Commitment: the state of being emotionally impelled to do something. My commitment is to making art, loving life and doing well.

Daily Artworks... my continuing challenge for 2015: Observe and record. Record and observe. And stretch - s-t-r-e-t-c-h - myself.
What will I discover?

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Art Every Day Month - November 5

Layers: Optical Mixing




For today’s watercolor exploration, I chose three primary colors: magenta, permanent yellow and ultramarine blue.

By applying each layer of color after the previous layer was completely dry, I was able to preserve the opacity of the layers. As the colors dried, they pooled in distinct layers on the surface of the paper, and by various means, I could move them around or lift them off the paper entirely, giving a unique textured effect.

Besides giving texture, these colors provide an effect for the viewer called optical mixing. In optical mixing, the viewer’s eye gathers information about adjacent patches of separate colors, say magenta and ultramarine, and the viewer’s brain mixes the colors into a rich purple, which is what the viewer perceives.

The lessons here are 1) the waiting is as important as the painting, and 2) what you get isn’t always what you see.



8 comments:

Leah said...

very cool!!

Christine Martell said...

These are gorgeous. Lots of yummy...

CorazonArt said...

I agree with Christine, tasty!

Barbara Martin (@Reptitude) said...

Always the trickster! :) Gorgeous whatever it is that I am or am not seeing.... LOL

Anonymous said...

Hi! You did a wonderful job of layering and keeping the colors vibrant. I like how the texture adds to the visual delight!

Midnitecreations - Renu said...

Love your color choice, and the one color block at the bottom is so striking in the midst of all the gorgeous colors.

Unknown said...

Very nice, I am drawn right away to the colors.
Lynn

Diane M. McKnight, MA, LMSW, Art Therapist/Psychotherapist/Artist said...

These are just beautiful and so vibrant. I love them!

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