Famous Artists Course Famous Artss Schools, Inc, Westport, Connecticut Color —the theory and practice of painting Lesson Albert Dorne Fred Ludekons Norman Rockwell Al Parker Ben Stahl Stovan Dehanos Jon Whitcomb Robert Faweett Petor Hock George Giuti Austin Briggs Harold Von SchmitFomous Ariss Course 16 Color — the theory and practice of painting An introduction to COLOR Every artist who uses color should have a clear understanding (of what color is, how to organize i and how to employ i to bast advantage, Color is highly personal and variable element. There are, however, certain basic principles inthe handling of eolor which you must master, The material presented jn thse pages will explain those principles. Your ukimate development asa colors, ofcourse, will depend to a large extent upon jour own imagina, tion, ingenuity, and taste What is color? olor is a sensation we experience when our ees are struck by Tighe waves of varying lengths. Wesce abject because nate has sven usa very sensitive and complex “receiving stem” inthe form of our eyes, nervous sytem, and brain. Ou ees pick up light waves and translate them into a seeation of sights just fur ears pick up sound waves and translate them into a sensation of sound Jn onder for ws to “see” anything, there must be light, The faye of lig which come wo us from the sn we cll “white ight.” Yer, strange as it may seem, this white light contains al the cel= fom that we see around! us. Ths is demonstrated wen you se ibow during a summer shove, or by shining ray of white ligh through a triangular pice of gla, calle a prism Se Tsaae Newtoa, in 1667, fist discovered hove pure white light could be Aivded into diferent groups of calor waves by using the pita in this way All colored objects contain “pigment™ which has the ability ‘to sonk up certain rays of color, while reflecting others The pi ‘ment in the skin ofa red apple, for instance, reflects only the red taps, and absorb all the eters. green apple, on the other hand reflects only the green rays to our eyes while absorbing the others ‘Some materials are especially sich in pigment, These materials are carefully select and purified ino the paints you buy at Your local art store. They have been manufactured from various plants, animals, and minerals, When you mix these pigment, you are mixing pure “color Tn other words, you are working with purified pigments which have the special propery of te Acting the particular colored waves you want tose, while ab- sorbing all the others. From nov on, nls acherwise noted all ‘our calor discussion wil be in terms of pigment, and not of light Color organization Most people describe color in a vague, general way, They we such terms as “Baby Blue,” “Apple Green.” “Grass Green,” “Canary Yellow,” “Coral, “Peach,” “Rus,” ee. Any person ‘sho works profesionally with colon, however, whether Me ues itn making paintings of for some other purpose, must be more precise. He faced with the problem of using and controling hhundseds of cfferet color. Scientists prepared the way for the development of logical color systems. AS long ago as 1856, a sient named Helmhole ddacovered that every color has thre diferent qualities, or a ‘mensions: ku, value, and intensity. He neglected to werk out ® practical system for applhing his theory. ‘Thereore it had lie influence on art until much later. Around the tum of the century, Albert H. Munsell, an iastrctor in art, realiced that everyone who wants to use color correctly must teemgnioe and understand these color characteristics Beginning with this theory as a starting point, he developed a complete sytem for the analysis and organization of ecor. Today the Munsell sytem is widol wed throughout the world Ite not necessary for yon to study or memorize complicated systems of numbers and Teter, As a practicing artist, you are ‘most concerned now with learning hose to recognize, judge ad control diferences inthe three dimensions of every calor: HCE, VALUE, and INTENSITY. ‘The following pages will give you the information you ned in order to do thi. IF you master this material, you wil be able to jucge and describe any color accurately. You wil also know hts to mix two or more colors together to make exactly the color you want. Finally, you willeamn how to combine diffrent colors ‘in pleasing and effective competion Tes important co remember, however, that learning to under stand and use color results not from reading about how it one, bat by actual practice of eye and hand. These pages will five you the information you need, but the most important "hing & to apply this information to your own work with calor» ~16 Fmt Arts Coun “The word “hue” is sed in these Iewons to denote the positon ‘64 color on the coor whet, Khas nothing to do with whether the coor i ight or dark, strong oF weak. Hie, im reality, i the term ued to name a coor, In speaking of people, one sys ‘What ithe name of the man?” In art we sy, “What isthe hve of the coon? Yellow, blue, green, violet, reckorange, andl so on, are dite. cent fives They le at different points on the wheel. Inthe same ‘way, we ca ditnguish variations of hue within a single base ‘olor. For example, yellow-green and yellow-orange The closer together hes are located onthe color wheel, the more related amd harmonious they are, becatse each color com: tains some ofthe color lying nest to it On the other handy hes ‘which are separated (ron each other are more dandy relate. Colors which ave opporte each ater acro the wheel have a solutely nothing in common. They form the strongest contrast possible, and create a neutal gray when mixed together Warm and cool colors When artits speak of "waren and “col” color, they ate again dliscssing the qualities of hue, rather than of value and in tensity, If yo will divide the color wheel in hal by an imag nay line between yellow and yellow teen atthe tp, and be- tsveen red iokt and violet at the Bottom, you will that the nue in the lle hal of she wheel, centering around orange. ap ear narn: whereas those on the Fight, centering around blue, Appent cool “This relerence to colors a warm oF cool results from associa. tion, The wor actually describe the physieal sensation we feel ‘when we are surrounded by large masse of these color. In oom with blue walls for example, we tend to Fel cook I ‘oom decorated with yellow, hot res or oranges, we feel wat "There ia good reason for this physical reaction to color, From ‘our daily experiences we anocinte yellow, orange, or red with fre. Thus they mean heat. Cold, deep water is biish or green [ak A sarc winter sky s blue, Ice has cats of green and blue. “These asocntions account for oar various emotional reactions to the temperate quality of all hues, We have more to si Color — the theory and practice of painting bout the peychological flrs of calor, later on inthe text The colors halfway between thee warm ani cool extemcs, such a yellow teen and ral-vioet, are fiely neutral they sem ‘either Yery warm nor very cool, The watm and eool qualities ‘ot coor at thee pons are very aubile. Seeing a green hive which Is lirycs wo yellow, we verve eat en o be warm a8 com pared with green further around the wheel, toward blue. Ths fre speak of mar green” ann “ool ret ‘We ean extend thisdstnction throvghout all he hues of the color wheel. For instance, consider re or violet she red leans toward the orange, it ie warm red because yellow has been faded, Iie comtaine more blue tis a cool red, Simiany, i 4 oles Teans toward the ed, tis a warm violet I ie comains moe blue ity ool violet Tn Ure mai any hue esearmed by the addition of yellow, and cooled by the addition of blue Theoretically, nether white, black, nor any neweal grays rived irom white and black, ave colors. They lack to of the bol very ase for mosifying Uh values and intensities of the colored pigments. Of the blacks, ivory black i considered war ‘er than lamp black, flake white warmer than zine whit. Tee ot enough simply 19 understand the principles of the color wheel, and wart ao! cool color, You must be able 10 eeognze them in nature and in paintings, From now on, make it habie to Know the colors cha yon se around you, in cloth ing, cars, buildings, ete. As am aris you cannot setie for the seer color description of re, yellow, or bv. You must learn fo recognize several diferent reds that range ftom cool, volt res, to wart, reorange. Certain painting subjects call for a twarun color scheme, others require ool hues throughout. You thay even combine both warm alcool hues a single painting. the problem calls for sich striking contrasts. Te all depends ‘upon the ultimate effect tha she ast fh i mind. The impor ‘a point i to control the warmth or coolness ofthe Bue, Tater you will se how this knoveledge wil help you to paint asl ie az ponerait, and create the effect of sunlight and Shadow in lndscapeLinen 1 Fomovs Arisa Come 6 Color — the theory and practice of painting So ala mange iw ey poor Value “The fist dimension of color is hue, The second dimension vudue. For any aust working i color, sale Ye the mou! impor tant dimension. Iv is impowible 19 overemphasize this simple fact. Mistakes made in choice of hue ot imensity are fa les serious than errors in value. At all cous, learn to Keep your Taluescortect! When we use the word “value” we ave reletring only to lighanes or darkness of color. 