Bog 3- What is Color?

 Chapter One of the Color Studies book is titled “What is Color?” Our perception of color depends both on physical factors- such as their hues, or their lightness and darkness in relation to their surroundings, which is the value of the hue, along with psychological and cultural factors.  

Physiologically, color is a sensation of light that is transmitted to the brain through the eye. Light consists of wavelengths that travel through our eyes which are made up of the retina, fovea, rods, and cones.  

Light is what gives objects color. The different range of wavelengths that consist of colors is called the visible spectrum. These wavelengths are both absorbed and reflected by pigment.  

There are many factors that affect our perception of color, such as surface texture, surroundings of objects, lighting conditions, how much color used, how bright/dull or light/dark an object is, and where it is placed in relation to other colors. The media and techniques we use also affect color.  

In addition, there is local, optical, and arbitrary color. Local color is natural, optical color reproduces hues from lighting, and arbitrary color is the Interpretation of color. 

 

Chapter Two is titled “Color Systems and Color Wheels”. There are different systems to mix color which are subtractive, additive, and partitive color. Subtractive is mixing pigments, additive is mixing colored light, and partitive is colors placed next to each other that appear to mix. The color wheel is a way of arranging color to help predict reactions and interactions.  

When mixing colors, you start by using the pigment wheel. Within the wheel are primary colors (red, blue, and yellow), and secondary colors (green, orange, and violet). From there you can mix more colors creating new wheels.  

 

Chapter Three is titled “Color Theorists”. Color theory started many years ago, all the way back in ancient Greek around four hundred B.C.E. concluding that it depends on how our eyes perceive the color, not the actual color of the object.  

Leonardo Da Vinci, a painter, is credited with the visual wheel, simultaneous contrast, atmospheric perspective, shadow affects (chiaroscuro, and sfumato.  

These different discoveries and ideas about color all throughout history by all sorts of people. Sir Isaac Newton was a physicist, Moses Harris was an entomologist and engraver, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe was a poet. The list of contributors to discoveries about color goes on and on including more painters, physicists, chemists, physiologist and psychologist, and teachers. 

So why is it that all these different people throughout time and space (different countries) all discovered different aspects of color? It’s because color is all around us. It affects our daily lives, our feelings, our moods, it literally shapes how we see the world!  

Sketching Interiors Chapter 3 “Perception of Spaces” 

This chapter is all about negative space and positive form. Negative space is the empty areas, while positive form is usually what is constructed. When making a composition, it is important to consider both the positive and negative elements.  

In addition, you must make sure your composition is balanced, has a focal point, and details (especially in around the focal point). Viewfinders can help to determine what is in your composition. Shading with strokes helps to create darker areas that become background negative space.  

The rest of the chapter shows examples of negative space drawings and instructions on how to do so!

Lastly, in class we talked about the visual wallpaper project. I chose the drawing shown above and then zoomed in to the section shown below. I started the process with three seperate pictures but eventually landed on this one. I chose this section of the image not only because I thought it had several different values but also because of the different textures that the castle vs. the trees, etc., all create.