Neadeen Masters CDA - Country Carousel Art©

Light Source

Where does it come from?

What affects it and what are the results?

Here is a perfect example of how light and shadow can play as a couple. Cause and effect. They help each other create the mood and set the stage for the main subjects in a composition. In this painting of three turtles, I had a number of obstacles to overcome. I had to create the illusion of depth within the painting (distance from the foreground to the background, which in this case is the abyss) I had to deal with the light source from the top of the painting (surface of the water) and I had to create the illusion that the front right turtle was quite close to the foreground and develop him into the focal point, therefore I had to make the focal point stand out from the rest of the design. It is slightly warmer, brighter and I use more intense colours to reinforce this area. I had to suspend the turtles in the water (they are swimming) and create the illusion of space between the turtle and the sandy bottom. Whew! That's a lot to work with don't you think?

Light source direction - Where does this light come from? there is quite a bit of light on the top side of the turtles, but this light is also distorted by distance and the colour of the water. It comes from the sun and passes through the surface of the water. As it passes through the water it looses some of it's power because something happens to it on the way. It becomes distorted and affected by the conditions of the water. This distortion is known as atmospheric perspective. In a nutshell, it is the reason things in the distance seem to fade away, or blend well with their surroundings.

The dust particles floating in the air reflect light and distort our vision as we view items that are far away. In water, like in this case, the ocean has sandy particles and debris floating in it, this affects visibility, and depending on the amount of water turbulence, weather, tides, currents etc, will give us either a lot of visibility over a long distance or limited visibility, could be as little as two feet. When painting objects under water, we must take these conditions into consideration, because it affects the temperature of our paint mixes.

Reflected Light - Bounced off the sandy bottom. picture #1
Reflected or bounced back light - Let's look at some other factors that come into play within this design. There is a fair amount of light reflected off the sandy bottom. Why? The colour of sand is actually off white and here we have a great deal of light bouncing off the bottom onto the underside of the turtles. The light surface of the sand acts like a mirror, reflecting light. Note the colour of the light on the belly of the foreground turtle. Because this is reflected light and not light from the direct light source (the sun) I had to cool it and in this case it  actually appears lighter in value than the light from above., one because the underbelly of the turtle is light colour and the shell darker.

Light and colour intensity - Look at how light has affected the three turtles on an individual basis. The front turtle is brighter, warmer and the colours seem more intense. The middle turtle is divided in two, can you see the rear area from the front area of that one turtle? As if the front half of the turtle is brighter, warmer and more intense, but still not as bright as the front turtle on the right? Now let's look at the turtle in the rear of the painting, what do we notice about him? I see that he almost looks like he has a veil over him. He is quite muted and blends nicely with the back plane of the painting.

You can't help but notice that he is definitely in the back of the painting and away from the front turtle, but he is similar to the back half of the middle turtle? Am I confusing you yet? As you read each sentence, look at the design and you will see what I refer to. Also read the focal point article in this Theory Spotlight.

 Picture # 2

Light Equals Bright - Keep in mind that when we shine light on an object we reveal colour, which in turn draws attention to that area of the painting! More light equals more intense colour! It's as simple as that. Picture a dimmer switch in a room. If you turn it all the way off, then back on very slowly, the colours in the room reveal themselves to you, and the brightest, lightest value colours that reflect the most light like (in this painting) white, yellow then orange, red violet etc. in that order are what you will see first. If you keep the lights dim, the room takes on a whole different atmosphere than when the lights are fully on like in bright daylight. Compare the three different spot light sources in the examples. See how the eye goes to the brightest area of each painting? Look at the third painting, see how we can change the focus of the painting by changing the brightest area of the design? It's all about contrasts.
 

So ok, how do we do it? Well it's all about controlling the temperature, intensity and the value of the paint mixes that are used to create this design. Not only the paint mixes are controlled on the palette, but as we look at the design, one can see that the individual elements within the composition (each turtle) has been controlled to assist in creating viewing order.

The front right turtle gets the most attention, then the middle guy, then the little one in the rear of the painting. Light can help you with the creation of flow and the way the viewer enters the painting, travels around and takes in the entire design. In the three painting above, the brightest areas are so bright that they create a target, and you have a hard time looking at anything else. In the painting below, the correct amount of light is graduated out from the focal point and you are able to look around without this distracting target!

Picture #3

Shadows - Here we see cast shadows on the sandy bottom under the center and front turtle. Look at the photograph, what do we notice about cast shadows and why are they used? Here in this painting, they are used to create a sense of space. When you look at the middle turtle you are sure he is floating above the sandy bottom, the shadow does not touch him. You get the feeling that you could easily wave your hand between him and the bottom. How is this illusion created? There is no contact point between the shadow and this turtle. The shadow doesn't really touch his body at any point. The same effect is seen on the front turtle.

Picture #4 

Note the colour of the shadow, it takes on a cooler colour (temperature) than the surrounding sand. The shadow also is made up of three values, from the outer edge of the shadow to the center area, one can see three distinct values with the darkest being in the center and towards the back of the shadow. The shadows are also transparent in nature. All shadows are transparent and what ever they fall on, can be seen through them. You cannot see in this photograph, but in the close up, one can see the irregularities of the sandy bottom through the shadowed areas. This is just touching on this topic, but still gives you a little insight to the theory aspects of this design.

Turtle Tag ~ the final painting

Masters CDA ...copyright 2004 All rights reserved.

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Where do I put the paint on my 'wet' palette?

Many artists have their own ways of setting up their palettes, that is, the actual order that the paint is laid out. The palette serves two important purposes, yes, one is to keep the paint hydrated, but more importantly, it is a visual 'map' to give you shortcuts
to solving colour problems. Coming from an oil painting background I have always had an order to my palette, which keeps me on track, allowing me to adjust hue, value, intensity with little effort.

By setting up the palette in the same way each time one paints, you reinforce the theory behind the colour solution. It's like reaching into your pantry and knowing where the cayenne pepper is each time you need it. Imagine how frustrating it might be if the 'chaos fairy' visited your pantry every night and rearranged the shelves, putting the jams in place of the spices etc. The same applies to
your palette. By repeating the same basic layout, you can problem solve with order and method, not hit or miss. You will be comfortable with choosing colour.

Many student painters squirt a blob of paint in a haphazard order onto their
palette, thinking that the palette is just a place to keep paint wet. The palette is so much more than that. In fact, after I complete a painting, many times I will let the palette dry, and file it with my notes, this is my reference for the future. I can read what I did simply by referring to that old palette.
With the 'Traditions' palette, those of us who are teaching with the
Traditions system now, are suggesting to students to lay the colours out in the order that they come on the colour wheel. Starting with the reds in the upper left, then oranges, yellows, greens, etc. as you move across the top of the palette to the right side, keeping the earth colours down the right side of the palette (Top to bottom). There is so much more to this, and I would have to expand on it quite a bit more, but unless you understand why you are doing this, it would be difficult to explain in detail in this short article.

If you have a Traditions Technical Guide book
http://jansenarttraditions.com on page 30 there is a diagram and a written tutorial section on setting up the palette and how to use it efficiently. It is easier for you to see the diagram and to read the information for yourself, as you will understand why and what the end goal of setting up the palette in this manner is all about.

The colours are arranged in this way to teach you colour theory as you paint, you will learn the colour names and properties very quickly. Once again, I can't stress how valuable this book is and should be owned by every student who desires a better sense of colour and a greater understanding of pigments. The 'Traditions' palette map as drawn in the 'Guide', is so effective for learning, that with little effort students see the results quickly and by default learn colour theory without really trying! a bonus!