The Concepts Behind

Color
Understanding how color works with vision and light
 WHAT IS COLOR?

• the quality of an object or substance

with respect to light reflected by the
object, usually determined visually by
measurement of hue, saturation, and
brightness of the reflected light;
saturation or chroma; hue.
• Color is the visual effect that is caused by
the spectral composition of the light
emitted, transmitted, or reflected by
objects.
The Science of Color and how it Works
• We observe and make
colors choices everyday, it
is built into our everyday
lives. When it comes to
painting however you are
going to view color in a
different way then ever
before, not only will you be
identifying color but you
will begin to understand
how that color is created.
Let’s first start with
understanding the science
behind how we perceive
color.
 UNDERSTANDING COLOR

• Technically, color doesn’t exist.

•Color is created only when our brain tries to make sense from light
signals it receives from the outer world.  In other words, it’s all in your
head.
•Color originates in light, sunlight, as we perceive it, is colorless. As
illustrated in the diagram on the next slide, light goes from the source
(the sun) to the object (the apple), and finally to the detector (the eye
and brain).
DIAGRAM OF LIGHT HITTING AN OBJECT
 BUT HOW DO WE SEE ONLY ONE COLOR?
FIRST: All the "invisible" colors of sunlight shine on the
apple.

SECOND: The surface of a red apple absorbs all the

colored light rays, except for those corresponding to red,
and reflects this color to the human eye.

THIRD: The eye receives the reflected red light and sends
a message to the brain.

Lets look at the diagram again..

DIAGRAM OF LIGHT HITTING AN OBJECT
Virtual Instruction

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Subtractive and Additive
• There are two ways to create color subtractive and additive.
• Remember color is created by light, the computer screens, phones,
and television sets we all watch use light to recreate color. This is
called additive color mixing. RGB computer modes mimic how we
physically perceive color.
• In painting we cannot use light to make colors, we need to mix colors,
this is called subtractive, using two or more colors to create a third
color.
• This concept is demonstrated on the next slide
 TWO WAYS OF CREATING COLOR
ONE: by mixing light (or additive)
or
TWO: by mixing paint (subtractive).

The way we physically perceive

How artists mix color
colors, and how colors are mixed
through RGB computer models
Virtual Instruction

