Preamble
This is the thirty-sixth post in a new Art Resource series that specifically focuses on techniques used in creating artworks. For your convenience I have listed all the posts in this new series below:
Drawing Art
Painting Art - Part I
Painting Art - Part II
Painting Art - Part III
Painting Art - Part IV
Painting Art - Part V
Painting Art - Part VI
Home-Made Painting Art Materials
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part I
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part II
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part I
Historical Notes on Art - Part II
Historical Notes on Art - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part IV
Historical Notes on Art - Part V
Tempera Painting
Oil Painting - Part I
Oil Painting - Part II
Oil Painting - Part III
Oil Painting - Part IV
Oil Painting - Part V
Oil Painting - Part VI
Pigments
Classification of Pigments - Part I
Classification of Pigments - Part II
Classification of Pigments - Part III
Pigments for Oil Painting
Pigments for Water Color
Pigments for Tempera Painting
Pigments for Pastel
Japanese Pigments
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part I
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part II
Selected Fresco Palette for Permanent Frescoes
Properties of Pigments in Common Use
Blue Pigments - Part I
Blue Pigments - Part II
There have been another one hundred and thirteen posts in a previous Art Resource series that have focused on the following topics:
(i) Units used in dyeing and printing of fabrics;
(ii) Occupational, health & safety issues in an art studio;
(iii) Color theories and color schemes;
(iv) Optical properties of fiber materials;
(v) General properties of fiber polymers and fibers - Part I to Part V;
(vi) Protein fibers;
(vii) Natural and man-made cellulosic fibers;
(viii) Fiber blends and melt spun fibers;
(ix) Fabric construction;
(x) Techniques and woven fibers;
(xi) Basic and figured weaves;
(xii) Pile, woven and knot pile fabrics;
(xiii) Durable press and wash-and-wear finishes;
(xvi) Classification of dyes and dye blends;
(xv) The general theory of printing.
To access any of the above resources, please click on the following link - Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics. This link will highlight all of the one hundred and thirteen posts in the previous a are eight data bases on this blogspot, namely, the Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms, Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff, A Fashion Data Base, the Glossary of Colors, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins, the Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns, Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements, Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms and the Glossary of Scientific Terms. All data bases in the future will be updated from time-to-time.
If you find any post on this blog site useful, you can save it or copy and paste it into your own "Word" document for your future reference. For example, Safari allows you to save a post (e.g. click on "File", click on "Print" and release, click on "PDF" and then click on "Save As" and release - and a PDF should appear where you have stored it). Safari also allows you to mail a post to a friend (click on "File", and then point cursor to "Mail Contents On This Page" and release). Either way, this or other posts on this site may be a useful Art Resource for you.
The new Art Resource series will be the first post in each calendar month. Remember - these Art Resource posts span information that will be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final year University Fine-Art student and so undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical for your needs (skip those mind boggling parts) and in other parts, it may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). The trade-off between these two extremes will mean that Art Resource posts will be hopefully useful in parts to most, but unfortunately may not be satisfying to all!
Properties of Pigments in Common Use
Pigments are generally arranged by color. Artist's colors are better placed in context using a color wheel. The matching color wheel below positions thirty-six artist colors around a circle so you can easily see color relationships. Complements are two colors on the opposite side of the color wheel. When you place complements together the result is a high contrast, high impact color combination. Analogous color schemes are typically comprised of three colors that fall next to each other on the color wheel resulting in soft contrast, harmonious effects.
Simply put, light appears to us in a series of different wavelengths that our eyes interpret as different colors.
White light being diffracted by a prism, gives light of varying wavelengths. This is what causes a rainbow to be visible in our skies.
If a pigment looks bright red, it means that the pigments have absorbed all the colors of the rainbow except for the color red etc. So when we are matching a color, we are actually mixing in pigments (colorants).
Pigments are not necessarily pure or chemically identical. They appear as a perfect match under one light, but not as perfect under another. The phenomenon is known as 'metamerism,' and it can cause some seemingly exact color materials to vary slightly when compared under different lights. Similar to when you think you have two dark blue socks on when you are in the bedroom light, but when you go outside to a brighter light, you notice you have one blue and black sock on. In architectural coatings, the difference is not so dramatic, but slight color variations do often appear if you are indoors compared to when you are outdoors.
Whilst in most cases, an approximate match for a specific color may be made by using a mixture, if a composition is different from that of the original paint, and while such mixtures may be entirely adequate for the actual application that is in view, a study of color theory reveals the difficulty of securing precise, accurate effects, unless the proper pigment is employed. The variation in physical and optical properties of pigments of varying chemical or physical structure, will result in differences, even if a general similarly of color, shade, or tone seems apparent.
In general, mixtures of two colors are invariably duller or less clear than single pigments of good quality; the addition of a third color is accompanied by a further reduction in clarity. However, we do not ordinarily paint with pure or raw color, but usually depend upon mixed or broken tones for our effects; control of their effectiveness can be obtained only by experience and a knowledge of the behavior of the various individual pigments in mixtures. The statement that the presence of fillers or inert materials as in students' grade or other cheap colors, does not alter their properties for pictorial or decorative effects, is not quite accurate; a pure color has more clarity of tone and will give superior effects all around.
The exact matches necessary in careful restorations, in alterations, and in additions to finished works, require careful, precise mixing and sometimes a viewing in bright, direct sunlight - procedures seldom called for in practice of creative painting.
