Another Approach to Color Harmony

The only article I have published dealing with color harmony is "Don't Overlook Looney Tunes."  http://williambuffett.blogspot.com/2011/01/dont-overlook-looney-tunes.html  It suggests swiping color schemes from other artists.

 Another approach to color satisfaction is to put down experimental patches of color all around the surface and grope your way towards harmony.  It is best done with an opaque paint such as acrylics so you can cover sour notes.  For illustration, here is a picture I'm working on.  I have only a vague idea of the overall scheme, so am using the trial-and-error method.

Without being coaxed, I'll publish the finished painting when it has achieved Beautiful.



Another Trick

When painting a light source, the brightest light an artist has is pure white pigment.  But an even brighter light can be implied. 

 An example from Rembrandt shows how.  In this painting, a detail of a picture illustrating a bible story, the woman is holding a candle - the main light source illuminating the painting - but it is hidden behind her hand.  Touches of pure white paint are applied near the source of light, thus implying that the candle flame is even brighter.

I applied this lesson to a painting I am currently working on.  The reflection of the sun on the water is pure white paint, implying that the sun, beyond the edge of the picture, is brighter than its reflection.

Try it sometime.

White-Itis

Another pitfall for an artist to be wary of is "white-itis."  It is caused by adding white to a local color to represent the lit portion of a painted object.  It imparts an unpleasant chalky look to the picture.

One example of how not to model a colored object will be enough. The radishes in this detail of a still life are convincingly painted; the strongest color is where it should be, that is, where the light is strongest.  The highlight is white, indicating a glossy texture.



This, however, is a case of "white-itis:"