Shadows Revisited: Color

In continuation of my blog on shadows, we need to address the effects of color. When we first think of shadows, we might automatically assume that they are gray or black. In reality, it’s more complex than that. The color of a shadow depends on two things, with some exceptions:
The color of the light source
The color of the surface the shadow is falling onto

The color of the light source

I tell my students that when there’s a cool light, you will see warm shadows, and when there’s a warm light, you will see cool shadows. By warm shadows, I mean that there’s a hint of a warm color such as red or yellow, and by cool shadows, there could be a hint of blue or purple in the mix.

Surface color

In addition to these colors, you need to look at the color of the surface.

For example, on a sunny day, leaves casting a shadow onto green grass would look different to leaves casting a shadow onto a brown dirt path. The green of the grass would affect the color of the shadow, and the color of the dirt path would affect the color of the shadows from the leaves.

You would have the same shadow color that would be purple/gray or blue/gray initially, (because of the warm sunlight) but then it would be altered by the general color of the surface that the shadow is falling onto.

There are a couple of exceptions to these rules:

Translucent objects: When you have a translucent object and light can pass through it, like a stained-glass window, or a liquid in a glass bottle. The shadow colors would be altered by the color of the object.

Reflective objects: When you have a reflective object, like a white building and the ambient light reflects off the surface and bounces into the cast shadow.

Recap

Step 1 – Observe the shape of the cast shadow. This is in direct response to the shape of the object casting the shadow and the shape of the surface the shadow falls onto.

Step 2 – Observe the edge quality of the shadow. How far is the shadow from the object you’re painting? How much has is softened (even in hard sunlight)

Step 3 – Observe the color temperature of the light source. Warm light, cool but very muted shadows, cool light warm but very muted shadows.

Step 4 – Observe the local color of the surface the cast shadow is falling onto.

Step 5 – Observe the value of the shadow.

Color and Reflected Light

COLOR, it’s everywhere and as long as we can see, we all experience it from the moment we open our eyes. They say that the human eye can detect around ten million hues. When we paint, we all strive to capture a small percentage of it, and often get frustrated in the process. We squeeze out luscious piles of color onto our palette in anticipation of capturing the beauty of a subject with it. Sometimes, we hit the colors on the mark. Other times, we get frustrated as we struggle through a painting when no matter what we do, we can’t seem to find the right mix. And, to make things worse, it’s not just local color, but also reflected color and the temperature of the light that we need to take into account when deciding on a shade. 

Color Choices

So, what is it about color and our color preferences that excite us? Color evokes strong emotional responses in all of us, but not necessarily the same types of responses. Blue may mean calmness and relaxation with visions of the ocean or a beautiful lake to one person, while denoting sadness to another. Depending on our life experiences, our preference for color can be psychological. For example, white might mean pleasantly clean and sterile to some who feel comfortable with a clean antiseptic environment, but cold and icy like a chilly winter day to others. Cultural traditions also influence our preference to color. If you look at color in clothing, for example, you may find that some of the cultures closest to the equator where weather is warmest tend to wear very strong, bright colors, while those in much colder climates tend to wear more subdued neutral colors.

Local and Relative Color

light creates the local color or colors of an object because each object possesses certain chemical properties or qualities that absorb some rays and reflect others How much an object absorbs and reflects determines the color of an object. However, we cannot go by local color alone. As artists, we need to put away our preconceptions about color and look at the relativity of color, i.e., the relationship of color to its surroundings. Changes to color happen when the light source changes, for example, when a sunny day (warm light) turns into a cloudy one (cool light), or when other colors that surround a subject change.

The Influence of Surrounding Colors

A subject’s colors are directly influenced by the color of objects that surround it. This color is possible because of reflected light. Reflected light helps to model form and gives variety to our shadows. A white building may take on the color of the bushes below and around it, because the light from the sky will bounce off of these objects and project on the surrounding objects.

The color of the Wadsworth Mansion in this painting was not pure white, though I’m pretty sure that if you asked the workers who painted the building what color they used, it would be some variation of white, such as titanium. The day that I painted it, the trees and flowering bushes around it projected a warm orange glow upward that originated from the sunlight that was in front of me, slightly to the left and somewhat high in the sky. There was very little direct light on the front of the building.

Reflections and Adjacent Objects

In the still life, the warm yellow of the lemon was reflected onto the cool bluish white surface, and the red skin of the apple and the peel of the orange reflect onto the normally white dish near the fruit as well as onto the fruit adjacent to them. 

Color Relationships

The six color squares are a good demonstration of the influence of surrounding colors. The orange color in the center is exactly the same for all six squares, yet depending on the color that surrounds the orange, the orange square appears to be a different shade. Note also that the stronger the color that surrounds the orange, the more it influences the perception of the orange hue. 

This is one example of how color values can draw attention to an object or provide a more subtle color shift. One color can become darker, lighter, warmer or cooler in relation to another color. When painting, try to relate and compare all of the colors in your composition to one another. Ask yourself, Is one color lighter or darker than the other? Is one color warmer or cooler than the other?

