Understanding Color Temperature

 “ If  one says “reds”— the name of a color — and there are fifty people listening , it can be expected  that there will be fifty reds in their minds. And one can be sure that all these reds will be very different. “— Josef Albers

Color Temperature  mainly refers to the feeling  one gets when viewing a color or a set of colors. Generally, yellows, oranges, and reds are considered warm, whereas greens, blues, and purples are considered cool. When used within a work of art, warm colors seem to advance toward the viewer, and cool colors appear to recede into the distance. This dynamics is important to remember when suggesting depth or creating an area of focus.

“Lily—The Goddess of the Garden” I created this  artwork  using my  Water-soluble colored pencils from Faber-Castell and Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils on watercolor paper.

In my above  artwork the yellows, oranges  and reds ( warm colors) are in the foreground of the viewer while the purples, blues ( cool colors ) are in the background  thus adding depth to this artwork. 

*** Disclaimer ***: For all of  my Commission art pieces and Exhibition art pieces, I only use high quality Artist grade Color pencils only such as my Faber- Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils and Derwent Lightfast Color Pencils and Faber-Castell  Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils Only. I use only these pencils because these pencils have good lightfast ratings. ( Lightfastness is the ability of a medium to resist qualitative changes from light. It is the ability of a picture to not fade over time. UV radiation from sunlight (and sometimes electric light) break down the molecules in the medium, causing bleaching and discoloring.)

But if Colored Pencils are a new medium for you, or if you are looking to just explore and see if Colored pencils will be a good fit for you, then I would recommend to start out with a small set of the Prismacolor Premier® Soft Core Colored Pencils mainly because this brand is widely available. 

Please note: For all of my examples/swatches  in the rest of this post, I have used   the Prismacolor Premier® Soft Core Colored Pencils only.

Color Wheel Created using Prismacolor Premier Color Pencils. Colors used to create this wheel are Permanent Red (PC 122), Canary Yellow (PC 916) and  China Blue (PC 1100). 

As shown in the above color wheel, when you divide the color wheel  in half by drawing a line from a point between red and red-violet to a point between yellow-green and green. This makes a visual distinction between the warm and cool colors.

Some examples  of Warm and Cool Colors  in the Prismacolor Premier® Soft Core Colored Pencils include:

The above photo shows  swatches and examples of some of the  Warm Colors  in the Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencil line.

This photo shows  swatches and examples of some of the  Cool Colors  in the Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencil line.

Relative Temperature :

Within individual colors exist warm and cool varieties. If a color leans toward red on the color wheel, it is considered warmer than a version of the color that leans blue.Relative to each other, sunburst yellow (PC  917) leans towards  red and lemon yellow (PC  915)  leans towards blue; therefore, sunburst yellow ( left) is warmer than lemon yellow ( right)  as shown in the picture below:

Color swatches used to show relative temperature  that exits  within the individual colors. 

Color Relativity:

While colors are generally classified as warm or cool, they can also be relatively warm or cool within their hue. Although red is considered the warmest color, there are cool reds and warm reds. A cool red contains more blue (such as magenta), and a warm red contains more yellow (such as coral). The way we perceive a color’s characteristics is relative to its surroundings. By using contrasts in temperature, value, and chroma, we can make colors appear warmer or cooler, lighter or darker, and brighter or duller simply with  the colors we place next to them.

 Relative temperature  A color’s temperature is influenced by surrounding colors. Note how the hot  pink  circle appears cooler set against orange   (A) than Ultramarine  (B) in the picture  below:

         Colors used here are Hot Pink (PC 993), Orange (PC 918) and Ultramarine  (PC 902).

Relative Value:  Our perception of a color’s value depends on its surrounding color. Notice how the same  hot pink circle appears lighter in example (C) than in example (D) as shown  in the picture  below :

                  Colors used here are Hot Pink (PC 993), Violet Blue (PC 933) and Pale Sage (PC 1089). 

Relative Chroma:  A color’s chroma can appear different depending on nearby colors. Notice  how the same hot  pink circle appears dull against  the neon yellow (E) and bright against grey (F)  as shown in the picture  below:

Colors used here are Hot Pink (PC 993), Neon Yellow (PC 1035) and 70% Cool Grey ( PC 1065).

So to summarize :

1. If you want to make a color appear warmer place a cooler color adjacent  to it.
2. If you want to make a color lighter place a darker color adjacent to it.
3. And finally , if you want to make a color appear brighter , place a duller color adjacent to it.

Quick Tip: How to paint with a toothbrush?

 To ring in the New Year , I thought  I will share with you a fascinating technique on how to use a toothbrush to try an interesting technique with watercolors. This is also a fun project  to do with kids or the kid in you!

Painting with a Toothbrush 

Toothbrushes work really well with liquid watercolors.Their bristles are stiffer than those of normal watercolor brushes and this creates a different kind of line.

Colorful Rooster

How to paint a rooster using a toothbrush

This is an example of a really dynamic effect created by a toothbrush as a finishing touch to an illustration.

Step 1:  Paint the rooster using watercolor as I have done here, leaving a space for the tail feathers.

Colorful Rooster

Step 2:  Dip the toothbrush in the liquid watercolor and use it to paint a spiky tail. Use two or three colors so that they mix together slightly.

Colorful Rooster

Step 3:  Add some rough strokes with the toothbrush under the rooster to give the vague impression of a horizontal surface to ground the image.

