Away. Abram Arkhipov.
Synopsis
Since a painting has the status of one of the leading objects of “visual” art, the creation of mood and depth is greatly influenced by the use of color, which can have an extremely powerful effect on the viewer and bring the painting to life. It all started with prehistoric cave painting, in which primitive pigments were first used.
Color influence
Color effects can be manifested purely optically (attracting the viewer's eye), emotionally (using calm, cool colors or bright and stimulating pigments) or aesthetically (juxtaposing harmonious colors in compositions). Illumination and color saturation depend on the master’s correct use of established theories. In addition, the color's impact is adjusted depending on the surroundings. For example, gray surrounded by blue creates a cool feeling, while when next to yellow it shows warmth. The final combination and overall range of tones used in a painting is sometimes called tone key, which for many masters is quite peculiar or even unique that can be used in color analysis of works of art.
Portrait of the Arnolfini couple by Van Eyck, significant figures for oil painting
Watercolor, gouache
Gouache works by Liu Yi
Acrylic
Acrylic painting is created using completely synthetic materials based on polymer acrylic resin. In its simplest combination, this paint is a mixture of pigment, an emulsion of acrylic polymer (plastic), resins (as a binder) and water. Due to the evaporation of water (and some solvents), this paint dries quickly enough, forming a durable film.
Difference
Acrylic paint, due to its composition, changes color slightly after quick drying. Watercolor and gouache, after a relatively short drying, change color somewhat, unlike oil paint, which does not change color during prolonged drying. Additionally, after applying one coat of oil, more paint can be added to create rich, saturated colors. Overall, the invention of oil painting (15th century, Europe) was a significant step in the development of color saturation and brightness of the image.
Color pigments
Pigments and dyes- ingredients that give color to paints. The main difference between dye and pigment is their ability to dissolve in water. Pigments must be thoroughly crushed and mixed in a solution, while dyes have a higher solubility rate. Most pigments are obtained from metals and plants, although some are obtained from fragments and parts of animals and fish, charred trees or bones.
Stone Age
Stone Age artists relied on pigments obtained from the earth. Mined elements such as clay and coal produced yellows, browns and various shades of red.
In Egypt
The color scheme produced by ancient Egyptian artists included shades of blue, lemon yellow, green, red-orange and other colors.
Greece and Rome
Antique paintings were characterized by a fairly wide range of colors, which continued to expand with the addition of shades of red, purple, indigo and other colors.
Renaissance
19th century
Essentially, the 19th century is the beginning contemporary art and a period of massive change in directions and patterns of painting. During this time, artists had access to cheaper and more reliable synthetic paints. For the Impressionists, such innovations helped convey ideas of the “fleeting moment.” Subsequently, the subjectivity of expressionist perception was also supported by new colors.
Impression. Rising Sun. Claude Monet.
Conclusion
It is important to remember that until the 18th century, artists were very limited in the choice of colors, but they somehow played an integral role in conveying the mood and atmosphere of the painting. After the 19th century, artists began to use bright pigments as a separate form of self-expression, focusing on them.
Color in painting updated: October 5, 2017 by: Gleb
Surely, each of you has encountered slight sadness and apathy on a cold cloudy day, which instantly turns into causeless inspiration in bright sunny weather. Perhaps the whole point is a lack of vitamin D, which we produce in the sun, but there is another secret. Depending on the lighting, the color palette of all objects around us completely changes. In clear weather we see rich colors and sharp shadows, which are synonymous with dynamism and positivity; on cloudy days, shadows are blurred, and a feeling of calm or even slight sadness is created due to the decrease in contrast. In addition, the natural color of objects depends on the temperature of the lighting, which also affects our impression of the landscape around us.
Often they pay attention only to the tonal modeling of the form, depicting the same color in the shadow of an object as in the light, only with a difference in tone. This is a serious mistake because the color always changes. It is impossible to paint both light and shadow with the same pigment!
To create a realistic image of objects, you must remember the following axioms:
1. If the lighting is warm, then cool shades appear in the shadows, and vice versa, if the lighting is cold, warm shades appear in the shadows.
