lundi 18 janvier 2016

The Basic Tenets Of Advanced Color Theory

By Ronald Howard


Painting is an exercise that involves more than the application of colors on a surface. It is an exercise where your inner perceptions and views are actualized in a picture or a surface. Advanced color theory enables you to appreciate and take advantage of qualities of the outer light that objectifies and gives form to matter. This is a different approach as opposed to the basic understanding when colors were defined in relation to either primary or secondary elements.

The game of colors changed with the discovery or advanced use of magenta and green. The new dimension enabled people to appreciate the essence of colors beyond what is perceived with naked eyes. It is this intrinsic essence that makes different colors unique and lovely. By appreciating this aspect, you will produce a fantastic image from ordinary colors.

Mere observation was used to define colors over the years. People did not appreciate the defining and unique qualities of different colors which meant that a lot was lost during production of colored works. The subjective nature of human perceptions led to obvious errors that could not be explained. The application of similar colors produced different results depending on the surface on which it was applied. The disaster arose from failure to appreciate elements like lightness, hue and saturation.

Individual colors have distinct characteristics that differentiate them from others. Hue is this element or characteristic that makes blue different from yellow or red. The difference arises from dormant wavelengths that are emitted by the surface or reflected as light falls from another source. Addition of white or black on any color will result in a tonal family that is a product of more or less hue, saturation and lightness.

Saturation is how bright a color is in respect to its own value or lightness. It can be simplified as the difference in brightness relative to gray. Colors that are near gray are less saturated while those further away from middle gray are more saturated. Simply put, saturation is the freedom from interference or dilution by gray.

The use of any color on a surface is guided by the basic elements of this theory. A significant element is the holes and jumping out of colors on a surface. Jumping out is where a distant object appears closer to the foreground because similar color intensity was used as that of objects on the foreground. A hole is where an object is painted using saturated colors yet it is in the background. Such errors will affect the aesthetics of your work.

Shadows are an intricate part of the theory. Every painting should depict the direction of light. Classic painters would draw their images and persons with shadows. This should be consistent throughout your work. While painters work from memory and perception, there must be semblance to the truth. Further, the highlights of shadows and light depend on the shape of the object. The shadows will further be shaped by the surface on which they fall.

Optic illusions will affect the realistic appreciation of your work. These tricks to the eyes change your intention and will end up eliciting a different interpretation of your painting. For instance, a lit window on a night painting appears bigger than it actually is. As such, you should draw a smaller window since the illusion will enlarge it. Failure to appreciate illusions will create imbalances in your coloring.




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