Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Understanding Contrast part 2

Yesterday I jumped into contrast, so I want to give some further explanation as to why contrast makes your images more exciting and why you should be daring and try bumping up your contrast a bit if your work looks kinda blah (Think back to Monday's post of the snowflakes and bird, how it really got more exciting by adding white).

Why you need more color range
The human eye is pulled to things with high contrast. Most books are printed as black letters on white pages because this is easiest to follow. Think of visiting a website or blog where there is a photo background where, yes, it's a beautiful photo, but it conflicts with the text making it hard to read because there's not enough contrast between photo and text.

Going back to the range of values from yesterday, you want white, light, middle, dark, black for the full range of contrast. This is the most exciting combination.

Look at the series of circles below. See how plain the first one is? It has no definition, since it is just a light color. It is floating there without any reason to be important. This is a perfect way to show sky, water, or something without strongly defined edges, but it doesn't work as a solid shape.

The second is an improvement- it has light and black. See how the light looks a bit more important, but this is still a flat picture. Not very exciting, and it is so pale, our eye doesn't think much of the colored area.

The third circle is better. We now have black, light and middle. Notice though that the black circle still stands out - it is such a heavy contrast from the light that our eye still notices it too much.

Now, look at the last circle. I left white, and added an extra layer of dark. In this circle the black line doesn't seem so heavy, since we have a balance between our color values. By far, this is the most interesting of our circles, and we can see that it is no longer a circle, but a ball.

Applying this to artwork
Let's carry this over to a simple picture. This Riley Moose was nicely colored, but very flat. I have two colors represented, black and light brown. Not very exciting.

Next, here he is with black, light brown, and middle brown. He doesn't look so flat anymore, but he's still not very exciting.

Last, here is Riley with white, light brown, middle brown, dark brown, and black. Now he has life! See how the base color for his body and antlers is still the same, but you feel that the antlers and hooves are different because they have white, light brown, and shadows of middle brown. His body however has highlights of light, middle brown, and shadows of dark brown. They're the same tone of brown, so they match, but just by changing the contrast range in each area they look like different surfaces.

Look at the final coloring below. I still felt that there was not enough contrast on Riley, so I added even more number variation- I went with E31, E35, E39. See how he pops off the page ever so much more?

Shiny things
Shiny things have a sharper contrast between light and dark. You can represent this as crisp edges between your white and color, or, in the case of this airplane, I'm not using a light shade, I am only using white, middle, and dark. The highlights are added in as opaque white to be extra crisp, so they look like sunlight reflecting off the shiny airplane body.

Remember, if you have a hard time leaving white in your picture, you can always add opaque white to really punch some life into your work.

Image: Plane Riley by Hanna Stamps, Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Other: Opaque White, 0.1 multiliner to write the sentiment on Riley's banner

10 comments:

  1. When I went to the Art Institute of Chicago last week, I really paid attention to paintings of metals and satiny dresses and materials, etc.

    YES, quick changes from dark to light made things look shiney and glossy, just like Riley's plane here. I LOVE the added "I love Copic" Banner, too, (winkwink)

    I need to get me some OPAQUE WHITE NOW! Thanks again! Great INFO, Marianne!

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  2. THUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why cant I be like you....I want to be you when I grow up! Oh and now I want that white...ps thank you for using the Riley's.. :))

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  3. These two posts on Contrast are wonderful. I'll have to wait till the weekend to absorb them. Thank you so much.

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  4. I really appreciate your lessons. I have been looking for books to help with shading etc and haven't found what I am looking for. Your blog is not only helping me with my Copics but I am taking the principles to my die cuts.

    Marci

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  5. Wow, your lessons are amazing! I continue to read your posts with hopes that I can make something not so flat and colored in one of these days. I love the opaque white.

    I have a question though....what is the light blue-ish around the plane? Is it C9? I can't seem to blend mine in enough like yours. I used Frost Blue. Maybe I need something lighter?

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  6. I am learning so much from your posts! Thank you for teaching the basics of color design. I have so much to learn . . .
    Hugs,
    Colleen

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  7. Hello Marianne,

    Thank you so much for this blog. We are all learning some great techniques for the Copics.

    A little birdie told me, that at CHA you had put together some custom sets for the Scrapbooking and Card Making market. (12's, 36's and a 72)

    Is this true? And if so, when and where can we purchase them?

    Thank you,
    Jan Brooks
    Brooks Studio

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  8. O.k. I read your blog almost every day and usually I don't post a comment, but I just had to tell you...You are amazing! I really am new to the cardmaking market and after blog surfing realized I needed some Copics. And well...I never do anything slowly or without everything I feel that I need, so...of course I had to buy all of them! Can you believe I put myself in debt just to get all of the markers?(You know that wasn't all of it either.) Anyway, thank you for your tutorials. I think I'm in love with the opaque white and I have to get it right away. I hate mail order when I can't get it tomorrow. When are you coming to Las Vegas so I can take one of your stupendous classes that I've heard so much about? Julia

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  9. Oh my Gosh Marianne!!!! I don't think Riley every looked that great!!!!!!

    WOW!!!!!

    I need to be getting some of that white!!!!!!!

    Thanks for using the Riley's!!!!!

    Vicki

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  10. So here it is a year later and I wanted you to know that new people (like me!) have found your blog and are reading your old posts. I have learned so much and am cursing my art teacher for his lack of TEACHÄ°NG 45 years ago. (Heh... not really...) I am loving coloring!''

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