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Key Concepts
• You must first understand and observe light as it relates to your
subject.
• You must also understand how the same subject re-acts to different
types of light.
• Understanding how to observe light and color, then apply it to the
principles of painting.
Let’s try thinking about this….
• If your sitting in a pitch black room with no light entering, can you
identify the color, volume, depth, or forms of the room and objects in
the room? Can you tell me what the object sitting in front of you looks
like and then paint me a picture of it?
• What if I told you that there was an apple sitting in front of you and
told you to paint what was in front of you to an absolute likeness?
Could you do it?
If you answered yes then you are correct!
• But how?
• Let’s think about it, technically the apple has no color or form because
it has no light that allows you to see the color, form or space.
• The correct thing to paint would be simply black, that is your true
observation of the apple in time and space and would technically be
an absolute likeness.
• In learning to paint you must challenge yourself to paint what you
observe in combination with the technical information you learn.
Now let’s Continue..
• Every time that room increases with light your ability to determine
space and form becomes more easily identifiable. Your ability to
detect color also increases as demonstrated in the properties of light
powerpoint.
• So lets consider some other questions, is all light the same?
The Difference in Light
• Being able to identify light is the first step in understanding how to
paint, building on this skill you now must decipher how light is
affecting both your color and form.
• Some of the main forms of light you may be use to seeing are: out
door light sunlight(differs during different parts of the day and with
different weather) indoor light florescent lights, halogens,
incandescent bulbs, and LED.
• Color will be manipulated by the type of light the form receives.
• As an artist it is important to CONTROL AND UNDERSTAND YOUR
LIGHT
Elements by Ophidian
THE VALUE OF VALUE
Value Does the Work, Color Gets the Credit
• Color is the most attractive quality of a painting but, believe it or not, value is more
important than color to the design and success of a painting.
• Think of a black and white movie. All you can see is made visible by value contrast.
Color is totally extra to understand what is going on.
• In the painting world, color is what viewers will notice most, therefore the value of
each color is important in determining the success of the composition.
• You must first understand and observe light as it relates to your subject.
• You must also understand how the same subject re-acts to different types of light.
• Understanding how to observe light and color, then apply it to the principles of
painting.
• Let’s think about this logically….
• Light changes intensity.
• Lets imagine you take your apple and bring it outside, set it on a table
and take a picture during the sun rise, mid day, and sunset, in all of
these instances the colors used to paint your apple would change,
because again, the color of the apple is dictated by the light.
Let’s start with the value of a
single object
 An apple
• We will use our
understanding of the
properties of light
and how it works to
complete our
painting.
• First identify how
many properties of
light are apparent in
this apple?
• Next identify the light
source?
Now Let’s make a plan and
color match!
• Lets view the apple three different ways, in image one I am viewing the various values of the
red, in image two I am viewing the value structure of the apple, in image three I am
embellishing the value to create a greater value structure of the apple. This tells me how dark
and light my red values will become.
• Remember this slide
• Note how large forms
of value are identified
in the apple to create
the value structure?
• Creating value
structures is a visual
game of identifying
shapes and matching
values
• How to Use a Value Scale
• To get the values right, you have to do a continuous work of comparison between parts of the
reference image and parts of the ongoing painting.
• Look at the reference picture, composition, or scene you want to paint, and find the darkest
shapes or areas. Compare them to the other areas of the picture. See how they relate to each
other in terms of lightness and darkness.
• Hold your value scale in front of the picture and see how each area compares to the gray scale on
the chart. The darkest dark on the picture might have for example a value 3. Now hold the scale
up in front of your painting and check the value of your paint. No matter what color you used, to
deliver the correct composition and structure, the value should be consistent.
• Keep comparing. Look at the middle value in the reference photo and see how they compare. If
the middle value is a 5, paint that on a value 5 color and do the same comparison for the lightest
lights. Never get tired of comparing the relationships between values in the picture and in the
painting.
• Color can be tricky, you may think you can render a value 9 area with a yellow, but when you
compare to your gray scale chart you may be surprised to see that the yellow you used
corresponds to a 6 or a 7.
 Color Matching
• For the success of a painting, a painter
should approach it as a value problem,
an arrangement of light and shadow.
Value is the skeleton upon which the
painting is constructed; color and
detail add local interest.
• Notice all of the areas which need to
be colored matched.
• You are looking for the common
denominator, what color can I mix all
the other colors from.
• In this case all of these colors contain
red so I will begin with my cadmium
red.
Start with a base color
• I start with a color that seems to
be closest to the overall color
and match it to my paints.
• I will start with this color first, it
appears, which looks close to my
cadmium red, although it seems
to have a bit more cool of a hue
then my cadmium, I will add
Alizarin crimson to help add
more of a cool red hue
• I will add this color to the
respective locations on the apple
Next Color Mix
• I will now mix my darker
shade, I will use the color I
previously mixed and some
of reds compliment green, I
will also add some brown.
• I will add this color into it’s
respective area and also mix
this color into the areas of
red I have just painted.
Next Color Mix
• I will do the same thing here,
color match at place in the
correct location.
• The main thing to do here is to
paint it exactly as you see it on
the image, the same place and
the same shapes. This means
constant referencing you should
be looking at your image A LOT.
• You want to avoid painting from
memory, because all of the
answers are right there!
• Lets look at this slide again, when finished does your painting
demonstrate these values? Did you take some artistic license to increase
the color structure to make it more interesting?
 Values create three dimension

• In the image on the left, there is no use of light or values a one dimensional impression
of an apple has been painted and concepts neglected. On the right demonstrates the
appropriate use of values and the illusion of light creating a three dimensional object.
First layer of washes
• We can apply the local
color as transparent and
semi-transparent washes,
allowing the value that
we’ve established
underneath to show
through. By adding
washes of color on top of
the underpainting, our
color develops depth and
becomes more realistic.
Final Layer
• For the final layer strengthen
your darks and lights with
opaque color.
• Go back and forth balancing
the color until you feel you
have achieved a sense of
light in your painting
Virtual Instructions on painting fruit
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPjg2m5b92A