For example, if we paint a landscape in bright sunlight on a cloudless day, then there may be warm shades in the shadows, since daylight is most often white, bluish or lemon-colored and is considered cool light. At sunrise and sunset sunlight, as a rule, is warm - bright yellow or orange, so cool bluish and bluish shades appear in the shadows.
K. Monet “Rouen Cathedral: portal and tower of Saint-Romain: morning effect.” K. Monet “Rouen Cathedral: Portal and Tower of Saint-Romain: Noon.” C. Monet “Rouen Cathedral: portal and tower of Saint-Romain: effect of the sun, end of day”
In the same way, if we paint a still life under an electric incandescent lamp, the shadows will become noticeably colder, you will see shades of blue, purple or even green. Also, in the flames of a fire or a candle, which provide warm lighting, cold shades appear in the shadows. However, when using a fluorescent lamp with cold light (from 4000 K), the shadows will become noticeably warmer, as with cold moonlight.
Van Gogh “still life drawing board, pipe, bow and sealing wax” .Van Gogh “ Starry night over the Rhone" The following tables will help us understand the temperature of light
2. In the shadow, shades appear that are opposite on the color spectrum to the local color of the object.
This simple means that in the object's own shadow we can see shades of a complementary color. For example, you are painting a still life with a red apple, a peach and blue grapes. The complementary color for red would be green, for yellow – purple, for blue – orange. This is why in the shadows you will be able to see shades of green, purple and orange respectively.
Paul Gauguin "Flowers and a bowl of fruit". Paul Cezanne. “Still life with an open drawer”If we look at the color wheel, these pairs will be: yellow and purple, green and red, blue and orange. And intermediate ones between them, respectively.
3. An object illuminated by warm light and having a warm local color becomes even brighter and more saturated in the light, and an object having a cold local color becomes closer to an achromatic color that is equal in tone.
And an object that has a cold local color becomes even brighter, louder and more saturated.
For example, we draw an orange illuminated by a lamp with warm light. In the light, a section of the orange will appear even brighter and more saturated than it is, while in the shade orange Not only will it become noticeably colder, but it will also lose color. This effect can be achieved using blue paint. Many people know that complementary colors placed side by side on a canvas enhance each other. But not everyone knows that complementary colors, when mixed with each other on the palette, neutralize each other. If we illuminate this orange with cold daylight, then in the light its color will become more faded, while “burning shades” will appear in the shadows.
Van Gogh “Still life with a basket and six oranges.” P. Konchalovsky “Oranges” These simple rules allows you to predict what color will appear in the shadows or in the light and choose the right shades for mixing. That's it. Happy drawing!
Fundamentals of painting [Textbook for teachers. 5-8 grades] Sokolnikova Natalya Mikhailovna
§5 Basic characteristics of color
Each color has three basic properties: hue, saturation and lightness.
In addition, it is important to know about such color characteristics as lightness and color contrasts, get acquainted with the concept of local color of objects and experience some spatial properties of color.
Color tone
In our minds, color tone is associated with the color of familiar objects. Many color names come directly from objects with a characteristic color: sand, sea green, emerald, chocolate, coral, raspberry, cherry, cream, etc.
It is easy to guess that the color tone is determined by the name of the color (yellow, red, blue, etc.) and depends on its place in the spectrum.
It is interesting to know that a trained eye, in bright daylight, can distinguish up to 180 color tones and up to 10 levels of saturation. In general, a developed human eye can distinguish about 360 shades of color.
67. Children's holiday colors
Color saturation
Color saturation is the difference between a chromatic color and a gray color of equal lightness (ill. 66).
If you add any color gray paint, the color will fade and its saturation will change.
68. D. MORANDI. Still life. Example of a muted color scheme
69. Changing color saturation
70. Changing the saturation of warm and cool colors
Lightness
The third sign of color is lightness. Any colors and shades, regardless of color tone, can be compared by lightness, that is, it can be determined which one is darker and which one is lighter. You can change the lightness of the color by adding white or water, then red will become pink, blue - cyan, green - light green, etc.
71. Changing the lightness of color using white
Lightness is a quality inherent in both chromatic and achromatic colors. Lightness should not be confused with whiteness (as the quality of the color of an object).