1s that simple The words tint and shade reler to the value of «color. To rake a tnt we add white to 4 pure color; to make a shale we Value scalesFenmous Arts Coure sl blac. In nether case do we change the hue—only the value. The chart on the opposite page shows how the value of pune ‘alos from the tbe can be csniged andl controled bythe a Yom of black and ehite To handle color eflectvely you must fist be able wo sce and recognize these vale diflerences in your sajert, then interpret these diferences on your palette. We sy imenpret, ther than mate, because the re i mich ater nge of vale i than that of your pigments Black paint fs much lighter than very dank shadow: white paint many ties darker dha sunlight reflected fromm a shiny surface Color — the theory and practice of painting The arts, looking at his subject, decides which area isthe lightest and which ithe darkest Then, he deldes how light or dark he will make these extremes in his painting, and relates all the other values 1o therm. The examples on this page show you thatthe valuespread from ight to ark ca be limited to 8 high, middle, or lowe he, oF include the whole range from Diack to white. The choie depends on the effec you wih to treate: The main point wo xan team these pages i the impor lance of value control. Once you decide on value range that seems appropriate for the effect you want, keep ie consistent throughout your whole pictre though they contain iy volver, no hues or intention,» “16 Fomous Ant Course . Intensity "The thisd dimension of color is intensity. This word refers to the strength, saturation, or purty of color. A pure ved of fll intensity ives ur eyes the sensation that i redder” than when dite ith gray, o some other colo. There ie more red Pigment in the pure red. Ie has greater ability to reflect the red Faysol light, ‘Most clare pigments are of maximum intersty as they come from the tube. In painting « pictare, you will dam use your colors in this pure state, snes you are striving fora partculagly Inline effet, To reduce the intensity of any pare pigment you may ad lack, or white, or gray. Two pases back we dis fussed the value changes in the bars of ted, yellow, and blue Now turn back to tha cart, and atic that the colon become tweaker in intensity, atthe same time as they change in value The inensiy of any color on the wheel can also be reduced bby mising it with its complementary (is opposite on the wheel) For example, re can be weakened or grayed hy adding green, ‘Al around ws, we may observe changes of intensity in faa colored abject. The leaves ofthe trea go uhraugh two cycles of iinensity each year. The fist leaves of spring are of an intense Yellow-green. As the summer wears on, they sradually lose this first brilliance, and become increasingly a grayer-green. With the fet frosts of autumn, the same leaves suddenly become ine tense again, Mis ime their hue also changes and they appear as intense yellows, oranges, and reds, Again, they begin to fade By mudwiner they turn gray-brown, a are ready to rot imo dark gray leaf-mal. ‘The color in a pair of “blue jeans is most imtense when they ace new, With repeated washing, the color becomes dll and faced less intense ‘The color of house eat is maxim ite tensity when Irhly painted. ‘The color of a landscape lose their intensity when seen through fog or smoke, aul regain it jn brilliant sunlight. Colors in the ditance are reduced in intensity, 38 compared to the same color seen close-up. Apart of your practice with color, experiment with changing the intensity ofall your colors in varying degrees. Do this on your palete, or on scrape of paper. You'l he surpried how many’ diferent effects your patches of practic stakes will shaw ‘This exercise will help you to fx in your mind what you have jist read about the tind dimension of coor, YYou will se, in the fllowing pages ofthis section, that the olor in practically every brush stoke in each painting i a Afferent combination of two or more color. The intensity of tach color has heen adjusted by mixing ie with other, Tes pat- ticularly important to learn to contol intensity if you pla to Color — the theory and practice of painting Paint Landscapes, sil lifes, or portraits. Nature i full of subile trays. The sky isnot simply a blue from the tube, nor gras a ready-mix green ‘We have diseused the three dimensions of color separately, in order to make each one clear, However, you must rele that ‘when you are actually mixing color as you paint, you rarely thaige just one of is dimensions. In most cases you alter the hue, val, and intensity simultaneouy. For example, i we mi yellow with blue-valet we create blush green that i ighter and grayer than the original Dlae-ilet, A summary In the fst part of thi section we showed you that color has the dimensions: (1) HUE, (2) VALUE, (3) INTENSITY Before ging on, I's brely review these dimensions 1. Hue: What we commonly call che name ofa color. Red, yelow, blue, blue-green ete are hues 2. Value: The lghtnes or darkness ofa color. 3. Intensity: The strength or purity ofa color AAs mentionel shove, when you mix colors fora painting you wll ally be hanging his, sali and intense all atone, you dip your brush from one color to another on your pate ‘There is no need for you literally to sop and measure the change of hue, value and intensity each time, With practice ou ture of colors wll become as familie and automatic se writing ‘ne ward after another to create a complete sentence ‘Howeve,if you understand an recognize these dimensions, you willbe able co create the color effects you Want quickly and ectively. Therefore, be sure you understand what we have explained so far, before proceeding. What follows ‘That which has gone before has dealt with the basc structure of color. The text which fllowa wll show you how to apply tht Jnowledge to the actual pigments you mix and use in your painting. We will demonstrate how one color affets another, how certain colors appear to came forward in a picture, and Tow others recede. We will show how eolrs change under di {erent light conditions, ‘The emotional elles of color will be covered, ao the control of moods and the ase of color propor: tion in a compesitin. Following this you will see demonstrations Which explain the important steps in painting landscape, sill ie and portraitLosan Fomou Ait Cowie 10 1 6 Color — the theory and practice of painting One color affects another Whenever you wie one color in a painting, ie will always be covered the whole canvas, the shadows begin tn take their proper aferted by the colors armund it, Ax you gain painting expert: place al appear jst right. This illusion of 4 change of values nee, you will beable to anticipate These eet of one color oni the most coutmon problem for te palncer in handling colo, another Huncever, the Ines and inteity of every color ate ao ated For example, when you fist ly in your shadow tones on aly ue colors next to. You will ind that panting is actually piece of white paper or cauvas, hey nay appear too dark. This a” proces of making constant adjustments of hue, value, and Fede to the white ae around them, Ax roon as you have intensityLesion 1 6 Famous Arits Course Color ~ the theory and practice of painting Advancing and receding color Every painter should be familiar with the way in which some nosphere between the object an our eyes The se of these ‘colors appear to come forward. while others em to recede, He colorchanges ta ereate the illusion of dance in a paling fan use this knowledge ether to sues or subdue the feeling of called aerial perspective, ‘The pitare Hele demonstrates how depen hin pte, {his principle works in a pining. Although the earth inthe ‘Warm colors, lke reds oranges and yellows, actually appear plowed felis the same throughost, the foreground appears nearer to us than cool blues, greens of vole, cen Irom the ox intense in color. See how the color graaly comes Tn addition to becoming cooler with distance, colors also graye, cooler, lighter, Jn the distance. The sume principle hat then see to create the ison of great distance between the ome Tighter and grayet, of les intense. This is due to the nearest and fares ills and mountains, nNtenon Fomous Ass Couse 12 1 6 Color — the theory and practice of painting " Color under different light