glazing – Dick Nelson Color

Trihue Watercolor, Week 4

The fourth sessions of the Trihue Watercolor class for Winter 2018 were held on Wednesday, February 7 and Sunday, February 25. We critiqued the edges and gradations homework assignments. Transparency illusions, in the form of films and veils, were the new topic for the week. Dick showed transparency illusions from Albers’ Interaction of Color, pointing out ones that succeed, and some that fail because they are inconsistent with the actual phenomenon. Painting film illusions in watercolor is easy; painting veil illusions requires a painting strategy.

The fourth sessions of the Trihue Watercolor class for Winter 2018 were held on Wednesday, February 7 and Sunday, February 25. We critiqued the edges and gradations homework assignments. Transparency illusions, in the form of films and veils, were the new topic for the week. Dick showed transparency illusions from Albers’ Interaction of Color, pointing out ones that succeed, and some that fail because they are inconsistent with the actual phenomenon. Painting film illusions in watercolor is easy; painting veil illusions requires a painting strategy.

Week 3 homework on critique board — Week 3 homework: edges & gradations

Week 4 homework assignment and handouts

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/FILMS-VEILS.pdf”]

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Film-VeilTemp2.pdf”]

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Film-VeilTmplt.pdf”]

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/FilmsVeilsQuest.pdf”]

Tips for painting strategies for films and veils can be found in this old post. See also the 2012 class post on films and veils, and the critique from the next week.

Demo photos

Videos – Class demos

Critiquing transparency illusions in the Albers book – 1

Film illusions. If it’s transparent, you can see through it – over all surfaces it covers. Recognizing opaque vs. transparent appearances. A casual arrangement provides good Gestalt. Films, veils, and false films. (17:01)

Critiquing transparency illusions in the Albers book – 2

Painting strategy for veils. Films darken, veils lighten. (4:53)

Critiquing transparency illusions in the Albers book – 3

Recognizing false/impossible transparency. (3:08)

Painting demo – film and veil

Film illusion. Every single cast shadow is a film. Veil illusion. Veil painting strategy: build up layers. Tactic: to avoid brushstrokes caused by paint drying when covering a large area, wet the area first. (20:02)

Painting demo – Transparency illusion and painting strategy for films

Films are easy in watercolor: every layer of paint is a film. (2:33)

Painting demo – Transparency illusion and painting strategy for veils

Creating the illusion of a veil takes advance planning and careful observation of values. (4:33)

Opaque or transparent?

Why study films and veils? Mastering these illusions allows you to create visual magic. Changing background colors change your perception of which shape is opaque and which is transparent.

Wednesday class photos

Sunday class photos

Homework critique

Films & veils discussion

Mahalo to Valérie Richter for Wednesday photos and videos, and to Holly Duane for Sunday photos and videos.

Trihue Watercolor, Week 3

The third sessions of the Trihue Watercolor class for Winter 2018 were held on Wednesday, January 31, and Sunday, February 18. The stripes homework was critiqued, with an emphasis on recognizing halation and vanishing boundaries, and knowing how to create them at will in a watercolor by understanding the necessary relationships. Cropping was used to focus on areas which exhibited harmonious relationships. Dick demonstrated halation with several arrays of Color-Aid paper. The new assignment has to do with discovering watercolor techniques, including various types of edges and gradations. This week, we have over an hour of demos captured on video.

Week 3 homework assignment

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/WC-techniques.pdf”]

Demo photos

Videos – Class demos

Some watercolor techniques (9:11)

Hard edges, soft edges, figure and ground (15:20)

Gradation, reverse gradation, halation (14:34)

Lifting, failure, trial & error, play (13:31)

Radial gradation (3:14)

Keep it fresh (3:50)

Edges – hard, soft; experiment to learn options & gain control (6:17)

Greeks – figure/ground. Gradations: linear & radial (11:42)

Radial gradation & other techniques: salt, backrun, scoring, lifting (4:10)

Wednesday class photos

Sample stripes homework

Sunday class photos

Homework discussion

Sample stripes homework

Cropping

Halation demo

Mahalo to Valérie Richter for Wednesday photos and videos, and to Holly Duane for Sunday photos and videos.

Trihue Watercolor, Week 2

The second session of the Trihue watercolor class was held on Wednesday, January 24 and Sunday, February 11. Trihue glazing homework was critiqued, and the class discussed answers to the color pretest. Valerie RIchter and Dick demonstrated the new homework assignment, Composing Color Relationships, by glazing various saturations of the three primaries in sequence. This post contains handouts, photos, videos, and other resources.

The second session of the Trihue watercolor class was held on Wednesday, January 24 and Sunday, February 11. Trihue glazing homework was critiqued, and the class discussed answers to the color pretest. Valerie Richter and Dick demonstrated the new homework assignment, Composing Color Relationships, by glazing various saturations of the three primaries in sequence. This post contains handouts, photos, videos, and other resources.

Week 1 homework: A wide variety of hues are created by glazing the three pigments in different saturations

Week 2 Sunday critique board — Homework from the Sunday class.

Week 2 assignment

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/THWC-Stripe.pdf”]

Demo photos

Valérie’s demo

Step 1: Stripes of yellow, in varying widths and saturations, also leaving some white paper

Step 2: The first layer of magenta has been applied to the stripes

Instead of stripes, varying saturations of yellow have been stippled irregularly over the paper

The first layer of magenta has been applied to the stippled yellow

Step 3: After several layers of magenta, the first layer of cyan has been applied

A closer view. This study exhibits luminosity achieved through halation and vanishing boundaries. All colors are harmoniously related.

