you place side by ile te om tasting colors of the seme volur, sch as bright red and bright green you will nd that they vibrate or °jump,” andthe elect is disturbing and confusing. Bue i€ you mie 9 le white or black with one oF the other to change the value, the efeet hecomes much more pleasing . Always keep enough difference in values between adjining cols to avold this “jumpiness” unless you ae striving for such an eect. When the colors are mare grayed and nso Tight, they can be combined in neatly the’ same values much ‘more suceestlly, but in placing contrasting colors side bse itisalways best to darken or lighten ene to eeate a variation in their cna relationship. This gives added interest 0 both colors You can combine two contrasting colors oF to complemen tary eolos suecesully by adding a He of each color 10 the other IF Uy are used in thei pine form, the contrast may be too hash. The slightest alieration will often elect a proper Trlanee ‘We lave fotgel by experience how certain colors affect ‘other when placed together Extier we saw that probably the strongest contrat is obtained with yellow” on a black back frou ~ itis even stronger tan white on the se background Yelle has dhe quality of “carrying” well and can be seen at reat distance. But yellow on white is hardly visible ata di tance. Each color is aleve i nppewane when placed agai 4 light background or + datk one. Light colo look darker agains light backgrounds and lighter agin dark backgrounds Much seronger color ea be wsedl gins a black backgrowin or with a black separation oF outline than i the black were some ther color Some modem painters achieve a sort of stands lect by swing very pure color separated by heavy black The results cam he very beautiful because the colors do not scem to defeat themselves as they would when used without the foil of the black to separate and enhance them. If you use 2 gray next 0 ‘song color the gray will then tend to appear ore like the Complementary of the strong color than it i€ were by isell Sometimes itis necessary to alter such grays to overcame the optical iluson resulting (rom such contra Handling black, grays and shadow areas Black theoretically the absence of color — will be considered hee as coor. I is one of the great colors in art ad you should learn to ae it intelligently, You can get it in a cube ari ean be mised in many ways Its one of the great foils for oxher coors, purtcularly brilliant ones, an gives them added interest by accentuating their qualities ack can be ased a 9 means lor darkening or graying other colors or a neutral gray can be made by mising black with white, Grays made from black and Uehite ate Tikely 1 be very cole and lacking in quality wes. Used with other grays or tones of color which enhance ten, Howeter, many artis prefer to obtain grays and mile tones by the we of color ivell By this we mean grays anade from ‘lors which ragther give the effect of grays. Colorful grays may always be mixed by using complementary colors ad hite to- ‘ether, leaning toward one or the ether calor to make the graye oreo lows ste never 9 sold or opaque color, Invariably they are lighted in some wa by the reflection of surrounding cols, Of coune, when you doa decortive piture oF a design you shoul net be governed by a realistic color appyoach. The Alsi ive, and not the shadows as we observe then in nature will dicate the color In a painting intended 1 reproiace natural effets, shadow areas ca fequently be a means a intro Acing interest where otherwise it would be imponible to do so. Shalows often provide an opportunity for your imagination tohave fee tein, Avoid the hans purplish tones which can make a shadow 30 unattractive. Ia shadove is warm, suggestion of cooles at its edge. where i norm into the light, will help give it more Tuminenicy and rete ight, and avoid an unnatural opaque quality. A warmness along the edge of 2 cool shadow will eeate the sine effect. Remember thee points when painting shalows. Usually the pigment should be chin in shadows and heaxy in the areas of Hight. The most suongly lighted areas are theFamous Artists Course in Commercial Ar, Illustration ond Design Section 8 ost prominent and reflect the most light, so they require ‘hicker pint to sugges thi. Do not allow your lights 1 beeome thalky, pale or Lacking in cole Keep your shadows th ant transparent. A strong color ie alays best next to 4 weaker one Several strong colors tagether defest each other and the rest isa muddle of gry. An overall simenes in pint quality as bl as monotonous teatures. Keep your paint thin where areas are quiet ane wn Jmportant, Lao it oF ty to achieve variety im exten where secents are needed, Th a ieture Blled with complicated azess of coor, you need occasional velit. Keep wome parts simple ad fla o make the busy ones stand out by contri. Choosing a palette Inthe beginning; lini yoursel 19 working with rather sal selection of colors. Trade martes fr colors vary, so you may Be ale to determine ihe exact color you need by conslting cn pay color chart or tying the color on paper yourelt: When You have learned to contol she simple base palette which we Aeseribe Inter, you'll find it seful t0 ad other colon. dn ge cal these should be colors which give you 2 warm ae cool at sation of each basic hue —for example, your more advance