And that's  it, you now have a colorful  rooster that is ready to take on the world!

I hope you enjoyed  this mini tutorial and if you tried this technique   share with me in the comments  below or tag me on Instagram — @creativejayu I would  love to see what you create. 

" Color is the place where our brain and the universe meet." -- Paul Klee

The Five Elements of Shading

To draw realistically, you must understand how lighting affects form. There are five elements of shading to achieve a realistic look to your object form. If any of these elements are missing your artwork will appear flat. But with correct placement of light and dark tones, you can draw just about anything.

But how can you tell how dark is dark and light is light? Using a simple five- box value scale can help you decide on depth of tone. Each tone on the scale represents one of the five elements of shading.

The Five Elements of Shading in a Sphere

Compare the Tones in the Value Scale to the Tones in the Sphere: Notice how the five elements of shading on the sphere correspond to the tones on the value scale. Look at the five elements of shading in everything you draw.

1) Cast Shadow: This is the darkest tone on your drawing. It is always opposite to the light source. In case of the sphere, it is underneath where the sphere meets the surface. This area has no light because, as the sphere protrudes, it blocks light and casts a shadow.

2) Shadow Edge: This dark gray  is not at the very edge of the object. It is opposite the light source where the sphere curves away from you.

3) Halftone: This is medium gray. It is the area of the sphere that is in neither direct light nor shadows.

4) Reflected Light: This is a light gray. Reflected light is always found along the edge of an object and separates the darkness of the shadow edge from the darkness of the cast shadow.

5) Full Light: This is the white area, where the light source is hitting the sphere at full strength.

I hope that you found  this article  useful. Please  let me know your thoughts on this topic in the comments below .  Thank you for reading.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." -- Winston Churchill

How The Impressionists Used Complementary Colors To Create an Impact on their artworks

 Complementary colors are basically colors which are on directly opposite sides of the color wheel. So blue is a complement of orange, red is a complement of green, yellow is a complement of purple and so on.

Complementary colors provide striking visual effects when paired together. Claude Monet said this about complementary colors in 1888:

"Color makes its impact from contrasts rather than from its inherent qualities....the primary colors seem more brilliant when they are in contrast with their complementary colors."--  Claude Monet

What he meant was that red for example has no meaning or power by itself. But, when paired with a complementary color (being green), you are able to properly see the richness and warmth of that red.

Color is all relative.

The impressionists were masters of color and were very clever in how they used complementary colors to create stunning visual effects. Let us now go through some of the paintings by Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh which utilizes  complementary colors.

In the painting below of Van Gogh's bedroom, we see a  very intense red of the bedsheet which contrasts against the dull green of the floor. We  also see that the intense orange of the bed frame  contrasts against the weaker blue in  the walls and doors.

In the flower painting below, the vibrant red on the wall contrasts against the dull greens of the table and leaves.

In this portrait of Van Gogh he used a simple combination of blues and oranges to create a very striking contrast. His face almost jumps out of the canvas at the viewer. 

In this landscape van Gogh contrasted the vibrant oranges in the foreground against the rich blues in the sky.

In this painting by Claude Monet you have a striking contrast between the dull blues and the rich oranges in the sky.

In this painting below  the vibrant reds and yellows contrast against the dark greens and violets.

Finally, in this classic painting by Claude Monet, the sun is contrasted against the dull blue-grays. The orange of the sun is actually not that intense. But, when the rest of the painting is a dull blue-gray, it looks very intense.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article on how Complementary colors used by the Great Masters can add drama to a painting. I hope that this has been inspirational and educational to you. Thank you for reading.

Photo References for Van Gogh and Claude Monet paintings taken from -https://www.wikiart.org

I am sure that there are other great artists who create an impact with their art by using a complementary color scheme. Let me know in the comments below which  other artists you think creates an impact by using a complementary color scheme. I would love to hear from you! Thanks!

Basics-- Composition

 Composition involves working with spatial concepts to create a pleasing layout. Some rules are classically simple. The first thing you need to decide is if you want to use a vertical (portrait) or a horizontal (landscape) format. Sometimes that decision can be simple but not always.  Consider the fact that horizontal compositions tend to be restful, and vertical compositions are more energizing. So if you are making a sketch of cattle lying in a field in a vertical format you might want to reconsider your decision. Also where you place your center of interest will determine its importance. Experiment with different arrangements and formats until you are pleased with the visual weight of your center of interest. 

CENTER OF INTEREST: The center of interest is the most important visual element of a picture. In most realistic works of art, the center of interest is the subject of the painting. 

Divide the Composition into Thirds

Divide your working area into thirds, top to bottom and from side to side as shown in the picture below. The center of interest will be most pleasing, in a traditional manner, if you place it at one of the intersections of those lines. This works well, whether you choose a horizontal or a vertical format. 

Infographic  below shows eye-tracking  studies  to show  where will the viewer look first  when looking at a picture/painting/photographs. This  will aid in designing your own compositions in the future. 

Off Balance

It is not always necessary or even desirable to stick with the classical mode of composition, of course. Explore an off-balance, unusual composition by placing your subject off to one side for a lively sense of motion--  like  the picture below.

 *** Quick Tip ***

USE VARIETY-- Don't make everything the same size or spaced the same distance apart in your composition. That can be boring and static. By using variety in sizes or spacing can add visual interest to the composition. 

 So, do you have a Composition tip or hack that you would like to share? Let me know in the comments below.