Visual Complements by Hilary Page

Most artists know that complementary color pairs can be used for two functions. These are (1) for color mixing- to make clear colors more neutral and (2) for visual color enhancement- to make juxtaposed saturated colors appear even more brilliant. Most artists, however, are misinformed about the actual colors of complementary colors pairs. So read on! This information could change the way you paint!

The red Amarylis flowers to the left appear particularly vibrant because they are surrounded by the VISUAL COMPLEMENT of red which is Turquoise blue green.

Lemon yellow appears much more vibrant when surrounded by its “visual” complement which is blue. Most artists erroneously pair yellow with purple for color enhancement which is related to the way the eye works (lateral inhibition and disinhibition).

Long before I began to research color I realized that specific pairs of colors mutually enhance one another. This was because in my youth in England when I used to paint color coordinated plaster pixies to sell for extra pocket money, I found that certain combinations such as blue and yellow, were particularly pleasing. These same color pairs are what I now call “visual complements” though I didn’t know them by that name in those days!

My later experience as a painter, and research for my books led me to question the prevailing literature on the subject. It has become clear to me that there are not just one set of complementary color pairs but two sets.

These are required for the two separate functions of color mixing and color enhancement. The colors of the two sets are definitely not the same though most artists are unaware of this. How about you! The good news is that if you use the right visual complements, the color in your paintings will be more exquisite and dazzling than ever before.

So let’s take a moment here to get down to the basics. A complement is “that which completes”. What do MIXING and VISUAL complements complete that makes them fundamentally different? “Mixing” complements complete the subtractive color mixing process. “Visual” complements complete the optical synthesis which is bound by the way our eyes work. Thus I coined the names “mixing” and “visual” complements to pertain to these two processes.

“Mixing” complements, used for color mixing are pairs of colors that neutralize one another as an increasing amount of one is added to the other. i.e. green neutralizes red as increasing amounts of the green are added to the red. The actual color pairs are determined because they complete the subtractive color mixing process in which the amount of reflected light from a painted surface is subtracted with each admixture i.e.

you paint gets darker! The right pairs (yellow/purple or red/green or blue/orange) will produce BLACK or a VERY DARK GRAY when mixed in the correct proportions. Mixing complements are usually placed opposite one another on the color wheel.
MIXING COMPLEMENTS

When neutralizing a color it is not necessary to have the precise “mixing” complement. A touch of any purple for instance will render most yellows quite unsaturated.

Quinacridone (Permanent) Rose (PV19 red shade)
Winsor Lemon (PY175)
Winsor Blue red shade (PB15)
Phthalo Green yellow shade (PG36)
Perinone Orange (PO43)
Carbozole (Winsor) Violet PV23

The red Amarylis flowers appear particularly vibrant because they are surrounded by the VISUAL COMPLEMENT of red which is Turquoise blue green.

Seen below: Lemon yellow appears much more vibrant when surrounded by its “visual” complement which is blue. Most artists erroneously pair yellow with purple for color enhancement which is related to the way the eye works (lateral inhibition and disinhibition).

“Visual” complements used for color enhancement are pairs of colors that make each one appear more vibrant when they are painted contiguously. i.e. blue will appear more vibrant if juxtaposed by yellow. (Color enhancement is an aspect of the phenomenon known as simultaneous contrast, related to how the eye works.)

The actual color pairs are determined because they complete the optical synthesis in which the eyes equalize reflected light from a painted surface when viewed. Only the right pairs will produce a COLORLESS GRAY when painted in the correct proportions either on a disc and spun, or as dots as in Pointillism. Fortunately we don’t have to go through this arduous process! The color pairs have been quantifiably established by Ellen Marx in her incisive book “Optical Contrast & Simultaneity” (1983 Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc). The corresponding pairs of artists’ colors are listed below and shown in the vertical chart created for the Daniel Smith article. You will need to use precise colors for optimal color enhancement. Note that the colors of “visual” complements correspond to the colored “light” complements that complete the additive synthesis of adding colored lights. The right pairs when shone together yield WHITE light.

VISUAL COMPLEMENTS

Here are the color pairs that I use for color enhancement. . If your favorite color is not listed, find the nearest visual complement that you can find! It is important to use the precise paints listed to achieve optimal color enhancement. Thus I have used the color index name such as PY175 (included on paint tubes) so that you can match the exact paint listed no matter which brand you are using. The brands that I have used are Daniel Smith and Winsor & Newton paints. Click here to link to WCO’S manufacturers’ page.

THESE ARE THE COLORS OF VISUAL COMPLEMENTARY PAIRS
Here is a copy of the color chart. The proportions show the approximate amount of each color it would take to make the requisite colorless gray if spun on a disc or painted as dots as in Pointillism. Only color pairs that are visual complements will make light gray if blended in this way indicating that if painted contiguously each will appear more vivid and colorful to the viewer.

The mistake in not distinguishing between the colors of MIXING and VISUAL complementary color pairs dates from the start of the nineteenth century. Color-contrast was already an established principle and the term “complement” was first used for so called color harmony and afterimages. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the prolific German author, stated in his “Theory of Colours” (1810) that for “completeness” the eye produces a “complemental hue upon each color”. This is not the same meaning as understood by a “complement” in today’s art. (The after image effect to which he refers relates to a phenomenon known as successive contrast). Goethe also asserted that a mixture of all colors made gray. He designed a triangle of three “complemental” pairs using the same color arrangement as Moses Harris who created the first artists’ color wheel in 1776 designed specifically as an aid to color mixing. Harris mixed three “secondary” colors- green/violet/orange/- from the primary colors red/yellow/blue/ and placed them opposite one another, with BLACK in the center. Referring to both of these charts, many artists then used the same opposite colors both for color enhancement and also for color mixing, thus erroneously combining the colors of MIXING and VISUAL complements for the two separate functions.

The confusion was sustained by Michel-Eugene Chevreul , a French chemist and color theorist who, unlike Goethe, did indeed understand the difference between subtractive and optical/additive color. In his book “The Principles of Harmony and Contrast of Colors and their Application to the Arts”(1839) he offered a wheel showing complementary pairs and specifically stated that this was for color modification “upon the eye”, and not for paint mixing. However, since he used the same colors pairs as Goethe, he continued the error. For instance, he used red/green instead of red/ turquoise, blue/orange instead of cyan/orange, and yellow/violet instead of yellow/blue for color enhancement. These color combinations were then erroneously used by many of the French Impressionist painters as well as fashion, garden and interior designers of that period and to this day.

Ogden Rood in “Modern Chromatics” (1879) named the correct “visual” complementary contrast colors- pairs that he called “companions” that when juxtaposed glowed “with more than their natural brilliancy”. Unfortunately, he failed to articulate that there was a difference between “visual” and “mixing” complements. And so the confusion continued- until today when I hope this article has sorted out the mess for you!

Also see : "LEMONS ON BLUE DEMONSTRATION"

Those who found this reprint of Hillary’s article useful may also want to check out her site http://hilarypage.com and see about her video on Visual Complements or her books “Color Right from the Start”, “Hilary Page’s Guide to Watercolor Paints” and “Watercolor Right from the Start”. Signed copies are available.