Looking at Color by Sharon Himes

Artists learn to see color throughout a lifetime. Analyzing various aspects of color is part of the process of painting. There are many nuances and subtle elements of color and it is not always easy to decide exactly what color to use. Look closely at different areas of the subject to determine what color is really there. To make a decision what color to use, consider these factors:

Colors have a temperature.

All colors are warm or cool. Reds and yellows tend to be warm while the blues and greens tend to be cool.

When you are trying to match a color in nature, decide if the color is warm or cool. If the colors you are using are either warm or cool in your subject (working from life or still life), they will remain warm or cool regardless of the time of day and the amount of light as long as the light source comes from the same direction.

What color is it?
When looking at the color of an object, decide if the color is more bluish or yellowish .

All colors will be one or the other. Even the reds will be more toward the blues (violet) or the yellows (oranges). Even grayed tones will have some bluish or yellowish tones.

When in doubt about how yellow or blue it is use a grey color.

Colors have value.
This is the degree of light or dark. In general it is the amount of white or black mixed with the paint.

Compare the color to others in the scene and decide if it is lighter or darker. The value of a color can be determined by imagining it in black and white. Colors that are different can have the same value. Try to contrast values in a painting by having areas that are specifically light, medium and dark. Colors that are opposites on the color wheel are considered complimentary colors.

What is the color scheme?
Decide if the colors of your scene or figure are harmonious or contrasting. Harmonious colors have a common element. Contrasting color arrangements use colors that are opposites. When you mix colors, remember to keep your colors consistent with your decision to use a scheme of harmonious or contrasting colors.

Harmonious colors tend to be either yellowish or bluish. The old masters found harmony in a painting by doing an underpainting in tones of grey (which usually tends to be bluish) and galzing color over it. In portraits, most of their flesh tones were made with a combination of alizron crimzon, black and white.

These color samples from the painting show the range of colors used by the artist. The colors in this painting are harmonious because all have at least a touch of yellow. The resulting scene has unity and atmosphere.

Many Impressionist artists used complimentary and contrasting colors for their paintings. Here a balance of colors provides the unity. Colors that are opposites on the color wheel are considered complimentary colors.

It is more difficult to determine colors in dark areas than in light ones. Look at the colors in the dark areas of a figure or scene, then the middle values, then the lights. Compare color areas and note how some colors reflect or influence others.

For artists, seeing and understanding color is an ongoing process. It takes practice in looking and analyzing colors in the world and in works by other artists. Color is a natural wonder for all to enjoy.