What Do You Know About Color?

[Arlene]

Understanding Color when doing colored pencil is IMHO the most important thing ...

You can be a master renderer, but if you don't understand how one color reacts with another, then you won't wind up with the results you desire in colored pencil...

soooooooo...tell me about your color knowledge. Do you know what analagous color is, complimentary color, tint, hue, monochromatic color, contrast, etc ?

Do you know what happens when you put yellow next to purple or when you mix an orange and blue?

[prospector]

Not only have I noticed what happens when ya put complimentary next to each other, but what happens when ya put them over each other.

I have found there are a lot of greys in nature, and to mute the hue that is too blaring just layer a comp. to mute it. If ya use a limitid pallet like I do it makes keeping harmony in ye colors easy. It also helps to establish yer dark values first.

[Arlene]

Yep...good for you Jack.

Ok anyone else?

[lene]

Hi
I know the parts of whats analouge, complementary, tint, hue and contrast (that does not mean I can always incorporate it into the drawing the best way in practise ;) )
As far as colors influence on each other when placed side by side - and how colored paper influence the colors - I still have to reach for support on that subject.

What I find difficult is layering to get the excact color I want, so therefor I write down to get to know which pencils to reach for, when I want for example a variation of red fur.

At my recent "stage" I find green colors the most difficult to mix - to get what I percieve as "natural greens". Especially when a green subject is vivid green in nature, I often get it too vivid and unnatural looking in my drawing. I will then try to tone it down with red - or I hatch with analoge color - but sometimes it then gets too dull. So that is really a "try and test"-challenge for me.
Getting to know colors - and especially colormixing - IMO takes lots and lots of practise... even when I think I know some of the theory ;)

[Henrie]

I know I don’t know enough about color – yet!

I think I understand about complementary colors (at least in theory) and also primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Tint is a color plus white, shade is a color plus black… uhm, when you use a dark red to darken a green, do you get a shade of green, or is that called something else?? :confused: :blushing: :confused:

Like Lene I really struggle with natural looking greens. I seem to need at least four colors do make a close to decent green.

[Arlene]

when you use a dark red to darken a green, do you get a shade of green, or is that called something else?? :confused: :blushing: :confused:

Like Lene I really struggle with natural looking greens. I seem to need at least four colors do make a close to decent green.

In most cases depending on how much red you add, you'll still get a shade of green. It won't be a pure color, but then again nature isn't like that either. What it will do, is giive you a really good shadow color.

if i'm doing a leaf, i've been known to use up to 6+ colors in it...not all greens.

[prospector]

In most cases depending on how much red you add, you'll still get a shade of green. It won't be a pure color, but then again nature isn't like that either. What it will do, is giive you a really good shadow color.

if i'm doing a leaf, i've been known to use up to 6+ colors in it...not all greens.

Green seems to be the hardest color in nature to match. With my plein air work I have noted that the sky color, and sun light has a lot to do with the hue you see in nature. I have taken samples of leavs, and grass blades back to the studio fer refference, and they never match the hue in the refference photo. Like I said before there are more greys in nature than pure color.

When mixing color in plein air painting ya have to use yer artist brain not yer tech brain. A limited pallet helps matching color in nature.

[Henrie]

Arlene – Thanks for clearing up the shade business. I tried to find the answer in my books, but couldn’t. It’s good to have an expert at hand! :)

Jack – Greys in nature? Never thought about that – except in clouds. I’ll start looking for them.

For now, I’ve decided that getting my values right is more important than matching the colors exactly.

[Arlene]

Arlene – Thanks for clearing up the shade business. I tried to find the answer in my books, but couldn’t. It’s good to have an expert at hand! :)

Jack – Greys in nature? Never thought about that – except in clouds. I’ll start looking for them.

For now, I’ve decided that getting my values right is more important than matching the colors exactly.

try doing the values project..the one where you use a color + complement and white to do your drawing.

[Henrie]

I do value scales from time to time, but not often enough :o . I’m still not quite happy with the results, but when I think I’ve got them right, I’ll post some – I might even throw in a couple of color wheels ;)

[llodercpart]

When we had a demo at our last meeting, one of the things I got was about the number of colors the camera can see and the number of colors our brain can see.

