Assignment 3: Colour Interaction

Assignment 3: Colour Interaction

Principles of Colour Interaction & Simultaneous Contrast

Assignment 3 was based on creating studies to facilitate simultaneous contrast in a non-objective, asymmetrical manner. The project started by familiarizing ourselves with the Colour Aid by conducting in class studies on seeing how hues interact when placed next to/within each other. Through the studies, I was able to create 2 effects. Firstly, I created a study using 3 colors to give the impression of 4 colors. Secondly, I created a study using 4 colors to give the impression of 3 colors this time. Although this exercise seemed difficult at first, it gave me an understanding of color principles that shift hues. Through testing out various hues of the color aid against others, I learned a few basic principles:

• Complimentary colors push color forward, in its purest form
• Analogous colors pull color back, as they flush out the existing color
• Neutrals and/or dull colors are easier to shift, as they are not so saturated with intense, pure color (more difficult to shift)

Upon finding a colour study that represented a shift, using 4 colors to show 3, I proceeded to design my diptych, which would be used as a relief composition. The primary focus of the design composition was to facilitate smaller shapes of shifting colour in larger shapes in order to present the colour interaction in the best way possible.

Colour Study

I mixed my paints to match my colour study, and the final assignment is shown on the first image. In order to understand how light affects colour, we lit the final diptychs with artificial light sources in 3 varying colors. We used an orange toned, green toned, and pink toned light to understand the effect each had on the contrasts produced on the diptych, which can be seen in detail below. The light changed how we see the colour in contrast to its surrounding colors. While some strengthened the shifting colors, making them appear to be one colour instead of two, others did the opposite; whereby, the shifting colors could be individualized to itself.

Colour Interaction & Simultaneous Contrast Under Artificial Light

Overall, I really enjoyed this project. The best aspect I took away with me was the in class colour studies. I believe this really helped me train my eyes to grasp more complex colour agendas, by paying more attention to the differences of 2 similar hues, instead of assuming them to be one and the same. By doing so, I am a lot more familiarized with the idea of color variation when exposed to different environments.

Assignment 2: Colour & Value to Create Atmosphere, Form and Space

Assignment 2 was based on utilizing a colour scenario to create a composition that would entail a sense of atmosphere, form and space. I was given a primary colour scenario to work with for this project. First, I created a simple nonobjective composition that would facilitate the colors. This composition was repeated four times on illustration board. From the primary scenario, I made 24 individual colors through tinting and shading, as well as making subtle shifts of a specific hue to create variation within the colors. Each panel would contain 6 different colors, for the 6 different shapes of the composition. My final composition and colour studies can be seen on the image below.

Once I had established my colour studies, I went on to composing the final image. This was done in a very unique manner for this project. We started with source imagery in the form of a chosen Piranesi image, which included preexisting atmosphere, form and deep space. In order to transform the image, we cropped, scaled, and flipped the image to our preferred choices in order to create a symmetrical image containing deep space, overlapping, scale shifts, and form. I did a graphite transfer of the image onto my final ground, but I did so by establishing a reductive image, creating simple shapes around the original image to design my own composition. Through numerous renderings, I reached a final composition that entailed a sense of atmosphere and special detail using shape based imagery.

The composition was further split into half, in order to create an atmospheric side and an abstract side. Each would contain a different colour agenda taken from the colour studies, in order to define space in varying methods. The goal was to use colour to create a shallow/abstracted space on one side, and a deep/atmospheric space on the other.

Using the colour studies established at the start of the project, I tinted and shaded the 24 colors to have more colour at hand to paint the two sides. The final image can be seen at the top.

Through this project, I learned about specific principles of colour, value and space:

• Intense colors push forward in space while dull colors pull back in space
• Warm colors advance in space while cooler colors recede in space
• Neutral colors are more likely to recede in space if they are less intense
• Colour and environment work hand in hand to create/not create depth and spacial detail

Overall, I am really happy with the way this project turned out. Although it was a challenge creating the spacial depth at first, I repainted areas in order to improve on it. Personally, I think the colour studies came out really well and definitely showcase the primary colour scenario in a sophisticated light.

Assignment 1: Colour Wheel

Assignment 1: Colour Wheel

My first project for the Design 2 course was based on building my foundations and knowledge of color theory. This was extremely crucial as a first step into the course, as Design 1 consisted of applications of only black and white.

This project focused on creating a 12 - scale color wheel based on Itten's color model. The color star projected the basis of our future projects as it represented:

• Primary Colours: those hues from which all others can be mixed (red, yellow, blue)
• Secondary Colours: two primary colors mixed together resulting in an orange, green, or violet
• Tertiary Colours: one primary and one secondary color mixed together (e.g. yellow-green/blue-violet)
• Analogous Colours: Colours that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel (blue, blue-violet, violet). It is based on the idea of a color family, using two or three neighboring hues from the color wheel as a starting point.
• Complimentary Colours: Chromatic opposites directly opposite from each other on the color wheel (eg. blue to orange, yellow to violet, red to green).

The aim of this model was to create the above colors using a limited commencing palette of color sources. Once these 12 pure colors were established, I proceeded to tint and shade each color by a certain percentage to create the encompassing wheels. Tinting consisted of adding white to the hue in percentages of 50% and 90%. Shading consisted of adding black to the hue in percentages of 25%, 50% and 75%. The colour study of this process can be seen below:

I believe this assignment was the most effective way to start and prepare me for the course, as I had the chance to physically make and touch each color before applying them to my own designs and compositions. It allowed me gain a much greater understanding of the properties of value and color via color theory and color mixing. Although the formatting of the star was tedious, the paint mixing and color creating was a great experience as I previously was unaware of the control one can have with just a few necessary colors in hand. I believe my final piece portrays a consistent gradation, however some more than others. Nevertheless, it was a great introduction to Design 2.