It is customary for artists to call lightness relationships tonal, so one should not confuse lightness and color tone, light and shadow and color structure of a work. When they say that a picture is painted in light colors, they primarily mean light relations, and in color it can be gray-white, pinkish-yellow, light lilac, in a word, very different.
Differences of this type are called valers by painters.
You can compare any colors and shades by lightness: pale green with dark green, pink with blue, red with purple, etc.
It is interesting to note that red, pink, green, brown and other colors can be both light and dark colors.
72. Difference in colors by lightness
Thanks to the fact that we remember the colors of the objects around us, we imagine their lightness. For example, a yellow lemon is lighter than a blue tablecloth, and we remember that yellow lighter blue.
Achromatic colors, that is, gray, white and black, are characterized only by lightness. Differences in lightness consist in the fact that some colors are darker and others are lighter.
Any chromatic color can be compared in lightness with an achromatic color.
Consider color wheel(ill. 66), consisting of 24 colors.
You can compare colors: red and gray, pink and light gray, dark green and dark gray, purple and black, etc. Achromatic colors are matched in lightness to be equal to chromatic ones.
Light and color contrasts
The color of an object constantly changes depending on the conditions in which it is located. Lighting plays a huge role in this. Look how the same object changes beyond recognition (ill. 71). If the light on an object is cold, its shadow appears warm and vice versa.
The contrast of light and color is most clearly and clearly perceived at the “break” of the form, that is, at the place where the shape of objects turns, as well as at the boundaries of contact with the contrasting background.
73. Light and color contrasts in still lifes
Light contrast
Artists use contrast in lightness, emphasizing the different tones of objects in the image. By placing light objects next to dark ones, they enhance the contrast and sonority of colors and achieve expressiveness of form.
Compare identical gray squares located on a black and white background. They will seem different to you.
On black, gray appears lighter, and on white, it appears darker. This phenomenon is called lightness contrast or lightness contrast (Fig. 74).
74. Example of contrast in lightness
Color contrast
We perceive the color of objects depending on the surrounding background. A white tablecloth will appear blue if you put orange oranges on it, and pink if there are green apples on it. This happens because the background color takes on a shade of complementary color to the color of the objects. A gray background next to a red object appears cold, and next to a blue and green object it appears warm.
75. Example of color contrast
Examine the silt. 75: all three gray squares are the same, on a blue background gray acquires orange tint, on yellow it is purple, on green it is pink, that is, it acquires a shade of additional color to the background color. Against a light background, the color of an object appears darker; against a dark background, it appears lighter.
The phenomenon of color contrast is that a color changes under the influence of other colors surrounding it, or under the influence of colors that were previously observed.
76. Example of color contrast
Complementary colors next to each other become brighter and more saturated. The same thing happens with primary colors. For example, a red tomato will look even redder next to parsley, and a purple eggplant next to a yellow turnip.
The contrast of blue and red is a prototype of the contrast of cold and warm. It underlies the coloring of many works European painting and creates dramatic tension in the paintings of Titian, Poussin, Rubens, A. Ivanov.
Contrast as the juxtaposition of colors in a painting is the main method of artistic thinking in general, says N. Volkov, a famous Russian artist and scientist*.
In the reality around us, the effects of one color on another are more complex than in the examples discussed, but knowledge of the main contrasts - in lightness and color - helps the painter to better see these relationships of colors in reality and use the acquired knowledge in practical work. Application of light and color contrasts enhances the capabilities of visual media.
77. Umbrellas. Example of using color nuances
78. Balloons. Example of using color contrasts
Particularly important for achieving expressiveness in decorative work acquire tonal and color contrasts.
Color contrast in nature and works of decorative art:
A. M. ZVIRBULE. Tapestry “Together with the Wind”
b. Peacock feather. Photo
V. Autumn leaves. Photo
g. Field of poppies. Photo
d. ALMA THOMAS. Blue light of infancy
Local color
Look at the objects in your room, look out the window. Everything you see has not only a shape, but also a color. You can easily identify it: the apple is yellow, the cup is red, the tablecloth is blue, the walls are blue, etc.