We can distinguish something in the neighborhood of 64 (this could be a much higher number like 64,000 but this is what I got) colors, whether those are hues or shades, i am not sure. The camera with the best lenses and printed on the best printer can only do 7, at most.

This is why a photo is so flat when in fact you know it was so much more colorful in real life.

I think it is up to us as artists to put 'back' that reality of color that cannot come from the photo.

I realize that this is not new information but it was like a little light bulb :bounce: went off for me when I 'really' got this concept.

This is also why your work can not be reproduced 100%. This used to really bug me :annoyed: when I worked at a print shop.

<<<always learning something is my motto..... :rolleyes:

-linda

[Arlene]

Linda, I didn't comment on this earlier because everything you say is correct. It is another reason to learn to draw from life first.

[lovingspots]

I have always found the book Blue & Yellow Don't Make Green
By Michael Wilcox very helpful with color theory.

Just some trivia for you all on colors artists used through history (discovered in my research as museum docent at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston)

yellow ochre is one of the most ancient pigments used by the egyptians, greeks and romans. Naples yellow was found on Babyolian bricks. Browns such as umber, sienna, iron oxide were natural earth colors but they also used a brown called mummy brown. You guessed it, made from bodies of mummies ground up in poppy seed oil. Portrait painters considered mummy brown the finest product a portrait painter could get for getting a good flesh tone for portraits. I won't go through all the colors, but you get the idea.

[Tamara]

Being a sculptor first, second and third and a painter after that I really struggle with color. Many times it's more gut feeling about what looks good together.

I really need to learn more about colors, that's why I'm here! :)

Mummy brown, gulp :eek: ........ um, think I'll pass on that one.

[nina]

In creating my artwork, where color always plays a major role, I find choosing colors to be instinctive or it seems to come naturally to me.
:)

This doesn't mean that others always like my choices of color, however.
;)

:bye1:
*Please don't hit me over the head, anyone*
*cowering in the corner*

[catwoman]

You know, I spent my life seeing color and tints, values, etc. so naturally that I KNOW what I'm looking at, I know how to make it happen by layering certain colors, but adding others to make something pop, etc... but darned if I could ever explain it to another person!

It took me years to finally accept that it was a natural thing and not fear it (I was a silly college student and afraid to use my natural talent for fear it would let me down and I'd have to *gasp* struggle with something). Its helped me be a good interior designer - my interior finishes are always right on with the right mix of everything.

I'm just now starting to come out of the box... you know the one where you THINK you NEED all 120 Prismacolors to make a drawing happen? I'm starting to rely on my own eye more and more... and the results are becoming so much better when I let go of the whole 120 colors and pick a few standards to work with. Somehow, thats been blowing my mind. Silly me!

[nina]

...............................................
I'm starting to rely on my own eye more and more... and the results are becoming so much better when I let go of the whole 120 colors and pick a few standards to work with. Somehow, thats been blowing my mind. Silly me!

Good for you!
:D

I think it is very natural and normal to encounter feelings of self-doubt in the creative process.

I wish you the best of luck and alot of fun as well, throughout your artistic journey!
:D

[Katydid]

color basics with paint are one thing, i am finding it much more difficult with cp. mixing on a pallet you can keep adjusting.

what about yellow how do get it look like yellow, if i mix it with anything other then shades of yellow (ochre, orange, etc) i get a muddy murky mess :confused:

Quote: Arlene "Do you know what happens when you put yellow next to purple or when you mix an orange and blue?"

yep walked into a door and had beautiful shades of all the above - of course you don't want them on your eye :D

[Arlene]

Quote: Arlene "Do you know what happens when you put yellow next to purple or when you mix an orange and blue?"

yep walked into a door and had beautiful shades of all the above - of course you don't want them on your eye :Dlol...not that you walked into a door!

[Lumosart]

I've absolutely no knowledge of color or how to make it work for me. I would love to learn, but I've no idea where to start.

[Bill C]

I've absolutely no knowledge of color or how to make it work for me. I would love to learn, but I've no idea where to start.


I can't think of a better place to start than right here...
http://www.scribbletalk.com/showthread.php?t=4

have fun!!! :D :D