Critiquing Your Artwork, Part 2
Previously, I was discussing the waterfall composition by values, which are easier to distinguish in gray scale than in color. The first time I tried doing this, I was pleased with the gray scale, but didn’t like the color version. And now that I’m experiencing deja vu all over again with the waterfall, I think this is a pretty good indicator that my use of color is just plain- well, bad.
I start out okay. I seem to naturally choose opposites for general color schemes, which is a good thing. It’s not a skill I’m going to have to acquire. I did the pastel workshop with Dianna Ponting at WC! and it’s one of my best efforts. There’s nothing original about it on my part, but at least I know I’m trainable.
So what’s bugging me?
I somehow managed to take my pleasant monotone values into a world of unharmonious hues. Please don’t ask me how I managed that when I began with a complementary color scheme. It’s just something that comes naturally.
Which brings me to color temperature and intensity. This is my obstacle, my barrier, heheh, my bear in the woods. See him? He’s hiding behind the trees- he knows better than to drink water that’s electric blue.
Color temperature is defined by it’s warmth or coolness. Blue is typically thought of as a cool color while it’s opposite, orange, is a warm hue. Cool colors tend to recede, and warm colors tend to come forward.
It’s a simple concept that becomes complex because warm and cool versions of pigments are readily available, and in my pastel box. Distinguishing warm vs. cool becomes even more difficult when using multiple temperatures of multiple hues.
The intensity of a color is determined by the amount of pigment. A pure pigment is considered a high intensity color. The intensity can be toned down using an opposite pigment. Grayed pigments are considered low intensity. High intensity colors are used to draw the eye to a specific area which is usually the center of interest.
So here’s a before and after:
I added darker blues in the closest fall, and added more cool blues to the sky. I used a dull pink on the far trees instead of the more intense yellows and oranges, and a grayed lavender in the rocks. The trees on the right have been darkened, and most of the brown rocks have had a dull blue scumbled over them.
The grouping of rocks at the bottom has been changed to one large rock, and I added some white in the focal area. It’s now the lightest place on the paper, and is coincidentally located right next to some very dark blue. The strongest contrast is now located at the focal point.
The most notable problem with this picture were the red trees which were fighting for attention with the focal point of the waterfall. I dulled almost everything, and blended out some of the detail in the upper fall.
Is it a masterpiece yet? No, but it’s better than it was before. And what about Part 3 of the critique, the details? That will have to wait for another day. Wallis paper takes a lot of pastel, but my poor little woodsy scene has reached saturation in a couple of places. Rather than brush it out, I’m going to keep it as is, and use it as a guide for my next attempt.
If you’d like to learn more about color theory and lightfastness, try these links:
And here’s a bigger version you can see:
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Lots of claps from me Lisa!
Give yourself a good pat on the back because you have well and truly earned it.:D
I have been very interested in how you have solved problems with this painting and by gee I have gained knowledge along with you.
I bet you will be glad to move onto the next painting
Oh Susan, thank you so much! This thing has been driving me nuts, and I am much happier with it now. The next one will work out better, I think.
Putting color theory into practice is not easy. The only cure for this is experience. I wonder if I’ll live that long?
Yes, yes, on to the next one!
Lisa,
It looks great! I liked it before, but your detailed analysis was spot-on. It takes a lot of dedication to dig into that much detail - I admit I’d have probably just left it as “good enough.” You’re inspiring!
It’s amazing what a few little changes can do. Unless you’re looking at them side-by-side, it would be hard to identify the changes. They’re small, but they make such a big difference. It’s a beautiful piece of work!
Thank you Meg!
Landscape artist I ain’t, and I drove myself bats trying to figure out “what’s wrong with this picture?” It was really bugging me.
I’m a lot happier with it now, and hopefully I’ll remember what to do to make the next one better.
Small changes can make a big difference! Size doesn’t matter.