Hello
Welcome to the FLOAT-YOUR-PIGMENT Newsletter #244, Complementary Colors
I'm back, made it home yesterday after a couple of weeks teaching and demonstrating in Florida. Next I head in the opposite direction of Florida, I head North to Hibbing, Minnesota. Going from shorts to long underwear!
If you are up in Hibbing, MN you can get info on my paint party/class sessions HERE
Is your art club looking for a demonstrator, an instructor to do a workshop or your club is in need of a judge for an art show... look no farther, that is what I do. Have your club Contact me at BeckerArt@gmail.com
Yes to Class at the Civic Center in Libertyville,Thursday, Jan. 30th 1pm to 3:30pm
Yes to Class at the BeckerArt Gallery in McHenry, Saturday, Feb.1st 9:00 am to 11:30 am
In the Book of the Week below, The Vincent and Theo book tells of how Theo the brother of Vincent Van Gogh kept on telling Vincent to use brighter colors in his works. Vincent then studied colored and found that using complementary colors helped him when trying to make his paintings more colorful.
Complimentary colors to an artist are the colors across from each other on the color wheel.
As an artist, knowing which colors are complementary to one another can help you make good color decisions. For instance, complementaries can make each other appear brighter, they can be mixed to create effective neutral hues, like browns and grays, and they can be blended together for shadows.
One other thing you will notice is that a pair of complementary colors is made up of one cool color and one warm color. Orange, reds, and yellows are the warm colors, while blues, greens, and purples are the cool colors. This helps create what is known as simultaneous contrast, the highest contrasts available on the color wheel.
Simultaneous contrast occurs due to a natural illusion when you place two complementary colors next to one another. Both colors will appear brighter and grab a viewer's attention.
Artists use this to their advantage all the time. For example, sunsets with gradients from deep blues to bright oranges are more eye-catching because they rely on simultaneous contrast. Similarly, if your tube of red paint isn't bright enough, paint something green next to it.
When you're mixing paint, look to the hue's complementary first, because it can make wonderful things happen. For example, choosing to blend the complementary color into the main color of a subject is one of the best ways to paint dynamic shadows.
You can also use the complementary color to make a hue less vibrant. The more you add, the more neutral it becomes. For instance, adding a green paint to a red one will create a burnt sienna; add a little more and it becomes a darker sienna. If you mix the two paints in equal parts, you will get a warm-toned dark brown. These neutrals can be manipulated further by mixing in white, grey, or black.
Play around with these concepts and do some test mixing and sample swatches to see how your complementary paints affect one another. In general, if you're ever stuck on mixing or blending a particular paint, always consider its complement. Quite often, the answer to your problem is right there on the color wheel.
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In this self-portrait (1889), Vincent Van Gogh made the most of the contrast between the orange of his hair and the blue background. The Night Café by Vincent van Gogh (1888) used red and green to express what van Gogh called "the terrible human passions".
WORKSHOPS and DEMOS of 2020
PAINT CLASS Borealis Art Guild, Acrylic, W/C Hibbing, MN, Feb. 8th and 9th INFO HERE
WORKSHOP Morris Watercolor Guild, W/C, Morris, IL., March 6th INFO TO COME
WORKSHOP Brevard Watercolor Society, W/C, Melbourne, Florida, March 15th-17th INFO HERE
WORKSHOP Lake Superior Watercolor Guild, W/C, Duluth, MN, March 26th- 28th INFO HERE
DILLMAN'S FEST at my Gallery in McHenry, IL. May 3rd INFO HERE
WORKSHOP Dillman's, Lac Du Flambeau, W/C, Wisconsin, June 29th to July 2nd INFO HERE
WORKSHOP Vermont Art Event, W/C, Acrylic, Burlington, Vermont, July 27th-31st INFO TO COME
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I listened to this book about Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Theo while driving back from Florida and it was a great read!
Buy it here
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after finishing the book above I had to go look for many of the paintings they mentioned in the book and they also mentioned he worked in watercolor, so naturally I went looking for the watercolors he painted.
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Shop Amazon by clicking the logo below to help me fund this newsletter... Thank You! For any other info please email me at david@davidrbecker.com
For any other info please email me at david@davidrbecker.com
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