conditions “The color of every object you seis determined by thre important factars: 1) the loca color of the object: 2) the coor ofthe direct light under which the object is seen; 8) the local color of any surfaces which rellect light back wpon the objec. A the let abot, isa solid cube showing the direction ofthe light, and is eet om the three visible planes, Below this cube is another cube set on a rllecing surface, The ight source i the ‘ame. The shadow plane atthe right ithe only plane receiving reflected light NIl the colored cubes below retain the seme velue relationships jin the light, halétone, and havi planes, regardles of the color ofthe light under which they are seen, To pant the cubes itluminated by yellow ight we added sal amount of yellow piginent to the colors ofthe top and lle vertical planes. If we added the sane anount of red, orange, bu, or gcc, we would ee ate the illusion thatthe cube was een under red, orange, be, or sen light Tm the bottom row of cubes, the calor of the shadow plane showing refed light depends on twee factor I) the color ofthe direct light: 2) the loal color of the reflecting surface: 8) the local calor ofthe plane receiving the refccted light. To paint the shadow plane showing reflected lige, we added » stall smnoune of reflecting rurface color vo the shadow plane The influence of direct light on color4 ~16 Femous Ait Coven Color — the theory and practice of painting The emotional effect of color Colors have a strong llect on our emotions, They can create a most any hind of mood. Accorcing to where ain How they ave wed, they can make us fel cheertel oF depressed, excite oF soothed, filed with longing, or at peace. In paintings, quite apart from subject matter, drawing, ar design dey em be ed toalfet the emotions of the viewer in sy way that is required Because ofthis itis vital for you to learn ae much about thee ‘tle as posible, to gain control of them, and to take full a ‘vantage of them to eeate the mood you wantin your pictures You are probably familie already with the more unsal ayo ations erween color snd movin, such ted sagestng exit ‘mentor heat; blue, calm or ditance: geen, nature of choles yellow and orange for sun and sunshine: violet, mystery. Later ‘we dicuns thew awoiatons axl color synbolisn fn detail Now; open your own awareness much, much further. See the cextent to which color is wse in all art Torts to fndice sno fan emotion, In the theater you se t wed for lighting sid om tumes for atmosphere and setting —even for chsracteriation For instance, pink may be wed Tor scenes of sentiment and 10. mance, a green light for ghosdines anv horror, blue to suggest ‘ooalight and evening Bright, warm colors in light sid cor tunes ate wel for exetement and get, and cool grayed ones fora mood of stills or despair. Movies we colors inthe sue way and 0 does color television “The visual art forms, however re not alone in ang the ot: feet of color. Look a this excerpt tran Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell and see howe strongly we react a wristen “spring hl come carly that year, wits wenrm quick rans an suuden frothing of pink peach blowoms and dogwoed dappling With white sears the dark river swamp al far bills. Aeaty the ploveing was nearly finished, and the bloedy glory of the sunset colored the fect furrows of rl Georgia clay to even redder hues The moist hungry earth, siting wpe fr the ‘cotton seeds, showed pinkish on the sind top of the farows ‘ermilion and scarlet and maroon where shadows Ly along the sof the trenches The whitewashed brick plantation hone Seemed an inland set ina wild ved ea sen of spiraling curio ‘escent billows petrified widdenly at che moment when the pinksipped waves were breaking into sit. For here were 10 Tong, straight furrows, sue as could be sen inthe yellow clay fells of the fat mide Georgis counuy or in the Tush black ‘earth of the conta plantations Applications in other fields 1 many other forms of art, t00 color fs drawn upon to create notional espns. Tn hospitals, ooms are painted in soothing Colors where patents ate to convalece or wat, and i mare Stimsting ealors where they neo be cheer aid enon aged buck Ino activi. In factories, tres, and onganiztions of Al Kinds, colors are use as backgrounds to ence products induce welling for employees, and in general fntease the caniomer’s deste to aequte prodvets, In the fashion work, « {garment in a parculany appealing olor wil sellout fmm $e, while the same garment in anothet, fs enticing color will hot move of rack ‘The colors ed in wave folders ea ae tho strongly that we yea to vst a place, Weather afets ws powerfully alo, with its shifting colors. A ‘ear day in which all the color of earth and aby ae brilliant, ‘rar, makes us optimise, gy. Alay with Tile ight, an there Tore litle color cn lower our spits for no other reson. On bilan, hot day a pool of cool ble will look wondertlly in iting See how the same color can create an oppenite elect however. Imagine the same ool blue pool on a col. gray day The warm red ofa freon a hot day will make fee stifle but the same rel on a gray day will make us feel cory By using the ‘ayn colors of the seasons 10, you ean recreate the hopelal {ecting of spring the finality of fall, de lrines of summer, of the blesknes of winter, no matter what season it really is ‘The tellers of color are too numerous #0 Bit 0 look around you al obverse for youre a many ax you posibly can Make color symbols consistent You will fn it Bepful to study paintings as well, for hee color content alone. With experience, you will soon learn that ‘certain artists are so consistent in thelr choice of colors that you foul recognize thet work ftom a distance, widhoue even sing the subject matter om which itis based. Try to isle, a6 4 test, hove inefectve a pntng by Rembrandt would be i the hhaah, clashing colors of Vat Gogh were substcated for the swarm, lnceyedl reds and browns, Note how other painter, like der Carvagio, La Tour, aad EI Greco, have chosen paeten sn coloe that ineriably give an ara of mystery to thet work In sharp contrast to these men isthe work of such painters a» Duly, Bonnard and. Monet. ‘Ther bright, high-Leyed colors nike the majority of their work seem festive, fall of Tighe The artist should have a goad understanding of eolot aso ations and symbol and Keep them very much in mind when Ihe plans a painting Ta one pietute he may wane wo creat a light and airy ood. In another he may wi eo survouna his subject With a somber, baling atmosphere of mystery, Certain colors Immediately suggest certain moods to the average person, x0 cach of these paintings calls for the nse of eiferent colors. In every picture the artist must appv his knowledge of color and how people respond to iit he fs to achieve the eet he wants "You my, ofcourse, take liberties with the accepted and ered ie but you should alteays have a goo reason for doing this Sometimes sou wil find sittations where the nateral color of the subject matter contradicts the elect that you wane. Thin saay bhedue toa numberof elements, sich asthe color of the light, oF srounings et. The crs scene withthe elephants velered toon the opposite page isan example ofthis. Therefore, before picking wp sour bresh and starting to pnt, you should always tsk yourself number of questions. Some of them should be Are thew colors typical of the subject? Do they create a warm or cool effet? Which efee do T want? What colors might sug Jest the right mood? Ate the color in good taste? Should some Colors be gravel others made more incense? Should the overall tffect be eolrtul or muted? Te is wise to make this rle for youre an Keep to ie fit fully, Before you even aqueere your colors om your palette, try ta siualize the elect you want and how yo are going 0 create {4 IF you follow this rule yo wil bein 4 good postion to se coor to its Flee advantageFemout Act Course 16 a 1 6 Color proportion Golo in paint, ike color in decoration or dress can be abused, for well in good ase. Although all ofthe tes in the color wheel are avaiable for use in your pictues, you will probably never employ al of them, at fll stength, in a single pitune It you sendy the colors in good pings or illustrations you wil he surpried at the limited range of hues that you fd i ‘ost of them. In fat, one of the major problems for the begin ter in colors isto avoid 3 tendency to put every pigment on Bis pale ina each picture, "The experienced artist uses ewer hues, bu akes advantage of the infinite number of eolordilerence which cam be created by Color — the theory and practice of painting varfations of value and intensity. For example, a ved can be ‘aed to produce a pink or brow ‘Normally, bright, advancing color serve dele purpose best i small areat to attract attention — as accents A goat decorator ‘wes this principle