Can you name the hues used to make this color swatch?
Are these the ones you named?
Did you list green or blue or purple? You are seeing those colors, but the actual hues used are these plus their neutrals. Neutrals (commonly called grays) are two complements proportionally mixed so that both the hues in both disappear. White is a neutral and so is black.
A neutral surrounding a color will cause our eyes to see that color's complement within the neutral. This kind of juxtaposition creates a luminosity. Notice how the warmer colors glow in the swatch.
What about this swatch? Can you name the hues here?
Are these those that you named?
These colors are surrounded by neutrals as well, Even though the neutrals are a bit darker, they still create a luminosity among the more intense colors.
Let's do one more. Now that you're getting wise, name the hues in the swatch below.
Did you find these?
Once again we have luminosity created by surrounding neutrals.
The swatches are taken from the painting below for which I used only mixtures from the primary colors cobalt blue, napthal red light and hansa yellow light. White, a neutral, was also on the palette.
Tip: Luminosity in painting is the intrinsic radiance created by a hue appearing beside its neutral in the same value range. The key is to keep the neutral in the same value range as the color with which it is juxtaposed.
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Hansa Yellow light, Napthol Red, Colbalt Blue with their neutrals
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In the 19th century there was an American painting movement called
Luminism. It was this technical principle that gave the Luminists' paintings their radiance.
Happy painting,
Dianne
P. S. Join us on the Facebook forum this week. This week's challenge will appear on Wednesday (rather than Monday) with the answer posted on Thursday.
P.P.S.
My new book, Finding Freedom to Create, is taking a life of its own. If you've not yet got y our copy, you can find it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble in softcover, hardcover and ebook formats.