The local color of an object is those pure, unmixed, unrefracted tones that, in our minds, are associated with certain objects, as their objective, unchanging properties.
Local color is the primary color of an object without taking into account external influences.
The local color of an object can be monochromatic (Fig. 80), but it can also consist of different shades(ill. 81).
You will see that the main color of roses is white or red, but in each flower you can count several shades of local color.
80. Still life. Photo
81. VAN BEYEREN. Vase with flowers
When drawing from life, you need to transfer from memory characteristic features local color of objects, its changes in light, partial shade and shade.
Under the influence of light, air, combination with other colors, the same local color acquires a completely different tone in the shadow and in the light.
In sunlight, the color of the objects themselves is best seen in places where partial shade is located. The local color of objects is less visible where there is a complete shadow on it. It lightens and discolors in bright light.
Artists, showing us the beauty of objects, accurately determine changes in local color in light and shadow.
Once you have mastered the theory and practice of using basic, compound and additional colors, you can easily convey the local color of an object, its shades in light and shadow. The shadow cast by or on the object itself will always contain a color that is complementary to the color of the object itself. For example, in the shadow of a red apple there will definitely be a green color as a complement to the red. In addition, each shadow contains a tone slightly darker than the color of the object itself, and a blue tone.
82. Scheme for obtaining shadow color
We should not forget that the local color of an object is influenced by its environment. When there is a green drapery next to a yellow apple, a color reflex appears on it, that is, the apple’s own shadow necessarily acquires a shade of green.
83. Still life with a yellow apple and green drapery
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Term "mutually complementary colors" used in art criticism very often. However, it is not always clear which pairs of colors can be considered mutually complementary.
Mutually complementary colors are often confused with contrasting, since both are at opposite ends of the diameter. However, there is a difference.
The fact is that the Itten color wheel is usually used to find contrasting combinations:
This is a 12 step circle. It is based on 3 primary colors: red, yellow and blue. The remaining colors are obtained by mixing the 3 main colors.
- Itten's circle describes physical mixing colors - for example, when mixing paints on the palette.
However, it is clear that this model is somewhat arbitrary. The spectrum is continuous:
And when mixing light rays, the primary colors will be red, blue and green.
- What happens during the optical mixing of light rays is better shown not by 12, but by a 10-step color wheel. It will add yellow-green, green-blue and purple to the 7 colors of the spectrum.
To find complementary color pairs(another name is complimentary colors ), you need to draw the diameter through a 10-step color wheel (or through a circle showing the spectrum continuously, as in the figure above).
It is known that when these opposite colors are mixed, achromatic color. In theory it is white, in practice it is light gray.
You can also find mutually complementary colors in laboratory conditions - it is known that the wavelengths in each such pair have a ratio of 1:1.25 to each other.
The same principle is used to find mutually complementary pairs in computer programs.
And these color combinations are perceived as very harmonious and pleasing to the eye.
This phenomenon was discovered in the 19th century. Hermann Helmholtz, although artists used mutually complementary pairs long before that, finding harmony intuitively.
Let's see how these combinations work in practice, using the example of several paintings by my favorite impressionists:
Auguste Renoir. Summer.
Here 2 mutually complementary pairs are used at once. I would like to draw your attention to this: despite the fact that not pure colors were used, but more muted, whitened ones (which is generally very characteristic of the impressionists), the picture does not look faded.
This happens because complementary colors enhance each other. Why this happens, I wrote in “, but I won’t dwell on this point in detail now.
The following example is "Seated Dancer" by Edgar Degas:
Here the color is already more active, bright color accents are balanced by highlighted and shaded tones from the same range.
Claude Monet. Blue house in Zaandam.
Also used are 2 complementary pairs, and in each of them one color is taken in full force, and the other is highlighted or shaded. This avoids too sharp a contrast.
Camille Pissarro. Five o'clock in the morning.
The picture is based on a combination of only 2 mutually complementary colors and their whitened variations. Hence the feeling of early morning - when all the colors are somewhat closer and brightly lit. If you take the same range, but from the shaded row, there will be a feeling of twilight.