skillfully in planning an attractive living room. Background color ate quiet, livable, and neutral. Againat suet backgrounds, sparkling aecen, or mall bilan area of calor Is moat elective. The sve principle applies to paintings. Don't use several equally intense colors in the sae sized area. They will compete with each other, and thelr individual elec tivenes willbe canceled out syd a ep ae mnSet palette One ofthe simplest ways to achieve colar burton, or unity, Jn your picture isto paint ic witha set palette of colors This cam be done in various ways The pitures on this page show hove to create color hasnony by adding a wal amount of any one colon, or gray tone to all che others on your pal fete, Note that the added color ba greater eect on co plementary” (color opposite on the weed) es elect on the ‘ols adjacent toi, You can vary this procedure by adding ‘one colo all the light aren in your painting, and another olor t all the shadows. These adel colors may he ea, for cool depending ou the elect you deste, IL you wish (o ‘emphasize one color in your plete, the calor ya choose to {edd can be enined with every other coer, exec the one to ‘be accent, “This principle can he extended to emphasire 60 oF wore coors. You can create ale harmony, and exablish the key ff your whole picture by adding a light, mide, or dark ‘value of any hue to each color on your palette, Since the Colts which you add to your regular palette can vary in hve, ‘Value, and intensity, the amber of combinations ie endlew, ‘Ase palette isnot suitable when the ciet objective eto obtain an accurate color record of mature, In that cane, you Should match the hues, vals, and intensities of each color {in your subject, x lowly 34 posible sing any and al om Dinations of colors If yu shed to pint the same subject with a et palette, you would add xsl amount of wing, flor (oF color) to-ach ofthe colors inthe realist painting ‘When using st palette, you mas be consistent through fut the entvepieare ofthe whole prpore of renting unity and harmony by this mea is defeated 7Lesion Fomous Ani Couns 18 1 6 Color — the theory and practice of painting You can use color in two waysFemovs Artis Coun 1 6 Color — the theory and practice of painting 19 Using what you have learned about color Color can make your pices succesful oF i¢ ca mark them insanely as dhe work of an artist lacking the knowlege and ability (0 use color intelligently ant artistically, The people who Se your work can be just as deprened or exhilaried by its flor a5 they can be by the weather. You mst decide carly in the development of your picture just what calor “timate” you To use color eletvely you mist powess a wound knowledge o€ its three parts hue, vale, and intensity. Bese having a good understanding of thexe base principles sax! applying them in your picuses you must also make atte that the colors yo choowe afe appropiate to your subject and consistent with the oneept of your pictur. Suppose that you ate painting a very realistic oF natural pietre of a pine te. Ie makes sense that the color you se Stone just as realistic or natural the etal tee is On the ther hand, if you are interpreting the tree in more personal way and are taking deliberate berties with the design and drawing, your use of color shoul be just a re anu iaginatve. The color repreduetions of the pntings on the lacing page are excellent examples of color use in its on elective wen. hy ich eae the artist's approach 10 color is be om hie orginal foneept of the painting In the painting of che fish dhe at's main interes isn cea: nthe ilanon of realty. He i eprtig very literally what he so. Because he drew the forms just a they actually appear, he {he his olor in the same way. ry to imagine this picture with dhe Fas spots» bright re We ae sure you will gree that no matter how benutfal are it might be or howe wel i relate tothe rest ofthe piture in ‘alle and intensity, it woud ea very incongruots aliion 0 an otherwise completely fact pcan, Tn the second painting the art has taken his fos and de signed them ina very personal yen, He was not tying so make 2 realistic picture, aluhough Ihe used real objects 6 starting Point. His purpose here was to create highly individoal and fviginal design of interesting shapes, textures, and color com: Since the artist was not uying co paint an iision of reality the no longer nce to represen the objects with their fatwa color ani was able to select and we his color in more person and arbitrary way. For instance, he found she song contrast fof the yellow against black and gray exciting, and id 10 hes ‘ate to use eventhough this colo combination was not present hin subject. As you paint more and more pictures you wil find your work Aleveloping a distinely personal style. With experince andi creased confidence you, too, will feel fce to give tol tlle rein not feel compelled 10 copy what yow see, but orginate Jngent ani ereate exiting color combinations, ‘The success ofa picture depends very muct upon the paycho logical fle it has upon the people who se it IE they se color and colar patterns which please them, they are attracted tothe picture consciously or unconsciously. I your job to ce that they ate strate, Choosing your medium Jost a the picture can often dite how you Interpret color, it ‘am also to some extent dicate your choice of mein. Effects ‘ary greatly with the medium, and in planing pictre you Should decide which one wil st thew Evenly you sould ecome familiar with all mediums As you acive experience, You can tll very eickly which medivm and which colors eter {he mos ineligent solution tothe problem af the moment ‘Oil pain she eraditonal pang medium, Tes ros ers Aten the elect you can achieve with tI cam be appli thin Iyorthicly so that surfaces ranging from perfectly sooth, at ‘ones to heavily textured ones are readily created, ecatse ofthe ‘pacity of oll paint its eny to make changes, I does take ch longer dry than any ofthe watersoluble mediums “The word “tempera” generally means any opaque watercolor or gouache. Tempera is usualy applied rather thinly exceive piling up of plat rel in cracking. ad. Baking, Te res {uiekly and hav lovely nat surface, Another opaque water soluble medium whic has found widespread eI esi ten er. Ieean be handled thinly lke ordinary tempera o, becae OF the strength ofits even Binder, bul up Hike ofl. It can be ted by ttl, combination with other watercolors or a an tnderpalntog forall pat. “Transparent watercolor is useful when tight and airy effets are deed Ts spontaneity and nimedincy len themselven te Teautfully ¢o tern atmospheric elect, Watercolor tres quickly and thus, over the years it has been one of the favorite ‘Ketch medioms of many ars Colored inks and aniline colors and dyes are sometimes wed individvaly, but equently they are combined with other me dum inthe same pictre, As you experiment withthe various tmediuma you will soon dlicover which are bes lor your own veork. You should ey each medium and come falar with, af them, Using color to suggest mood ‘One ofthe ways you achieve mood in a pete shy composition for the placing of your objects and forms. You can also suggest rood bythe use of color. Ava rl, you would not do quiet, sentimental scene in hot eds and yellows and you woul not we cool grays for an exciting, volent picture Ac we sid before, color has 4 ston effec on people and causes definite reactions. Red, for example, is a wniversaly si cessful color in advertising becae of its elementary qualities of2» "16 Fomovs Artis Couns and visibility and its appeal to the bse insinets of people. Red suggests stig emotions aa, by varying the shade, {you can suggest variations of such emotions. A bright clear red {enerally mow pleasing, while » dark, dirty rel cam suggest Powerful emotions such as passion Orange has great warmth, I lend set wel o graye tones and i ually & gon color tose when Friendly oF warm human ‘qualities ate eo be expreced, Tee also an appetizing color and {oes well with pictures of food and interior. Yellows cheer fal. happy color, suagesting” sight and lle. A yellow sec against a dark of black background stants out more clearly and Sharply than virally any oer color in 3 combination ‘and ate ‘Groen is nature’ color and gives an effect of outdoors and vowing plants Ini yellowegreen tones fe eombines wel with Yellow to provide cheerful atmoxphere Ini cooler or bls {reens its elect is wearer to that produced by blue, which & « folor siggenting distance, air, water, and a quiet peacelul at ‘mosphere Blue ca alo give a picture a gloomy, somber quality tren fs tes are dark and grayed Purples and violets ate alo weal for exprening dark and serious moos in a picute, The redvolew ave very rich and hence can be used to indicate lusury and elegance of back round, A predominunce of grayed blueqpirples is likely to