Color Mixing - Intensity

June 1, 2014

Color Mixing - I have learned that to make color look bright there is a need for mixing low intensity colors, too.  Colors (with high intensity or chroma) look brighter against neutrals and low intensity colors. 

I have been  watching videos from  the Artist Network TV  and Ian Roberts has a good one on color.  There was an exercise he recommends called the "color chip exercise". 

Attributes of every color include HUE, VALUE and INTENSITY.  The following exercise emphasizes learning to mix low intensity colors.  I usually went for the hue first, then added the complement and took it from there. 



1) Get paint chips from hardware store with low intensity.  I chose sort of a yellow, purple, green, and blue in different values.

This just show different values.

Exercise - glue chip to grid, match  as closely as possible in value and intensity with your own mix in 2nd grid,  the do the same thing in the 3rd grid with the color's complement. 

This black and white shows the similarity in value. 

I hope you can watch the Ian Roberts video.  I have written about Ian Roberts in older blogs especially his book on composition.  He explains so well the reasons there are for being able to adjust the intensity of colors especially in landscape painting. 

My next blog is about color brightness using Dreama Tolle Perry's technique of transparent and opaque colors.  I finally remembered to take step by step photos for one my recent paintings called "Corner of Fauqier and Charles. 

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/carol-josefiak-3555/artwork 

Compostion # 11

July 14, 2013


The last few days I've been looking through books and art online of some of my favorite artists studying their paintings thinking primarily of composition.

I added quite a few to my board on pinterest.  I was looking a lot for patterns of light and dark as well as a gestural flow through the painting, that something that holds it together

Maggie Siner, a Virginia artist is someone very expert at handling patterns of light and dark that take you through her paintings.  She has a beautiful website.
http://www.maggiesiner.com/paintings.php  I put quite a few of hers on my pinterest board.


(The zinnia painting below is an old one of mine, but does have have some of what I've been talking about

 

 

Below is composition sent in by friend.  I'm hoping more people will send things to me that I can post and you can critique with your comments. 

 

There are a lot of good things going on here.  Do you see an armature?  Pattern of darks?  Look at edges of canvas.  Temperature?

 



One more link to a very good summary of Ian Roberts guidelines.  It is from Artist Daily, an online magazine.


http://www.artistsnetwork.com/articles/art-demos-techniques/use-design-to-create-a-powerful-painting-by-ian-roberts

Composition #7

 

July 9, 20013

More study on composition....

    

Armature:  Triangle: 

In this armature usually the use of perspective creates the triangle.  The example in the book I keep referring to is much better.  (Page 21 of Mastering Composition)

 

You might say it is more of  the use of diagonals, but  I think this refers to creating triangle shapes.

 

 

 

6 x 6

I'll look for examples to add to the Pinterest  board I created about composition.

 

 

I did my own google search for further study about compostion and came across some that were very helpful.  I have one them linked below.  Steve Doherty is an editor for one of the art magazines and has some good tips here. 

 

Link to composition:   tips by Steve Doherty

 

 

 

 

Compositon #4

July 6, 20013

 

I keep dreaming up new uses for Pinterest.  If you use it you will know what I'm talking about here.  I started a Board devoted to Composition today.  If you've read my past blogs, you will know it is something I want to strengthen in my paintings.  It would be nice if other people could add it this board, but as far as I know, you can't do that.  You could start your own board though and I will follow yours.   

 

So today I'm concentrating on the "S" armature and I pinned quite a few paintings by artists that I admire with the "S" Armature in their compositions.  I also included the only other one of mine using it.  I re-pinned some other things about composition on that board. There are some drawings about composition by Edgar Payne that are really helpful.  And, of course, lots by Ian Roberts. 

 

Think big, do a board for each armature, wish I had thought of that sooner. 

 

 

Link to Pinterest Board on Compostion

 

The "S" armature?

 

This is a subject I should stay with for awhile.  It's really made me look at my own paintings thinking only about composition.

Page 19 in Ian Robert's book is about the "S"  armature.  When I looked back at my own paintings I could only find two.  What does that say?   If you follow a path from the bottom, along the turnips, then vertical line to top it does create a loose S shape. 

Composition

 

 

July 3, 2013

I wanted to stick with theme of composition for awhile.  Mainly because it is something I want to improve in my own paintings.  This is my day to do paperwork, so I am going back to a painting that I did awhile ago, but one where my emphasis was achieving a composition with strong abstract shapes and an entrance into the painting. The angle of the fabric leads you into the painting

 

I remember doing a thumbnail and really trying to put these principles into practice.  I need to keep this book open when I paint.  . 

 

 

All this is on page 33 of Ian Robert's book, Mastering Composition.  He is writing on new one called Search for Beauty.   It won't be published for awhile, but I can't wait to get it. 

 

 

 

I think this was an 8 x 10.  It did sell right away so there be something to taking the time to plan a painting. 

PS - Later  today I plan to do some thumbnails at least to stick to the composition a day plan, maybe for a month even though I know a year would be better. 

Emphasis on Composition

July 2, 2013 - Emphasis on Composition

I've decided that I would like to strengthen composition in my paintings so I pulled out my favorite book on the subject by Ian Roberts, called Mastering Composition.  I like the way he organizes composition into 8 common armatures.  His definition on page 13 is very complete, but my take on it is that it gives your painting a structure and a path for the eye.  His idea that design engages the viewer is very persuasive and I need constant reminding. 

Doing a composition a day for a year is one of his suggestions that will really help improve your paintings.  I don't know if I can stick to that, but here is one.  I should at least be able to do one for each armature and besides this is supposed to be a part of every painting, I am reminding myself again.

I'm going through the thousands of my disorganized photos, looking for possible designs, good ones that is, cropping photos, doing thumbnails. 

I did a thumbnail (strongly suggested for every painting).

The "L" armature:

(I accidently deleted the original photo before cropping it).

cropped photo

 

 



(The greens look unnatural in this photo, the real painting is more grayed  out greens)