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Alexandra Tyng · 06-09-2005, 09:39 AM

Richard,

I know you posted this a couple of months ago. I am new to the forum but, as far as I can see, no one has responded. Personally I think greys are fascinating. It really does matter how you make them.

I think the key is that a painting must hold together in terms of color. I always start by asking myself what color the light is in that particular painting, because the light is what generates all color. There is direct light, and then there is indirect light that bounces around in the atmosphere, and there is shadow. If you identify the color of the light, then the indirect light will be slightly redder, and the shadow will be a complement of the indirect light.

For example:
Light=pale whitish yellow, atmosphere=deep yellow, shadow=violet.
Light=yellow, atmosphere=orange, shadow=blue.
Light=orange, atmosphere=red, shadow=green.

Of course there are many subtle variations. The point is, you can make grey by mixing the atmosphere color with the shadow color. I have found that intense colors like cadmiums and deep blues, purples and thalo green work better because they can be used full strength to add depth to the shadows (see my post on deep blacks in this section) or lightened to make any shade and temperature of grey. If you make grey this way, you can also mix varying amounts into colors to push things back from the picture plane. The beauty is that you can use a mixture consistently throughout the painting, thus unifying the color, and that it makes total sense in terms of the light-shadow relationship in that painting.

I incorporate this theory into my teaching, and my students feel that it makes sense as well as producing beautiful light and depth in the shadows.

I try to stay away from using formulas because they can't possibly work for every painting unless you work only in your studio, in one light, and you find that certain combinations tend to work. I also do not use black and earth tones such as yellow ochre to make grey because these colors are opaque, and I am interested in transparency. Also, if you mix grey from complementary colors, you can vary the temperature simply by varying the proportion of warm to cool.

06-09-2005, 09:39 AM	#5
Alexandra Tyng UNVEILINGS MODERATOR Juried Member Joined: May 2005 Location: Narberth, PA Posts: 2,485	Possible help on grays Richard, I know you posted this a couple of months ago. I am new to the forum but, as far as I can see, no one has responded. Personally I think greys are fascinating. It really does matter how you make them. I think the key is that a painting must hold together in terms of color. I always start by asking myself what color the light is in that particular painting, because the light is what generates all color. There is direct light, and then there is indirect light that bounces around in the atmosphere, and there is shadow. If you identify the color of the light, then the indirect light will be slightly redder, and the shadow will be a complement of the indirect light. For example: Light=pale whitish yellow, atmosphere=deep yellow, shadow=violet. Light=yellow, atmosphere=orange, shadow=blue. Light=orange, atmosphere=red, shadow=green. Of course there are many subtle variations. The point is, you can make grey by mixing the atmosphere color with the shadow color. I have found that intense colors like cadmiums and deep blues, purples and thalo green work better because they can be used full strength to add depth to the shadows (see my post on deep blacks in this section) or lightened to make any shade and temperature of grey. If you make grey this way, you can also mix varying amounts into colors to push things back from the picture plane. The beauty is that you can use a mixture consistently throughout the painting, thus unifying the color, and that it makes total sense in terms of the light-shadow relationship in that painting. I incorporate this theory into my teaching, and my students feel that it makes sense as well as producing beautiful light and depth in the shadows. I try to stay away from using formulas because they can't possibly work for every painting unless you work only in your studio, in one light, and you find that certain combinations tend to work. I also do not use black and earth tones such as yellow ochre to make grey because these colors are opaque, and I am interested in transparency. Also, if you mix grey from complementary colors, you can vary the temperature simply by varying the proportion of warm to cool.