In Design II this semester, we've been taking an in-depth look at how color works, how it affects the viewer, how to mix those colors we want, etc.
One of the first things we learned was the difference between subtractive and additive colors. Subtractive colors would be things like paint that have a pigment in them. Colors like that work by absorbing all but one wavelength of light, and reflecting that one wavelength that gets interpreted by our eyes as a certain color. For example, red paint absorbs every wavelength of light except the red wavelength, and it reflects that red back out so that we can see it. However, mixing certain pigments can result in them, together, absorbing all the wavelengths of light and therefore reflecting none back out for us to see - therefore producing a type of black. To get this effect, we mix together complementary colors, typically red + green, blue + orange, and violet + yellow. Mixing a bit of a color's complement into it can also dull it down a bit so the color isn't so vibrant.
Additive colors, on the other hand, deal with wavelengths of light themselves. Shorter wavelengths of light are seen as purples and blues, and longer wavelengths are seen as reds. As these mix together, they eventually create white instead of muddled browns and blacks as in subtractive colors. If you think about it, it makes sense - the more light you have, the lighter and whiter it is. This would be the type of color mixing we observe on screens.
For this topic, we were assigned a three-part project.
A color triangle
I know, I know, it's usually a color wheel. But the triangle works basically the same way, with the complementary colors across from one another. One difference is that the primary colors are larger than the secondary colors, which are larger than the tertiary colors, so it's a bit easier to separate the colors. We also created small gradients from each primary color to the next to get a bit more specific with the colors in between.
Neutral study
For this one, we mixed complementary colors together to get neutrals, and then took all those combinations and slowly added white. We also took the complementary colors themselves and slowly added black. My professor recommended using a mixed black rather than the black from the tube. It can be a bit more neutral and take care of problems like a yellow turning green as black is added (because often blacks have a bluish tone to them). To get this black, I mixed red, green, and a teeny tiny bit of blue. We also worked with two different reds, one leaning towards orange and one towards violet. It was interesting to see the subtle difference between the two.
This project was very time-consuming and hard to keep straight, but in the end it was worth it. It was really neat to see what sorts of colors I could create with the different combinations, and I find the end result satisfying to look at. It was good to get experience with the paints we have for the class.
Color themes
We also discussed different color combinations that we could use in compositions. A few that were mentioned were:
Achromatic - no color, only black and white
Monochromatic - only one color and its shades and tints
Complementary - two complementary colors
Analogous colors - colors next to each other on the color triangle, like orange, red, and violet, or violet, blue, and green
The composition itself was inspired by Istanbul and the Bosphorus, and I titled it "People Watching". I really enjoyed painting this one, especially the complementary colored one that's more of a night-time image with the glowing city lights on the shore.
Even though they took a good bit of time, all three projects were definitely worth it, and I'm excited to see what else we'll do with color in the class!