Visual Problems in Color

Introduction:

“The essential fact of color theory is that color is a property of light, not an object itself…Objects have no color of their own but merely the ability to reflect certain rays of white light, which contain all the colors. Blue objects absorb all the rays except the blue ones, and these are reflected to our eyes. Black objects absorb all the rays; white objects reflect all of them. The significance of this fact for the artist is that as light changes, color will change.”

—Design Basics, Chapter 13

Application:

The following exercises and project are designed to give the student both short-term and long-term experiences in working with reflective color. Four individual exercises require students to learn how to mix and apply basic colors according to their properties: hue, value, and intensity. One project encourages students to synthesize various color concepts into a complex color organization. Students render their color designs utilizing acrylic paints as well as computer software. Finished projects are critiqued by both class members and the instructor.

Traditional Media

Using acrylic paint and a bristol or illustration board surface, create a twelve-hue color wheel from the three primary colors: red, yellow and blue.

Create a ten-step value chart utilizing one of the secondary hues (orange, violet, green) from the color wheel. Make each step one inch square and sequence them from dark at the bottom to almost white at the top. It is important to create an even gradation or change from one value to the next. Acrylic or opaque watercolor paint work best for this exercise.

Starting with one of the secondary hues (green, orange, or violet), make a warm/cool chart. Put a secondary hue in the center of a five-squares chart, make the squares on the left progress towards cool and the ones on the right progress towards warm. Do this by adding blue for coolness and red or yellow for warmness. As in the above exercises, create "even" gradations.

Create a simultaneous contrast comparison with acrylic or opaque watercolor paint. First, paint two backgrounds, each three inches square. Make sure their values are exactly the same. Second, mix a grey hue which is precisely the same value as the complementary background colors. Paint a grey square, approximately one and one-half inches, in the center of each background. Discuss the optical effects with class members and the instructor.

Electronic Media

Using an electronic software program such as Adobe Illustrator, create a twelve-hue color wheel, simulating paint. For students interested in stage lighting or related media, try making an additive mixture color wheel starting with the primaries of red, blue, and green.

Using Adobe Illustrator or a similar program, design a value chart utilizing one of the secondary hues (orange, violet, green) from the color wheel. It is necessary to make the optical changes equal from one square to the next. Once the gradation looks good on the monitor, print the results. If the printed version does not reflect "even" gradations, make the necessary adjustments and print again.

Create a warm/cool color chart as described above using an electronic software such as Adobe Illustrator. Once the monitor image looks right, make a color print, assess its success relative to the exercise requirements, and then adjust as necessary for the final print.

Using Adobe Illustrator or a similar computer software, create the simultaneous contrast demonstration. First, create two backgrounds, each three inches square. Make sure their values are exactly the same. Paint a grey square, approximately one and one-half inches, in the center of each background. Discuss the optical effects with class members and the instructor. Make a color print and discuss the resultant color effects with class members and the instructor.

Project:

Goal: To render three different color schemes in a single composition with design and color unity.

Materials:

A. Traditional design media that will be employed in the execution of this project.

Illustration or bristol board—three squares at 8" or 10" ea.

Acrylic paint and mediums, i.e., matte, glossy, gel, etc.

Acrylic brushes and pallet.

Tracing paper for refining and tracing image down to rendering surface.

B. Electronic design software such as: Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop. Project can be designed and rendered either with traditional media or electronic (computer) software. It is also possible to mix traditional and electronic media. For example, a student could work out the design on the computer, and then paint it onto illustration board. Also, it would be possible to scan in a design drawn by hand and "color it" in Adobe Photoshop or a similar design software.

Guidelines:

Three squares of illustration board can be creatively arranged or designed to make a vital design unit.

The three color schemes to be used are analogous, complementary, and triadic, one for each square.

An overall design should unify imagery in the three squares.

Color schemes must also be unified as one color organization: use similar values in all three squares; add a single color to all colors in all color schemes, creating the effect of a dominant hue; or use similar chromatic ranges in all three color schemes.