be Alepressing. Avoid them unless you ate pirposely eying co suggest sch a mood, All of thse colors can be darkened or graye, and then they produce diferent effects, Richness of in some ce, stious or looms atmosphere will be sugested, partcalariy the si rounding colots ate similaely grayed of darkened. In doing a Ail life of fool or drink, avoid stggestions of blue, green blue ‘or purple in the food or drink ules dey actally appear that ‘way, These cold colors suggest mold and decay, just the oppo site ofthe fede and warmth which you probably desi co ages Colors affect each other Al color in natu is affected. by its surroundings and iene tun its effect on it surroundings, Think ofa color not only a8 2 Calor by itself, but also in relation to its neighboring colors i the picture — howe it allect them ands afer by then. We Will not consider the chemisary of color or its scientific aperts ire will approach the subject more directly by considering just hho the colors which you buy fn am ate supply store ca be used Jn making pictres ‘When you paint one color next to sother, alten i does not ppenr the sane as ie would by iuell. Our eyes react strangely in such cases, For example, Hyon place side by side evo com teasing colors of the wome nafve, sch a bright red and bright od he elect ie diwerbing and contusing. But i you mix a lle white or green, yo wil ind that they vibrate oF “um. black with one or the other to change the value, the elect becomes much more pleasing: Alveays heep enough dflerence in values beeween adjoining color t0 avoid this "jumpines,” unles you are siving for Such nelle. When the colors are more grayed and Not 0 bight, ey ean be combined i ‘nore sigceafly, but i placing contrasting colar side by sie ‘early the same values much $k isalays best co datken of lighten one to erate variation in their tonal relationship, This gives ad interest co both colors ‘You cin combine two contrasting colors oF two complemen Color — the theory and practice of painting tary colors suecesflly by adding a He of each color to the foxher IE they ae unc in thir pte form, the contrant may be too harsh. The slightest alteration will often ellct a proper tates ‘We have found by experience how certain colors affect each other when placed together, Earlier we stw that probubly the Hrongest contrast is abexined with yellow on a lack back round — ics even suonger than white on the sume background Yellow fas the quality of “currying” well and can be seen at a seat distance, it yellow on white is hardly visible at di ince, Each color is altered in appearance when placed against a light background of a dark tne. Light colors look darker agai light backgrounds a ighter against dark backgrond Much stronger color can be aed guint 3 black backgrowd oF with s black separation of outline than i the black were some lather color Some modern painters achieve a sort of stained fleet by using very pure color separated by heayy blacks. The results ‘an be very beat becnse the colors do not seem 0 detent ‘hemeler ax they would when sed without the foil of the black to separate an enhance than. Ifyou use a gray next 0 a strong color the gray will then tend to appear more like the Complementary of the strong color that Hit were by isl Sometimes itis necessary to alter sich grays to overcame the ‘optical illusion resulting from sich contrat Handling black, grays and shadow areas Black — theoretically the absence of color — will be considered here as coor It sone of the rest colors in at and you shoul learn to use i intelligently, You can ge it in a tube or it can be mised in many ways I is one of the great foils for other ‘coors, particularly brillant ones, and gives them ale interest by accentuating their qualities. Black can be wed as 3 means for darkening or graying other colors or a neutral ray ean be ‘made by aniaing black with white, Grays made from black el Inbite ste ikely to be very cold and lacking in ality wnlew {sed with other grays oF tones of color which enbance then However, many artiste prefer to obtain rays an mile tones bay the use of color itll, By this we mean grays made feom Colors which together give the eet of gray, Colorful grays may fways be mixed by using complementary colors and sehite to frites, leaning towacd ae or te other color te maa the gone tran of col ‘Shadows are never a solid or opaque color. Tavariably they are lighted in some way by the reflection of swaouneing colors OF cure, when you do t decorative picute of a design you Should not be governed by a realise color approach. The ‘esi ie, andl not the shatows a we observe hei at will dictate the color. In a painting inended reproduce ‘haural eller shadow areas a frequently be means of into dlucng interest where athervse ie would be imponible to de te. Shadows often provide an opportunity for your imagination to have tre rein, Avoid the harsh purplish tones which ean make aaow so uuattractve. Ita shadove is warm, a suggestion of coolnes at its ede, where it tens into the Tight will help give it more Ioninonity and rected light, and it an unnatural opaque sqvality. A wntmness along the edge of 3 cool shadow wil eeate the sume elect. Remember these pointe when painting shadows [Caualy the pigment should be thin in shadows and easy in dhe areas of ight. The mos strongly light areas are thetenon 1 6 Famous Arts Course Color — the theory and practice of painting ‘most prominent and rellect the most light, so they require thicker paint to suggest tis. Do not allow yur lights to become cally, pale oF aeking color. Keep your abadon rich and transparent. stiong color iy alveays best Heat to a weaker one Several strong colors together defeat each exer and the result fsa muddle of gra: An overall samenes in pe quality 35 bl as momoxonous textures. Reep your paint hia where areas are quiet al importane Load ie or ery to achieve varery in textures where serens ave nee. In pleco filed with complicated areas ‘of eolor, you need ocasional elie, Keep sone pars simple and ‘a to make the busy ones stan ot by conta Choosing « palette In the beginning, Hat yourelt to working with rather smal selection of colors. Trade name for colors vary, sya aye able to determine the exstt color You need by conling co ppany color chart or ving the clor on paper yoursell. When you have learned to control the simple base palette which we Aescribe later, you'll fn i wall to adel other colors ge cera these should be colors which give yo a warm or cool at ation of each basic hue for exsmple, your more advanced palete might include » warm yellongreen a well as a cool Dluegreen, a pale yellow and a dep yellow, hot of orange red ana cool or purplish red and x forth, Sach variations 5 these, together with back snd whit, wil take care of most of your neds OF the whites, titanium is probably dhe best forall around tse. Leal white (Chemnitz white) is excellent bt is extremely poisonous if it should enter your system through ct oF {hough the Langs Titanium i more opaque and covers beter tha ether lead or zine white Hs one drawback iy tendency to dry slowly. Zine white has excellent consiwency and is very theful ehen opscty isnot dete ‘You need not buy the most expensive paint, although gol or helps. Try to elect a compromive between cost aid ual ity. Do not sarfice too much i quality oF pay 4 price thats too high. There are many brands for you tn ty Before youu can seover the one whieh may prove elective Lor you pups, Doing a picture in color 1m the begining, 1 wl be Ve Kr you to He the spent pombe color sce aad treatment the tendering al ‘When you work fn color from mitre, donot be infin too much bythe loa color that the ext colo the objet ‘rhc you are pang. Herre this olor in your own terms vd he more omcernad by what the pcre etd than po {ing don exes what ou 9 The ol of abject or foray neces strongly by the eect of lig up the tha ot villi at inex the acta local color wil be also entirely It Hl be define gent extent bythe color ofthe gh and the manner in which the texte othe oro rele o sv the it Where the surface hard and retets ight stony, you will have litle local eolor. Wheve the surface se and abr the Tight twill be much less lected and will appr more nor Shadows will be found to tend toner the conplementaries of the lights. particulary alang thee edges, alehough thi is hardly arate Bue your own choice of coor, the color which will make the best picture is mote important than observing fw coor vreets chemically or seientically Wis taste hat counts most, ‘oid chow acd-appearing contrasts I regres ere artis to place bright orange next to bright green, but you cat mabe these color beautiful tether by soning each one that neither cris out. When many ofthe objects in yur picture ave Tacking in color or are of sualued color yo can wee a consider able atea of bright, pir color