Learn Colour in Painting Quickly

167 Pages·2018·10.93 MB·English

by  Hazel Soan

Connections (detail)
Oil on canvas 122 x 76cm/48 x 30in
Learn Colour
in Painting
Quickly
Hazel Soan
To family, friends and fellow travellers – you have filled
my life with colour.
My thanks as ever to Cathy Gosling and Tina Persaud and my publishers Pavilion.
Especially to my editor Nicola Newman and designers Tokiko Morishima and
Rosamund Saunders.
Contents
Introduction
CHAPTER 1
What is Colour?
How do we see colour?
Addictive and subtractive mixing
CHAPTER 2
Pigment – The Stuff of Paint
Colours – the raw materials
The binder
A very brief history of pigments
Developments in colour science
Inorganic pigments – the earth colours
Inorganic pigments – the metal colours
Organic pigments – carbon
Modern equivalents of traditional colours
A golden age of colour
CHAPTER 3
The Colours in the Palette
Colours are more than their hue
Transparency and opacity
Transparent colours in action
Opaque colours in action
Staining and tinting strength
Lifting colours
Granulating/sedimentary colours
CHAPTER 4
Cool and Warm Colours
Temperature bias
Why temperature matters
Cool or warm?
CHAPTER 5
The Interaction of Colours
Colour is relative
Harmonious colours
Complementary colours
Colour compensation
CHAPTER 6
The Mixing of Colours
Mixing methods
Mixing and tinting strength
Keeping colours clean
Mixing on the palette
Mixing in the eye
Mixing on the painting
Layering
Glazing
The primary colours
Mixing secondary colours
Mixing browns, greys and blacks
Mixing opposites
Tints and shades
Colour combinations
CHAPTER 7
The Effect of Light and Shade on Colour
Light and shade, tone and value
Local colour, highlights and shadows
Space and depth
CHAPTER 8
Colours and Combinations
Choosing a palette of colours
White
Yellows
Orange
Reds
Violet
Blues
Greens
Brown
Greys and blacks
CHAPTER 9
Go for it!
Exploring colour

Index