Thursday, May 5, 2011

Color Vibrations

Claude Monet  "The Four Trees"  www.metmuseum.com
Reilly's original notes are missing on this topic, so I am substituting my own from the Faragasso class. Color Vibration refers to the readjustment of flat color for enhanced effect. A visual mixture of color that still represents the average. Think Impressionism or Pointillism. A flat area of color can be made more interesting by adding brushstrokes of neighboring hues, values or chroma to create a more interesting and painterly effect.


Initially try changing only a single factor, like splitting the hue. By painting red and yellow brush strokes of the same value and chroma alongside each other they blend visually to make yellow-red (orange). Or instead split the value: by painting yellow-red brushstrokes of equal chroma at lighter and darker values alongside each other they average out to the original value with a more exciting result. You can increase the variety of factors, and the degree to which you change them.


By now reading Munsell notations should be second nature to you. YR5/5 means yellow-red, 5th value, 5th chroma.







Adding more variations of color adds more interest. Be aware that the more more factors you change and the greater degree to which you change them, the harder it will be to maintain the average color you began with.

© John Ennis 2011

Next Topic: The Effect of Colored Lights