As you can see, painting does not require a huge range of paints. To build a harmonious color range, sometimes only 2 colors are enough.
Can you give examples of the use of complementary colors in painting?
A perfect knowledge of color theory is very important for an artist. Philip Straub will talk about simple principles of color.
At correct use, through colors you can convey a mood and evoke an emotional attitude in the viewer. Correct use of colors is one of the most important conditions for a successful drawing. Knowledge about the use of color is not inherited, it is learned. There are rules that must be followed and others that can be ignored, but every artist who wants to achieve success in his business must start from the foundation, i.e. from color theory.
Exists huge amount accessible scientific materials; however, most of them are far from artists. I will not focus on unnecessary things, and will immediately move on to the most important thing in color theory. We will look at the different color schemes that exist today, talk about how to use color in a composition, how to work with color in a way that holds the viewer's eye on the painting, and how to balance colors in a drawing. So let's get started...
1. Three properties of color
Before delving into color theory, it is necessary to understand its basic principles. Let's turn to the so-called three properties of color. These properties are common language color theories and should always be in the artist's mind.
- Hue– the name of a particular color (for example, red, blue, yellow).
- Saturation- this is pallor or darkening of a shade (color).
- Intensity determines the brightness or dullness of a hue (color). Pure shades are highly intense. Dull shades - accordingly, have low intensity.
These three properties of color will depend on many things, but mainly on the light in your painting.
2. Color Wheel
The color wheel, based on the colors red, yellow and blue, is a traditional form of color scheme in the field of art. The first color chart was created by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666. Since then, scientists and artists have studied and proposed their own versions of this principle. The debate about which system is better and more reliable still continues. In reality, any color wheel that has a logically constructed system of pure shades has its place.
3. Basic colors
There are three basic colors: red, yellow and blue. These are three pigment colors that cannot be mixed or made by mixing other colors. All other colors are derived from these three shades.
4. Colors of the second group
These colors include green, orange and purple. These colors are obtained by mixing base colors. The colors of the first and second groups together form the six most bright colors spectrum By mixing each color with its neighbor, we get six more colors - the colors of the third group.
5. Colors of the third group
This group includes yellow-orange, red-orange, red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green and yellow-green. These colors are created by mixing one primary and one secondary color.
6. Color balance
You can't paint using just one or even all of the base colors. You need to achieve balance in your color composition. Add a few colors from the third group, or a little gray, so that the picture is not so unnaturally bright. If you don't keep this in mind, then, no matter what your good composition and design, you won’t be able to catch the viewer’s eye. In nature, for example, you will never find pure primary or secondary colors in abundance; on the contrary, all colors are balanced, this creates our reality. The artist's job is to know when and how to change this reality or emphasize it to make it more beautiful, more dramatic or more frightening, depending on the author's purpose.
Notice how the color palette in this painting is uniform. The colors were not taken at random, but were chosen very carefully to emphasize the mood of the landscape. If you know color theory, you should also know that blue has a calming effect on people, so the choice of this palette is obvious.
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7. Color selection
Consider your color scheme and make sure it suits your drawing. When you think about the mood and atmosphere, immediately imagine what the end result will be. After all, when you paint a picture of power and destruction, you wouldn’t choose rainbow colors, would you?
The picture above shows a very strong combination of saturation and color, which together create a mood that the viewer is sure to feel. Here I used a lot of colors from the third group, and just a little bit of the basic ones (on the eyes and spine) to lead the viewer’s eye to the main center of the picture (the hero’s face and eyes).
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8. Monochrome (Monochrome)
A monochromatic color scheme uses one color with variations of light and rich shades. Working in monochrome is a quick and easy way to add color and life to your saturation teaching. This is the easiest method for beginners to work with color without spoiling the quality and idea. It seems to me that most paintings with a powerful emotional load are made using this technique. The disadvantage of this approach is the lack of shine and contrast.
9. Related colors
The sister color scheme uses colors that are in close proximity to neighboring colors. One color is dominant, the rest are used to enrich the palette. The sister color scheme is similar to the monochrome system, but offers more nuance. In my opinion, this approach is much better than a solid color scheme, and it’s easier to create such a palette.
