The color of red

Patt Legg · 05-05-2003, 10:16 PM

I am not sure whether this is the correct place to ask but here goes:

The color red. I have a real problem at times when I attempt to lighten or highlight a red object such as, let's say, an apple.

I have painted enough to know a red apple is not just red but multiples of various shades.

I have also heard that one should lighten with color--not white. Of course I know this.

I also know that there are a number of reds out there. I use Cadmium Red Light and Grumbacher Red as well as Alizarin. Using an apple for example, what do some of you use to lighten the red where direct light is hitting it and the finishing highlight

I know this is a "portrait forum" but red is used so often in so many instances, such as in a lady's dress.

Any exact ideas and varying in reds used would be most apprecitated.

Thanks

Timothy C. Tyler · 05-05-2003, 11:33 PM

Pat, I think what you're hinting at is the trick. I use at least those colors in every red apple. The cadmiums keep the light parts from becoming too pink (as they are nearly orange) Drop the white or yellow ochre or whatever, as fast as you can, as you turn into the halftones and rich deep color. The color will soon lose intensity as it rolls into the shadows (and your alizarin crimson). Apples all have different features and types which are nice challenges and a good place to practice capturing those hardest of things.

These reds were some funky shaped, very round and expensive type.

Patt Legg · 05-06-2003, 05:41 PM

Thanks Tim, I see what you are saying and yes, I certainly use all those reds and more. This is what seemed to happen. I have painted many years and somehow made it work. Recently in teaching others (strictly beginners) I found myself having to "explain" myself and the fear I found hoping I could make sense of my explanation. Sometimes it would work and sometimes it did not. Quite embarrassing. I needed a strict foundation to make sense and to work. Well, most of the time anyway.

Thanks so very much and I am grateful.

Patt Legg · 05-06-2003, 05:54 PM

And Tim, here is a close-up of one of my apple still lifes. I do hope it shows up here OK. Not as nice as your sample, but I'm on my way.

Patt

Patt Legg · 05-06-2003, 05:59 PM

Now that I have seen mine, oh my, oh my. Is that the great difference in digital images compared to scanning my photos and saving on hard drive?

Why else is it so fuzzy (the image) as it is not anything like that in the painting?

I guess digitals and cameras are discussed in another thread. Sorry, Cynthia.

Timothy C. Tyler · 05-06-2003, 07:57 PM

Patt, what DPI setting do you have that on?

Anyway, they are clearly very rich and intense with not a hint of pink!

Patt Legg · 05-12-2003, 12:57 AM

Thanks, Tim, for your info on painting red.

As for the DPI setting on my attachment photo -well, actually, I am not sure how to adjust that. Any help you can give me there would more than likely help me here, on my website and in my printing.

This should be tossed around on another thread probably but would appreciate any information on that.

Many thanks.

Timothy C. Tyler · 05-12-2003, 12:15 PM

I resize my images in Paintshop Pro as tiffs. I save all jpegs as tiffs, resize and fix them there, then re-save these as jpegs. Under "image information" I think it says resize, there you can resize DPI as well as overall size.

Chris Saper · 05-12-2003, 01:03 PM

Patt,

If you use the "Search Messages" buttton at the top of any Froum page, you can find your way to the appropriate thread. By searching 'scanning images" I came up with this .

Please continue the digital/scanning discussion there, so others can locate it and benefit from it. Thanks.