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.