Next

I’m going to share my moleskin and small sketchbook sketches of people and places that I do for fun and practice. I'll talk about the types of media that I use when doing quick sketches.

Remodeling a Painting - Part 3

Welcome back! The remodeled music painting is progressing nicely. There is one change since Part 2, however. I had a revelation when I was painting and decided to switch my boring guitar with one a musical friend, Ron Anthony, designed and built. It is a beauty, with lots of detail and style. And it sounds great too! Of course, it doesn't hurt that Ron is an amazing musician, song writer, and singer.

As before, I'll walk you through paint mixing and application, still going from dark to light. For those who would like to know more about the drawing, I decided to include a mini lesson on perspective, using the tambourine.
I've included some information about color temperature, since I'm at the point where it's important for the harmony that the colors are mixed taking into account the temperature of the light on the subject.
There are wonderful books on art out there, so I've included a few of my favorites.

Going Thicker

In Part 2, I showed how I prepared the canvas and put in a thin coat of paint for all of the large shapes. This time, I'm beginning to use thicker paint, with no mineral spirits. I start with the darkest areas, which is the background, the tambourine and then the guitar and mandolin. I'm always working from dark to light, and thinking about where the light source is. I'm using a medium size bristle brush (#6) for the background and a medium size sable (#4) for the instruments. For smaller details, I use a sable round (#1).

For interest, I prefer a slightly turned view of all of the instruments, rather then a straight on view. I think it's more interesting and also, it helps to provide some depth.

I also started to add some shaping and color to the fabric, and strengthened the stripe that leads toward the tambourine.

Perspective Study of the Tambourine

The tambourine is a side view, making the shape more of an oval, The vanishing point (a point where parallel lines appear to converge) is off to the left, so to check the accuracy of the drawing, I first measure both the width and the height of the instrument using a pencil or my trusty measuring chopstick at arm's length. I put those measurements down, then I add my lines for the perspective, knowing that the vanishing point is off to the left.

I next put in vertical lines that are perpendicular to the perspective lines. To find the center, I draw a line from each corner within the square diagonally to the other. From here, I can draw an oval for the center negative space. I can measure the width of the inside and outside of the tambourine at the halfway point (see dotted line) and add those points.

This is a basic way to draw an ellipse. It works great for drawing things like tires on a car parked at an angle or any round shape that is viewed at an angle.

Mixing the Colors

Here's my palette for this lesson. I've mixed my dark background black, then I'm using Transparent Oxide Yellow for the guitar and for parts of the mandolin, mixing with cadmium yellow and titanium white for the lighter tones. For the paisley fabric, cadmium red, orange, and yellow in various mixes. For the green, Chromium Oxide Green and some Viridian. I'm also using some of this mixed with a tiny amount of red (remember, mix with the complement to subdue the color and in this case, give it a warmer tone). Always check the temperature of your colors and their relationship to each other. If one of the colors is unintentionally standing out, it could be that the temperature is either too cool or too warm.

It's important to note that you can mix all of these colors using your basic complementary colors, so don't feel the need to rush out and buy them. Sometimes, when I order paint from Jerry's Artarama, they send me tubes of odd colors for free. That was the case for the Transparent Oxide Yellow. I normally would mix my own, but since I had it, why not use it?

I'm leaving the music paper for last, since it is the lightest area. The titanium white is too cool, so I will warm it up a bit.

Use Professional Artist Grade paint whenever possible. Student grade paint is full of fillers and has less pigment, making it harder to cover an area. The color is weaker and will also lose its color strength over time.

Why Color Temperature is Important

Local colors in a subject are influenced by the source of light, whether it is warm or cool. When approaching a subject, the first thing you should do is figure out whether your light source is warm or cool. If it's a bright sunny day, it would be warm, if it's cloudy, it would probably be cool. Indoor light can be either warm or cool, depending on the source. It the light is from a fluorescent light, it will most likely be cool. Once this is established, you should keep the temperature of your colors consistent throughout the painting.

In this painting, the source of light is a warm incandescent bulb, so when I mix my colors for my subjects, I'll know to use or mix warmer shades of each color. The shadows are different. We'll talk about how to do shadows in Part 4.

Words on Paper

Some of my favorite painting books are:

• Alla Prima II by Richard Schmid
• Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting by John F. Carlson
• Color Harmony in Your Paintings by Margaret Kessler
• Landscape Painting by Mitchell Albala

Some great drawing books:

• Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
• How to Draw What You See by Rudy De Reyna
• Drawing for the Absolute Beginner by Mark and Mary Willenbrink

Next

In Part 4, I'm going to continue to work toward the lighter tones of the painting. I'l be paying attention to temperature and color harmony as I go. I'll tighten the details and drawings of the subjects and put in the music paper and pen. I'll also address folds, edges, and shadows. By the next email, the painting should be complete.

Use a palette knife to mix your paint on your palette. However, don’t be afraid of mixing some color on the canvas as you work. You may find some interesting results.