plete might inclde a warm yellowgteen as well 36 4 cool Dluegreen.a pale yellow and a deep yellow. hot or orange red and cool or purplish red, and ao fovth. Such variations a0 these, tagether with black and white wil take care of mos of your needs, OF the whites, ttanium is probably the best for allaround use: Lead yehite (Cheemnits white) is excellent but i extremely pokonous i i should enter your sytem through = ext or though the kings Titstiua ie move opaque and covers by than elther lead or zine white. Its one drawback ists tendency to dry slowly. Zine white has exellent consintency and is very teful when opecty is wot deel You need not buy the mos expensive paint, although got ‘olor helps Try to elles a compromive beeween cost all: ity. Do mot serfce ton much in quality oF pay price that is too high, There are many brands for you to try before you can ncover the one which may prove elective for your purpose Doing a picture in color In the beginning, i wil be best for you to we the simple ponble color scheme an treatment fn the rendering of ll tour work ‘When you work in clbr fom mature, do note infunced ‘oom by the loa color, hat the exact cob of the ob ‘hich you ae pang Interpret this color n your own ter, Bd bermore cancered by what dhe pce nesta fn pt {ig doen exacly what you se The coro objeto ors intends steely bythe effet of igh pon them tit 0 al a attire the etal eal color wl be alo eniely ts, Hw be die to 2 ea extent by th alr ofthe ight anu the manner in which the texte ofthe orm tellct oF orb the Tight. : ‘Where the surface shard and ret ight strongly ou will dune litle xa color, Wher the surface sot snd aor th light il be mich te fected sid wil appt nore nor SMadows will be found to tral twa the complemenarie of {he igh pntcalry alg ther ees, lchgh thi harly Sule Buc your own eae of color, the olor which wl make the bes pctre is tore important thm bering haw color tescts chemically oF scientifically. [eis tte that counts wos. Avoid those acdappearing contrasts Ie regres grea ats to place bright orange next to bright green, ot you eam make these colors beatiful together by soning each one 30 thit neither rig ovt. When many af the abject im your pce are Jacking in tor or ane of subdued color, you can se conser able atea of bight, pure color as a fil and for eonerast Or if there are many areas of bightcolored objets and foes, large, Simple grayed tone wil make them much more hei, Tn doing a pietare incor, the background colori import and should be eablishe ft of al. Then you will be ble t0 Selec and relate the colors in font of it more easily. Vales are Ccuremely important in any color scheme} to deternine how they sil work ont, you will find ie helpful to mnie several of os important colors and try tein next to each other sheet Of paper. Othersie you may discover, after paning = large area of your pica, tha ie must be dane over because of the ‘wrong choice of color oF value When you make grays, some lovely colors ca be created by using cextain combinations White and raw timber proce & fine, warm gray. With burnt umber it becomes sight pink, fin foil for cooler. more neutral gry Some ofthe dat, shi ‘oy tones whieh ave very usetul in 2 picture can be obtained With combination of cabal ble, hie and burn enn, The tone can be made blue or owen by leaning toward the blue or the sienna. You ean alo make grays by painting oe hin color ‘over another in the picture, instead of mixing them on he palewe. ‘These gris, called “apical gras by the ol masters, have infinitely more variety, color an transparency than mixed Beautiful rch blacks can be created with ulttaarine bine sind burnt sienna or burnt ube. Sometimes you will find it dificult to make a light golden row color appear bright enough. By using pe fae senna for a mixture of yellows with browns such as burnt si Ihure amber, and by keeping the color thin, you ean a och brighter elle The color should be thin enough to allow the white paper or ean to show through, In fat, whenever you wish tosmake any color bright and glowing, i is Bet to Keep Te theo the white background comes through to provide ‘eansparency, OF course, you can make lighter tones very bright swith thicker paint but inthe mille or dark colors best to try wo retain 2 Feeling ofthe white background underneath To achieve brilliance an purity in colors, me then with other colors om the seme sie ofthe wheel, For example, co pro duce avery bright green, you should se a pale lemon yellow and either a yellowgreen or a bluegreen, not a purple blue You woth! not achieve as brian am orange by combining Ye Tow and alizatin crimson 3 yo woud by mising venilion and sellon. To gray an orange, add a bie of complementary bine From the opposite sie of the color wheel ‘When yott mix a color, decide in advance which of you are mising most yesembles the desied color. Th With that particular color For example, in mining 2 yellow freon tart with yellow ifthe color you estes toe very light pale Stare with green i the realtng color isto be on the free side. Adding white wil hep in sth combination, bak ‘do not ase much; i will cause your color to be chalky and lacking in richness. Again, if you are mixing a blue-green, start with blve i the final color isto be more blue than green, but iT the result i to be on the green sie, start with that color