In a previous post I wrote about the value of an
underpainting and the four basic components of every painting – composition,
shapes, value and color. The underpainting resolves the first three, leaving
only the color component. And it is with color that the magic happens –
hopefully.
I use my reference photograph for my underpainting, altering
shapes, moving and eliminating objects until I am satisfied. Now is the time to
put the reference photo aside and let your artistic vision take over. If you
try to copy the colors that you see in the photograph you will be disappointed
with the results. The camera filters the scene through it’s digital components
and mechanical settings, with no input of reality or emotion. Besides
flattening perspective, the camera alters the colors and the values. And should
you print the photo, there are further alterations from the printer and ink.
Color is a very personal choice. I prefer the color harmony
of a limited palette using the three primaries - yellow, red and blue, plus black and white. For different scenes,
lighting conditions and moods, I can choose from the many available versions of
these three primary colors.
I mix my secondary colors, oranges, purples and greens from
these primaries when I lay out my paint. I prefer to use black and yellow
instead of blue and yellow for my greens. Browns and tans are created by mixing
all three primaries together. The resulting secondary and earth colors, quickly
mixed, are more varied and lively than the blended colors found in a tube.
Black is a much maligned color. Ivory black, having a blue
base, makes interesting greens when mixed with yellows and useful grays when mixed with white. Adding a bit of gray to a color
softens and mutes the intensity. Ivory black is also useful for darkening any
dark color without changing it’s hue. But, of course, neither black, white, nor
their gray mixtures are ever used without the addition of a bit of color.
A limited palette of colors is my choice for landscape
painting. For still life painting more colors may need to be added. These will
vary by your choice of subject matter.
Gamut masking – an interesting experiment.
Using either the standard or the Munsell color wheel that
includes the complete range of intensities of all the colors from full
intensity on the outer edge to neutral in the center, a cut-out shape is placed
over the color wheel and only the colors within that shape are used in the
painting. All other colors are excluded. The shape of the gamut mask is the
artist’s choice and some very weird colorations can result.
I experimented with the safer triangular shapes. The three
points would indicate the three colors I put on my palette. All the colors
within the mask were a product of these three colors. Colors outside the mask were excluded. As the mask could be
moved in any direction, the hues and intensities of the colors chosen and their resulting mixtures would
also vary. But no matter what three colors were chosen, color harmony was
assured.
If you are having trouble with color, I hope this
information will be helpful to you.
Thanks for visiting with me,
Celene
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