a a fs and for contrast. Or if there ate many seen of bight-colore object an Torn, Late simple grayed tone will make them much more bei In doing »pienie in color, the background colori important and should be established fst of all. Then you will be able to select and relate the colors in font of it more easly. Vales are extremely important in any color scheme; to determine how {hey will work-out, you will Tnd it help 0 mix several of Your importane color and ty thetn next to each other on a sheet Of paper. Otherwise you may discover, after painting a large tet of your picture that ie mint he dane over Bec of the ‘ong choice of eolor ar value When you make grays some lovely colors can be created by using certain combinations. White and rave uber price fine, warm gray. With burac umber it becomes slightly pink, fine fo fora cooler, mote neutral gray Some of the dark sid fawy tones which ate very mela! in a pieaie can be obtainet with a combination of eobale ble, white an bunt sienna, The tone can be made blue ot bose by leaning ona the blue or tesla. You ca also make grays by painting one thin enlor fver another in the pictre, nseud of atixing them on th plete. These gris, called “optical grays” by the old maser have infinicely more variety calor aad tranypareney than mined eautifl ch blacks cam be created ith ulermatine blue and burnt sienna or buant umber Sontetines your wll find it dificult to muke « light golden brown color appear bright enongh, By sing pve raw sienna fr a mistune of ello with brenens sich as burnt sinms or Dhue uraber nd by Keeping the colo thin, you can achieve a rnuch brighter elec. The color shouldbe chin enough to allow the white paper oF canvas to aw through. I fact whenever ou wis to mae any color Bright an glowing, its Best to keep I diin ao the white beckgreued comes through to proves Uwanspareney. OF eur, you ean make lighter tomes very bright ‘wth tener paint but i the mide or dark olor 8x 0 {Uy to rein Feling ofthe white backround underneath ‘To achive brilianee and punity in colors mix them wih ‘ther colors onthe ie ride of the whee, For expe to pro ‘duce 4 very bright green, you should wee « ple lemon yellow and either a yelloegreen of a bluegreen, not a purpledblvc You woul not achieve as biliant n aange by combining ye low a alizarin erimson a sue woud by mixing vero at yellow. To gray am orange, add a bit of complementary blue bom the opposite side of the color wheel ‘When you mix color decide in advance which of You ae sing most reembles the desired wolor, "Then start With that partcalar color. For eximple. in mixing a yellow sree start with yellow i the color you deste is o be vey light and pale Sart with green if the resting color fs to be om the freen side. Adking white will help in sich combination, bt flo noe ase much; it will cause your color to be chy and lacking in rchness Again if you are mixing a bluereem, start with blue i the inal color isto be more blue than green, ft ithe real i to be on the geen se, satt with that color.n “16 Fomovs Ari Course Using color to center attention (On the opposite page ae four printings which show you how to put your control of hie, vale, and intensity to practical se ‘wen it comes to solving a acta picture making problem. this ose we ate going todo a sil ie. The center of interest is a botle of perfume, We want to pant tin decorative setting ‘which will make i stand out clearly and sharply. ‘The elle we want to create is one of gaiety and lveines Te is reity apparent thatthe painting shown in Figure 1 x incltective. This is de almost entirely to choice of color, both jn the bottle and background. ‘The botile, with the package box or wrapper dacs "staat" Ti on in overtones of simitar color and sts, Tn apite of the fat that we have cen tered the bottle in an ebvions attempe to make it important, carry" What can we tlo to concentrate the it ll des not fberver' attention om it? “To be pleasing the colors fn 2 pinting must be chosen and arrange! to crete harmonious “overtones” avoiding harshness tnd poor relationships. The colors must alto be etelly ad juste in Ie, value, nd intensity. We do have harmonious fvertanes here — but the eolors are (oo harmonious. These fore are all analogous — chown ftom one side of the color wheel — with the exeetion af the few spots of blue, Even the fy drapery behind the bate fa sara gray, and the ground Fil warmer in tone. What the picture needs fn order to accentuate the center of ingerest is + tore evenly balanced relationship between analog ousamd complementary colors 24 well ata proper use of contrat, ‘Our fie step willbe to work om the bode isll In ue fs pict iti dane in easer dingy tones, with no sparkle to sig fos pls, Examine the picture shown in Figure 2: The overall feheme is exactly the sane, except thatthe colors ofthe botle find box have now been vase int value and made more intense A few acemts have been ade to bring out form and texture, Alvendy we ca sce a provement, bit more cine done Figure $ shows our fist relly constrictive attempt to rake the painting better as a whole, We can ea see the introduc ing 4 dark, cool color inthe drapery behind the botle und box tnd strength tothe picte tinmestiatel. "The cool bluish fay provides beter contrist with the yellow andl orange botle Sind hox than the previous color did. Next we intraluced. a ‘cooler gray on theft, boslike form which x uae a 2 befor the bottle, nd also mate the ground ates slightly cooler and Color — the theory and practice of painting rayer: This hasan effet similar 19 the change in the color Dt the drapery. Now at least, we cat ee the bottle mote easly eed gute There were other obvious weaknesses, so we have rectified ther. The shsans were too pale an to0 near the color of the ble We wa sfalow is more lifelike snd pleat, It suggest the presence of fulight"Therelore, all the shadows were darkened sid Dw of reasonably neutral Ive. Notice how this immediate Jy strengthens the picaire, The threedimensional effect is aso Ieighened The sell inthe foreground is rather disturbing i ‘hue anal yale, Te detracts from the center of interest. Giving i 4 pattern of dots improves fe somewhat, but e's consider it Further. We want the eve to ste the bottle inumediately, without bing distracted by objects im the foreground. Tn Figure 4 you will notice thatthe most important change in the pictre has taken place ~ the inuoduction of anew ane diferent sky color. I wo have been nice wo retain the orange Shs to end the pictune that pretty, sweet onertone, But at Ist ‘vas obvions that it souk le sacrificed, Discovering the exact Due took a it of experiment, since it had to be right; not too Tight or too dark, to bright or too gray, Tt tends eveard a Tainulypurplisi bive rather than a groenich one which would bre han and “acids” when wsed against oF with erange, Notice how much gayer she picture appears. This elor adda note of freshnes andthe bottle aad os become even more inportant. Tint sell he foreground had to be change 100, so we nade it a lighter pink, With its pattern of spss it now kes its place without ierfeing with the botle. The eye looks right ber it Now we ald a fev Bishing touches to dhe bot sels Strong touches of dark and Fight enhance the “sparkle” Tats smmrize what we have done. The most importan alterations were the ark gray drapery an the Bluesky. Next in importance was the addition of the gray top on which the Ite rest OF alos equal importance were the value changes inthe shaw, designed to give the painting more strength and to increase the illusion of a thi diension. Hh aetal alters tions on the bute were of vecondary significance, alehough one ‘night naturally dink of them fst. All deve changes make the Iottle more prominent ‘The picture ava whole has considerable “puke” and olor, but there is 80 doubt about what is the center of aration, fa to Keep then watt, weve, since 3 warmFomovs Aris Connie Color — the theory and practice of painting 2324 Select a color thiThe pigments you use So at, ee have dexcribed cola ony in terms of the hue of the flor wheel, that yellows, yellow-orange, orange, red orange, fete Hoveeve, the tubes of olor which yo by at stores 3 Hol ated Bike the colors i the wheel, Uanenh the colo ented by pigments racer than hue. Pigments male fro ‘minerals have names like Cadaiuin Yellow, Chromium Oxide, ‘or Cobalt Blue. Others, uch as Ultramarine Blue, or Vasi Dyck Brown, take their name eom thei appearance or ow the ast ‘who made the pigaent popula ‘On this page, we have aria soe of che ment common ant ‘eet pigments around the see, co shat you tele true hu, For example, urn Sienna i onange i hue, aihough iis meh = darker and les intense haw pore orange in Uke color wheel Cerulean Bie ia gieen-bive, while Ulramarine Blue sa more ‘ole ie Knowing de te bue of the pigment is pecially