Understanding and Using Colour

Session 7 Monotones: Tints, Tones and Shades—Practical part 2

Courtesy of Hilary Beattie for Immediate Live Understanding and Using Colour

Remember we talked in Session 5: Monotones: Tints, Tones and Shades about how the tints, tones and shades give us a full range of value options from any colour? We have now swatched this into our books, and made a collection of materials to work with to help us assimilate that information. Now, let’s just consider why it matters.

Look at this piece of work on the left, its effective I think? Your eyes are drawn (as I intend them to be) to the miscanthus grass. We have a lovely contrast of soft colours (blue and orangey brown - near complements, although very softened), that certainly help get the eye where I want it to be. But even if I remove the colour and put it into grey scale (right) the focus remains the same. Why? Because of the value changes. I've used a lot of tints, tones and shades of the blue to achieve that effect. And put the high value contrasts (as well as colour in this case) where I want you to look. Effective isn't it?

Courtesy of Hilary Beattie for Immediate Live Understanding and Using Colour

Now look at this version, all I've done is alter the blues (left image) so that they are all much the same tone as the browns and oranges. I've left a little contrast in the latter. You can see straight away that this change, very much detracts from the effectiveness of this piece of work, in focussing my viewer on the miscanthus grass. Its still attractive, but all the drama and life is lost and the focus becomes the sort of fence-like piece of collage below the grasses. If I also removed the complementary contrast of the oranges and brown I would kill it stone dead! All these observations are confirmed when we change the image to grey scale (right image). We are drawn to the same piece of collage, and the grasses almost disappear. They actually have a little light left on the right hand side - and this does allow us to notice them a little. I find this all so interesting to understand. How useful is it going to be in helping me use colour and value to guide people viewing my art?

Courtesy of Hilary Beattie for Immediate Live Understanding and Using Colour

Here is another example: this one is almost monotone (we are about to look at that) and so heavily relies on value for its effectiveness. It still works as grey scale from its original state (above, left and right).

But when I changed the dark purple on the teasels, to mid-tone, the image is lost almost completely, so this stuff matters! Let’s get making some more sample to help us assimilate this new knowledge.

Courtesy of Hilary Beattie for Immediate Live Understanding and Using Colour

This time we are going to start our samples with paint as this perhaps illustrates the principles we are learning here. So grab the same three colours of paint that you chose for making materials and swatching in the last session. For me that’s forget-me-not blue, apple green and magenta.

I want us to see these elements in action, so we are going to paint our first piece with monotones (all one colour). This is only possible by using tints, tones and shades. Otherwise, in my case, I would just have a sheet of forget-me-not blue!

So, find a design to paint (do trace and use mine if you would like to) and start by using as many tints tones and shades as you wish of just one colour, choosing one of your two analogous options. This is a fully monotone scheme and I really love their gentleness, they are luminous I think. How do you feel about your painting? Changing to greyscale always allow you to see if you have got good value changes in your work - this one works beautifully.

Courtesy of Hilary Beattie for Immediate Live Understanding and Using Colour

Now try the same thing again but allow yourself to add your analogous colour as well. Any tints, tones and shades of your two colours are allowed. This also makes a really effective example — gentle, yet definitely lots of impact. Do you like this combination? Was it easier or harder to create variations on your painting? Did you use a full spectrum of light and dark values (tints and shades)?

Courtesy of Hilary Beattie for Immediate Live Understanding and Using Colour

This time I would like you to only use tones of your two analogous colours.

So adding only grey to your two analogous colours, see if you can make the same painting work. It’s sort of not that bad in colour (although not that good either, unremarkable maybe), but it’s a total wipe out in greyscale (right image). This is something that is so easy to do in a real piece of work. We get so absorbed with the colour that we forget to use the tints and shades, as well as the softening tones. And the art work usually suffers!

Courtesy of Hilary Beattie for Immediate Live Understanding and Using Colour

How about if we use the all powerful complimentary colour? Will that work, even without the value contrasts? Well here it is above—magenta and apple green, with only grey added. It’s definitely more interesting than the same exercise with analogous colours, but it still doesn't do that well in greyscale (right image). So, what happens if we allow the tints and shades in as well?

Courtesy of Hilary Beattie for Immediate Live Understanding and Using Colour

Shazam! It just comes alive doesn't it? Both in colour and value. It’s so powerful, these two elements can change your paintings and art work completely.

Courtesy of Hilary Beattie for Immediate Live Understanding and Using Colour

Grab your papers that we prepared last time, and we are basically going to repeat the same exercise, but with collage. Remember you don’t need a complicated design at all to illustrate this. I actually got tired of cutting out trees after this monotone version and so used a simple made up pattern to try out my other palette options.

All the patterning in the papers both helps and confuses the colour and value issue a little, which is why I suggest you do the painted versions first, then go for it. You can make wonderful art work like this - pattern, shape, line, colour and contrast and all in a one colour palette.

Take note of how easy/hard it is to make these collages work, and do use greyscale to help you.

Squinting your eyes also helps you to see the tonal and value gradations. As you limit the light going into your eye—you will see more and more in greyscale. This is because colour only exists with light (that’s it on the science bit with me!).

Courtesy of Hilary Beattie for Immediate Live Understanding and Using Colour

Here are some analogous collages in a simple design. Top left is in fairly similar tones, although I have used a slightly tinted sheet of green by the looks of it! In the bottom left image you can see I've toned down the green with grey and so much of the contrast (and interest) is lost. It’s still a nice colour scheme (for my taste anyway) but much less exciting. Top right has the most impact, by really lightening (using a light tint) that green. It manages to make that simple pattern look rather lovely I think.

Courtesy of Hilary Beattie for Immediate Live Understanding and Using Colour

And here I've tried the same exercise with the complementary papers— green and magenta. Top left is all plain or toned papers: the bright shot of magenta and the combination of the complementary colours means this one still looks good. But the grey scale image tells a story. I've darkened the centre magenta panel (bottom left) and that improves things—again the grey scale images are so useful to help us see this. In the above I've really lightened the green panels, which gives high value as well as colour contrast and this one definitely has the most impact.

I should say that you may not always want this impact in your work, everything depends on your intentions. But it’s so useful to know how to adjust when you are looking at a piece of work and wondering why its just not working .

A lot of work and exercises here I know—but please do make time to do them all. We learn through doing and repetition. Variation will maximise that learning, as well as keep it interesting.

Courtesy of Hilary Beattie for Immediate Live