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10. Additional colors
Complementary colors are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. This is better seen in the example when a cold color is placed against a warm color; for example, red and green-blue.
When working with this scheme, you need to choose one dominant color, and then a secondary color for accents. One of the most traditional methods of using this color scheme is to use one color as a background, and its complementary color to highlight the main elements of the picture. With this technique, you will get dominance of one color along with strong color contrasts.
The challenge here is that while this approach produces a high-contrast, high-impact image, it is much more difficult to work with than related or solid color schemes. Just make sure to properly balance the colors you use.
The bifurcated complementary color scheme is a variation of the standard complementary color scheme. This includes one color and two neighboring colors relative to its complementary (opposite) color. By doing this, we achieve even greater contrast without increasing the contrast of the complementary color scheme.
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11. Tertiary and quaternary colors
The tertiary color scheme includes three equally spaced colors. This scheme is very popular among artists because... it gives a very strong visual contrast, maintaining harmony and richness of colors. The tertiary scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary color scheme, but appears more harmonious and balanced.
The quaternary (double complementary) scheme is the richest of all presented because it includes four colors combined into two pairs of complementary colors. This scheme is very difficult to harmonize; When using all four colors, the picture may seem unbalanced, so you should choose a dominant color or soften the colors.
12. Color and its environment
The color of any object that exists in our world is influenced by the world in which it is located. Any object has its own specific color, or, in other words, a color that is not changed by anything from the outside. All colors, as we see them, are influenced in one way or another environment. Warm light falling on a warm-colored object will simply enhance its warmth, while the same warm light falling on a cool-colored object will, on the contrary, reduce this effect of warmth. There are certain constants that we can use for our artistic benefit.
13. A little gray
When you're working with a color scheme, be mindful of the temperature and temperatures of all the elements in your painting. Most wide color spaces, such as the sky, should be toned down a couple of tones so as not to overwhelm the remaining space. The larger the space, the softer and less saturated the color should be. Avoid basic colors in the background because... they will stand out from the overall picture.
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Once again, you see a picture that dictates the choice of colors in the palette. Please note that there are no basic (primary) colors in the picture, especially in the sky. The colors are very calm. Basically, I place complementary and opposing colors side by side, thereby creating a dramatic atmosphere (known as a focal point).
14. Color in the shade
The color of the shadow cannot possibly be the same as natural color subject. Without adding additional color, the shadow would be the same as the background color of the subject, just a little darker. The shadow color has a reduced intensity and saturation - all this is due to the added additional color. The color of a shadow cannot be purer or brighter when at least a similar color is reflected in it, increasing its brightness.
15. Color in the light
All colors become a source of reflected color when exposed to light, and will themselves be reflected in less light. All the intensity of colors should appear in light or midtones. However, the brightest color doesn't have to be where the light hits. If there is an almost white spot in place of the brightest light falling on an object, then your brightest color will consist of halftones.
16. Focal point
Typically, bright colors are used around a focal point or main subject. Does everyone know what a focal point is? And do you really know how to use it? This is one of the most powerful effects used by artists to draw the viewer's eye to the main area in the drawing. It is extremely important that the picture also contains a calm zone, a hero who seeks the center of attention. Of course, there may be several characters, objects or focal points in the picture, but the more such details you add, the more difficult the picture will be to perceive. Most successful paintings have one focal point and a few other quiet spots to balance out.
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In this picture, which I called "Christmas Town" Pay attention to how I highlighted the contrast in the center of the city, thereby drawing the viewer's gaze to this particular area of the picture. In this center there is not only increased color contrast, but also color saturation.
17. Color balance again. People.
Famous illustrator Andrew Loomis once said: “Color is like a bank account. If you go deep, soon there will be nothing left.” This means that some of the most beautiful creations ever created by artists use limited color palette. It is important to understand that color in the spectrum is white light, divided into elements. Objects have color only because their surface receives light and reflects all other colors of the spectrum. If light had no color, it would not be perceived by the human eye at all.
Without a good sketch, of course, color has little meaning, but it's all about the close connection between solid linear composition and color that makes good picture a work of art!