helpful when you ae using very dark colors na pinging, For example, HM you wanted a consistent cool effect throughout your plete, yom might spoil i by using Hehe Sienna, oF Burne Uber, for the dusk accents ease the basi hue of thee colors is yellow fovuige, A cool, dick pagnient sachs Virdan, ur Uleamarine Ile would be eer, In order to secognire the tive hoe of these dstk pigments more en, nix sll amount of white ‘with ese of themThe palette “The term "Palee” has wo meanings tothe arth, One is the fetal board or mixing surtace ae sown above: the other [end ‘mont important mang the pari gronp a coors which Shows up repestelly int art won, ae hls wet ny fern many ac the pale ofthe att fs strongly personal that you coll secoguae a punting of sty the cel sone, sen scx sty othe work of well known panes aud imasators sows how the pate of euch ene elf o pon ale hi work, ad agli rom that of other artists, Some txample are te cashing clos of Van Gog the Intense ears Of Gauguin, othe pant! calor of the Inpresionists who ex ‘dude lack al ath colors irom thee pee. Artie ae apt to change their palette rm sine time They may do hi simply because they become red of he a one, ‘became the salto ofa particlarpitore problem reuies 4 ew group of colors Study the putting by Dove Lis Den {i pin, b yor can op th ame pipes Shahn and Exest Fiene. They clearly demonstrate the value of individu pale Mixing “The best way to become thorghy amias with your pas, anu gain confidence in ani color, i to stan righ in sung Pigments Begin with two clon pl white Each ime yu vary {he amount fone a the thee pigments, you create 2 nw colt You wil soon eae that with juts few colors, pl Black an Notice particulary, that dhe tnt created by the alton of white o thee colors tend 10 make them appear cole: adding back ens to make them warmer 1 is wot enough to read and sty the next few pages, Get pains out and actually nx up the combinations demonstrated28 Mixing conned Practically all the coors you will ever pat dows on canvas will have to be mixed on yout palete. For this reason, you should form good mixing habits right Irom the beginning. Mix your clr in he center ofthe palette, and wpe of your brash before picking up the pure colors squeezed ut along the ‘Above all keep the mixtures simple, With two o plus white, you can create almost any color you wil ever need. It you mix up more than this you will probably end wp with muddy. diy gray. Avoid dipping your brush aimlesy ino one for ater another. Ifyou eannot seem to mix the color you want stop, take feet Took atthe color your subject, and ‘compare i with those aroundMixing grays 292 "16 Fomows Ari Count Color — the theory and practice of painting The eye mixes color On the preceding pages, the different col ally mixing orsrzing one pigient into ‘or painting knife. For example, red mixed with yellow makes an ‘range paint or re ied with blue makes violet paint This, fof coune, isthe unual way of mixing colors. However, ou an fale create the ellect of an orange area in your puting, Dy placing small stokes, or does, of pte red ml yellow alongside were nude by act other, with a brush ff each other. Viewed fom a slight este, these ved and ye: Tow dots merge and appear orange. Red and blue dot appear violet, Dats complementary colony, such as red and green, yellow and violet, reat archer, or move vibrant gray than we Bet by mixing these colors onthe plete. This ype of painting, Tesing the exe mix colors, formed the basis fr whole school fof painting, called “Poin,” which developed in France during the 19th centuty. The detail above is fom “An ATer oon at La Grande Jat" by Georges Seurat, the best known ‘member ofthis group. The pais of swathes around the detail Show in one square how the puse colors would be placed side by Side ‘The other square shows the general effect of these colors ‘when sen from a distance.Couns tan 1 6 Let's start painting The demonstrations onthe following pages are designed to show you; (I) how to recognize colors in nature; (2 how tox up these ‘tors on yur palete (3) how to apply then o your canvas. To demonsuate these points, we have used color photographs to represent areal stil if. When you study thee photos, lok at them ae if they were the actual abject. Even belore you pick ‘apa brash ie down and sudy the colors inthe subject you are going to paint. Look at them through squinted, oF haltlesed {5 and see them as shapes of color. We have already pointed fut that there is no such thing a6 single color for gras nother for sky ete, The colori all materials will vary with each change in the ight chat sues is you study the subject you are abot ‘o paint ask yourself questions ike theve: First, wat i the color ff the light? Is i warm, or cool? Where is the darkest dark in the entire piture; the most incense color: the grayest color? IE tere are several red color inthis subject, which anes are cool, ‘which warn? Each of thee questions can be answered, by con Dating one color with the other. In act you shou be able to make a sort of mental colo sete, in wich you accurately paint the relationship ofall the colors in your subject. Uns you can ‘rou uel pleaune fo your mins ee, there fn ase In a ing up pigments on your pale, since your won't kaow wat color You are ying 19 crete. Therefore, spend plenty of time simply looking at che colors i your subject ‘nce you do begin o punt, relax and have fun. Pat your col ‘ors down confidently, but not eaelesly. Make ix specal point to look fr, and recognize, the wide vatety a color in he light, Inalétone, and shadow areas af your subject. As you make these ‘observations, follow through in your painting by mixing up Sina amounts of color, and making color ces with every few brush strokes. Do not mix up a lage pul of color, This feneourages you to ignore intersting color changes, ad to sub- ‘inate Tange, monotonous areas ofa single coor, Compare colors on the canvas Make ita habit to compate yur colors onthe puting. not an thepaete, ease oe color strongly ected hy hese Mix the color you want, and puta fe stokes oft om your eam sat Then sop and loo ai Compare withthe col ne ii decide whether tis oo lg 00 dark toot. eco ft Color — the theory and practice of painting Fight, Don't waste alot of time tying oan the exact color on fe palette. Remember, your color will ook difleeut against the palette shan ic will an the painting, “Anoer thing to Keeps mind isthe mayer in which you apply this color to your painting. Avoid mixing one color into the color alongside i of beneath i, For example, suppose you decide on a certain color for a sky area, and certain color for 8 foliage area: when you have mived up the sky color, pat dlosen and leave it alone, Do the same for the foliage you start brushing the color of the foliage into the sky, you wil end up with paint which is ueither the eloe of the sy nor the foliage Painting from nature 1K you study naw You vil soon realize that yom rarely sce corn that areas stsong, or a8 bright, ay thowe You squeeze onto your palette. Colors like pare Cadmium red, oF Cadmium yellow, should be wed sparingly. Equally rate ate ‘aes in which you will find ic necenary to we vale as dak st pre black, ot as light ae pure white, Some painters ind i help ful co ack evo emall squares of paper — ove white, the other fof dank and light tones against these extremes. Whenever you are painting outot doors, there willbe much more ight on your painting dhan there will be whi you look at it back in the ‘nda, ‘This stronger, outdoor light makes the colors in your Printing lighter, and mote intense than they would be on your dio wall, Sabele color eiferences that seem just right while painting outdoors disappear in the weaker interior light. With fxperience, you wil soon know how to compensate for this dit ference between indoor snd ont of door ight. ‘You wil ao find ie help, cxeasonaly, 4 look aay from your subject for fee mines, im order to gain afresh eye" Tt you stare atthe subject for long petiods, you will lose sight of the proper color relationships Always be aware of the great variety of color that exists i everyting you see. A group of rocks, ora pile of logs nearby, ‘may seem tobe he sate in color a the sand on which they rs. ‘The color variations may be very subtle, but they ate there. Jn such 2 eae, imagine how these materials would look if we actually sprayed all three of them with a single colo. 31Color in a landscape “The plots above provides an excellent opportunity fr omar son of colors in 8 fadsespe. The key to making a successful pointing ofthis scene is enrefu comparison of color. Note the aety of warm oranges and yellows in Uhe foreground, the free in the middleground, and the various grayblues and Miles in the distance, Tefore painting, sty the acene caretlly. Know where the strongest yellows and oranges ate, Be aare of the variations of sreen, and know how these colors relate to thowe in the distant hilly and mountains. Paine the scene in your mind's eye before you pick up your brush, With experience yu will leurh and remember wht com binations of pigment to use in creating the colors you see before you. The you will be able to look ata scene like thi, mix up Cols similar to thse fn the avatches, an use them to paint & pletate like the ove on che facing pige“16 Femous Arts Course Color — the theory and practice of paintingColor in @ portrait The we of color in portrait should be way a8 color in terms of Shadows planes. Remember that ahead is life, or the church in the landscape. 