Reference:
[1] The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, R. Mayer (ed. E. Smith) 4th Edition, Faber and Faber, London (1981).
This is the thirty-sixth post in a new Art Resource series that specifically focuses on techniques used in creating artworks. For your convenience I have listed all the posts in this new series below:
Drawing Art
Painting Art - Part I
Painting Art - Part II
Painting Art - Part III
Painting Art - Part IV
Painting Art - Part V
Painting Art - Part VI
Home-Made Painting Art Materials
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part I
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part II
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part I
Historical Notes on Art - Part II
Historical Notes on Art - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part IV
Historical Notes on Art - Part V
Tempera Painting
Oil Painting - Part I
Oil Painting - Part II
Oil Painting - Part III
Oil Painting - Part IV
Oil Painting - Part V
Oil Painting - Part VI
Pigments
Classification of Pigments - Part I
Classification of Pigments - Part II
Classification of Pigments - Part III
Pigments for Oil Painting
Pigments for Water Color
Pigments for Tempera Painting
Pigments for Pastel
Japanese Pigments
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part I
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part II
Selected Fresco Palette for Permanent Frescoes
Properties of Pigments in Common Use
Blue Pigments - Part I
Blue Pigments - Part II
There have been another one hundred and thirteen posts in a previous Art Resource series that have focused on the following topics:
(i) Units used in dyeing and printing of fabrics;
(ii) Occupational, health & safety issues in an art studio;
(iii) Color theories and color schemes;
(iv) Optical properties of fiber materials;
(v) General properties of fiber polymers and fibers - Part I to Part V;
(vi) Protein fibers;
(vii) Natural and man-made cellulosic fibers;
(viii) Fiber blends and melt spun fibers;
(ix) Fabric construction;
(x) Techniques and woven fibers;
(xi) Basic and figured weaves;
(xii) Pile, woven and knot pile fabrics;
(xiii) Durable press and wash-and-wear finishes;
(xvi) Classification of dyes and dye blends;
(xv) The general theory of printing.
To access any of the above resources, please click on the following link - Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics. This link will highlight all of the one hundred and thirteen posts in the previous a are eight data bases on this blogspot, namely, the Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms, Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff, A Fashion Data Base, the Glossary of Colors, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins, the Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns, Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements, Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms and the Glossary of Scientific Terms. All data bases in the future will be updated from time-to-time.
If you find any post on this blog site useful, you can save it or copy and paste it into your own "Word" document for your future reference. For example, Safari allows you to save a post (e.g. click on "File", click on "Print" and release, click on "PDF" and then click on "Save As" and release - and a PDF should appear where you have stored it). Safari also allows you to mail a post to a friend (click on "File", and then point cursor to "Mail Contents On This Page" and release). Either way, this or other posts on this site may be a useful Art Resource for you.
The new Art Resource series will be the first post in each calendar month. Remember - these Art Resource posts span information that will be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final year University Fine-Art student and so undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical for your needs (skip those mind boggling parts) and in other parts, it may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). The trade-off between these two extremes will mean that Art Resource posts will be hopefully useful in parts to most, but unfortunately may not be satisfying to all!
Properties of Pigments in Common Use
Pigments are generally arranged by color. Artist's colors are better placed in context using a color wheel. The matching color wheel below positions thirty-six artist colors around a circle so you can easily see color relationships. Complements are two colors on the opposite side of the color wheel. When you place complements together the result is a high contrast, high impact color combination. Analogous color schemes are typically comprised of three colors that fall next to each other on the color wheel resulting in soft contrast, harmonious effects.
Simply put, light appears to us in a series of different wavelengths that our eyes interpret as different colors.
If a pigment looks bright red, it means that the pigments have absorbed all the colors of the rainbow except for the color red etc. So when we are matching a color, we are actually mixing in pigments (colorants).
Pigments are not necessarily pure or chemically identical. They appear as a perfect match under one light, but not as perfect under another. The phenomenon is known as 'metamerism,' and it can cause some seemingly exact color materials to vary slightly when compared under different lights. Similar to when you think you have two dark blue socks on when you are in the bedroom light, but when you go outside to a brighter light, you notice you have one blue and black sock on. In architectural coatings, the difference is not so dramatic, but slight color variations do often appear if you are indoors compared to when you are outdoors.
Whilst in most cases, an approximate match for a specific color may be made by using a mixture, if a composition is different from that of the original paint, and while such mixtures may be entirely adequate for the actual application that is in view, a study of color theory reveals the difficulty of securing precise, accurate effects, unless the proper pigment is employed. The variation in physical and optical properties of pigments of varying chemical or physical structure, will result in differences, even if a general similarly of color, shade, or tone seems apparent.
In general, mixtures of two colors are invariably duller or less clear than single pigments of good quality; the addition of a third color is accompanied by a further reduction in clarity. However, we do not ordinarily paint with pure or raw color, but usually depend upon mixed or broken tones for our effects; control of their effectiveness can be obtained only by experience and a knowledge of the behavior of the various individual pigments in mixtures. The statement that the presence of fillers or inert materials as in students' grade or other cheap colors, does not alter their properties for pictorial or decorative effects, is not quite accurate; a pure color has more clarity of tone and will give superior effects all around.
The exact matches necessary in careful restorations, in alterations, and in additions to finished works, require careful, precise mixing and sometimes a viewing in bright, direct sunlight - procedures seldom called for in practice of creative painting.
Reference:
[1] The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, R. Mayer (ed. E. Smith) 4th Edition, Faber and Faber, London (1981).
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