2ny illaion of form, They may add black to the sha isto create frm, but the lights ae chalky and ruddy onsration is designed to show you how important ) think ofthe heal a a sold orn, with pln esd pies taeces cect ¢38 Limited palette One of the easiest ways to lentn how to contol color is through the use ofa iited palette, This plete wally consists of to or three olor, ph Diack ad white, as opposed toa fuller palette, audition to black and white Hinitedpalewte might Contain just Cerulean Blue and Yellow Ochre, ‘which would give you a warm and a cool color OF you might use yellow and green, or green and ioet, cause it requires convierable experience and practice to we a full palette of color wih the [oper restraint, many sdent sill nd i hepta fo see hist what can be done with just two oF thee lors. If you testrict yourself to these few colo you will quickly learn hove to achieve iaterest by Sly using a variety of tluet and intensities. You willbe surprise atthe Inge range of coor elects {you ean ceate by fully exploiting these wo color lets at the right demonstrate this point They alt show us that color contibutes far Less to the mice of « pictute than drawing. design and alue pater. The fie picture im lack and white Compares favorably with the colored ones below ie Tor many beginners such restraint as we show here is ficul They want to se their rds, ellos and bles throughout the picture, and often at full Strength. Hf you encounter this same problem, try 2 limited pale ta prose your contol of colorColor -- the theory and practice of painting HOW 10 PRACTICE AND PREPARE POR THIS LESSON Our purpose in this lesson is to show you the basic elenents of color and how to use then in your painting. With this understanding, you will be able to create and control such ef fects as light and distance, az vel! as mood ‘and enction. Read the entire lesson through several tines. Be sure you thoroughly understand the three @imensions of color -- hue, value and intensi- ty. Then do as many of the Folloving practice suggestions as your time permite. 1, Spread out on your palette @ variety of pignents and practice mixing various colors as shown on pages 27, 28 and 29, You need not, luse these specific pignents =~ the min point is to notice the colors that are created by. various combinations. Compare these mixtures With each other in temas of hue, value and in- tensity. 2. Develop the habit of alvays being avare of the colors around you. Study the colors in nature as well as in pictures and notice the particular kind of reds, yellovs, blues, greens, etc. Visualize vaet particular pig- hnents you would mix to @iplicate these colors. 3. Study paintings and note how contrasting Colors have been used to center attention in ‘sone areas voile in other quieter, lesé con- spicuous areas the velues,hues or intensities of the colors are close together. 4, After you have studied pages 4 and 5 care- uly, make several, saad color sketches (avout 3x 5 inches) sinilar to those on pege 2 Heep em Simple.” in these sketenee, tone Seatrate on moe control. Us of values and itteasieies that you wah “Bach of these pictures should contain several celore, but the dominant hue of one enould be sed, aie other yellor, another blue, etes Page 17 shove how to use tits principle to achieve color hare sony 5. Create more color sketches, concentrating this tine on value control, Do one in a low Key, one in a medium key and one in a high key. Study the examples on pages 6 and 7. Use any ues and intensities you wish. 6. Make other color sketches smevhat Like ‘the examples on page 9 concentrating on inten. sity control. Do sone at ful intenaity 's viich have very wenk sntensity. 7. Paint color sketches of different types of Lighting conditions that point up the way in vhich the color of the light influences the colors in the subject. Working directly fron nature, mike sketches of scenes in sunlight, well as under cloudy conditions. Do simple interior scenes under both naturel and artifi- clel light. 8, Starting vith « black and vhite picture of your ovn design, mike several color versions ‘as shown in the Limtted-palette denonstration on page 30. ‘THE ASSTONMANS YOU ARE 70 SEND IN FoR cRETTCTSN ASSIOMUNT 1. Following the diagram on the back ‘of this page, tay out oix panele at the top of a 16 x 20 sheet of paver or illustration board, Tf you wish to work in colored inks, transparent or ‘opaque vater color, you should use {Llustration board. IF you are going to paint in ofl, use canvas board or painting paper such as Canvastex. Text trace the outlines of the sketch of the flags show on the back of this page. Transfer your ‘tracing to the six panels spaced across the top of your paper or board as shown on the aiegran. Bach panel should be 2 inches wide x 2-1/2 inches high. (A step-by-step procedure of how to ‘transfer a draving is shown in the yellow assign- nent sheet for Lesson 1, page 2). ext paint the panels in any color medium you wish, using a cingle flat color for each crea, Do not model or shade. Use Just one color for each different area, i.e., one color for the flag, one for the sky, ett. Do not paint any eoign on the flags. Hue Control: and B Before starting, review pages and 5. Note par- ‘ticularly the color chart in the lover right hand corner of page 5. A~ Paint this sketch using only relatively cool, Solors for each area, Use no more than 4 differ: ext hues. B= Uso the come basic colors for each area painted in panel A but nov use wam variations of the sane colors. ‘Try to maintain the same pattern of values im A and Be Value Control: ¢ and D Before starting, review pages 6 and 7. © Paint this sketch without color. Use only Tones of ight, dark or middle gray. ach aren should have a definite value. You have the vhole renge fron black to vhite from which to choose. (over, please)Student work -- Lesson 16 D ~ Using any colors you wish, paint each area Gn color to mateh the values Of the gray tones in panel C. Intenesty Control: E and F Before starting, review pages 8 and 9. B= Paint this sketch with any group of hues Which are full or nearly full intensity. E-~ Paint this oketch using the same hue and value for each area that you used in panel Ey Dut now make them of lov intensity. ASSIGRENT 2. ake three color sketches, each ‘Winches vide x 5 inches high. Use any medium you wish. Carry these sketches to about the bane degree of finish as the pictures on page 9. Your skevehes should be laid out below the panels for Assignment 1, as indicated on the @iagran belov. Identity then as shom. You nay Work directly on your 16 x 20-inch sheet or oard, or you may paint these sketches separate~ ly, then cut them out and mount them to fit the Layout. Be sure that your paintings are thor- ‘oughly axy before you send thom in. G - Thhe sketch should be a colorful, sunlit On DB 20° |e" Page 2 scene containing 1 or 2 figures. Use a good strong contrast of values and clean bright colors. The purpose of the picture is to feature sports clothing that is gay and attractive. Choose one of the following subject: Beach scene oF 1 Skt scene H- Tale should be a sketch of man digging up a chest in a moonlight setting. Use cool colors in 2 low key. The picture should express a mood of mystefy and suspense. ‘1 - This should be a sketch of the head and shoul dere of a girl. Its purpose is to promote perfume, Lipstick or any type of cosmetic. Use mostly high ‘Key colors for the face and background. The gen- eral colar effect should be light, delicate and foninine. In eriticizing your work, ve will vant to see: + How well you understand the elements of color =~ hue, value and intensity. == Whether you have chosen colors vhich are appropriate for the subject. == How well. you have handled the mixing ‘and applivation of color IMPORTANT: Be sure to letter your name, adaress, ‘and student musber neatly at the lower 1eft-hand corner of cach assignment. In the lower right cor- ‘umber and assigment mmber, ‘Your lesson carton should contain: cheek Before mailing Both Agsigments on Eater 1 Return shipping Isbel filled out completely Nail this carton to: PAWOUS ARTISTS COURSE, cohabek WESIPORT, COW.