Dick’s demos

Work in progress by Dick Nelson. Demo piece, with layers of yellow and magenta at various saturations.

Work in progress by Dick Nelson. Demo piece, after addition of cyan toning.

Dick advised cutting off a 1-inch strip, then adding your cyan stripes. Later you can line up the strip and see the progression of color change.

Videos – class demos

We have 10 short videos, totaling about 23 minutes. Thanks to Valérie and Dick for the demos, and to Patt for capturing!

First: Apply yellow

Second: Apply magenta

The “Million Dollar Idea”: Vanishing Boundaries

Third: Apply cyan. Enjoy luminosity thanks to halation and vanishing boundaries

In the video above, Dick mentions Kit Gentry’s application of this principle, and Susan recommends looking at his website for explanations and examples. “Breakthrough” is Kit’s first major work after his Color Relationships class with Dick where he purposely applied the idea of vanishing boundaries in a painting.

Dick’s demo: Toning and lifting

Stripe Movie

Simple stripes of different widths, in the three primary colors yellow, magenta, and cyan, overlaid, create surprisingly complex color combinations and juxtapositions.

Class photos

Wednesday group

Sunday group

Dick asked Chelsea to isolate the gray value scale on one of the homework sheets.

Dick discussed examples in the Albers color book, both what was working and not working in terms of color interaction.

The fold over panel with cut outs shows that the colors are the same gray tone.

When you reveal the full color plate, the eye is tricked into thinking there are two different gray colors.

Color transparency example

There are four color transparencies that create the full color image

The yellow transparency is laid down first

The magenta layer on top of the yellow creates a mostly red image

Cyan added to the magenta and yellow creates a believable full color image

External resources

Animated stripes example

Tips from Valérie – brushes; wax to seal finished work

Valérie sent the following in response to some questions that came up during the session.

The red handle brushes I was using.

The UV/waterproof/archival spray that I use after a watercolor is finished is the Krylon from Ben Franklin (when you don’t want to frame under glass).
Dick uses another one but this one is easier to find and cheaper.
I am still testing them, I read that the Matte leaves a dull white finish (I haven’t noticed) and that it is better to use the Gloss.
Can’t tell the difference so far!

Wax to seal watercolor – I found this link on youtube and I bought both brands. Again can’t tell the difference between them.

I like to use the wax much better than the spray (spray stinks, toxic, and a pain to apply outside etc…). Still testing the difference and long term efficiency. Not sure it is UV or archival.
Can’t find the wax on Maui, and stores won’t ship so you have to find someone who will ship it for you or bring it in her luggage!!!

Gamblin Cold Wax Medium and Dorland’s wax medium

Update: Mary was able to order the Dorland’s wax medium shipped via Amazon Priority Mail, but they would not ship the Gamblin cold wax.

From Firmiana – Build your own Trihue color wheel

Firmiana made a Trihue color wheel based on a YouTube video by fashion designer Zoe Hong, and says she “is fun at the delivery of sharing color theory.”

Here are some of the titles in her Color Lessons playlist.

Color Theory 1 Basics
Color Theory 2 Mixing colors (this is the one where she shares the color wheel mixing)
Color Theory 3 Tints, tones and shades
Color Theory 4 Mutes, undertones and neutrals

Firmiana also brought in a CMY Primary color mixing wheel that she found on Amazon (many color wheels are incorrect).

Mahalo to Valérie Richter for Wednesday photos and videos, and to Holly Duane for Sunday photos.

Trihue Watercolor, Week 1

The first session of the Trihue watercolor class was held on Wednesday, January 17 and Sunday, February 4. The group started their painting homework in class, creating a 5×5 matrix of colors built up by glazing different saturations of the three primaries. A color pretest was also assigned as homework. This post contains handouts, photos, and videos from the first week.

Handouts

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Color-PretestR.pdf”]

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/WC-SBS-Setup.pdf”]

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/WCpaperCut.pdf”]

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/TrihueRev3.pdf”]

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/TrihueDiscoveries.pdf”]

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/MATRIXprnt.pdf”]

If your printer can handle the weight of watercolor paper, you can print the template above right onto an 8.5″x11″ sheet to guide your painting. If not, use the lower tech method below.

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/PaintingTemplate.pdf”]

If your printer can’t handle watercolor paper, cut out the template above in cardboard or heavy paper and trace inside the squares onto your paper. Offset for each color. A harder pencil will make lighter lines.

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/TH-A.pdf”]

[gview file=”https://dicknelsoncolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/TH-B.pdf”]

Videos – class demos

Demo – wetting the paper (3:49)

Dick talks about the purpose of sizing in watercolor paper, shows its effects, demonstrates how he wets the paper prior to painting on it, and explains why.

Demo – CMY transparencies and primary colors (2:40)

Dick tells how he first became aware of the true primary colors, and shows how cyan, magenta, and yellow transparencies in different saturations combine to produce various colors.

Demo – palette and workspace setup (0:30)

Be consistent in how you set up your paints and materials, so you can quickly and automatically reach to the right place.

Demo – starting the matrix with different concentrations of yellow (7:09)

Dick demonstrates mixing different saturations of yellow to start the matrix, and provides some tips and advice.

Videos – Excerpts from Dimensions of Color DVD

These videos address fundamental color concepts and vocabulary in an entertaining way.

Mix Any Color from Richard (Dick) Nelson on Vimeo.

Mix any color in pigment or light by first recognizing that all colors originate from three primaries plus black or white. The true primaries, understood and used in the printing industry for decades, were unknown to most artists and art schools. This brief video hopes to dispel the misconceptions of mixing color in both pigments and light. Additional proof can be found by examining the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black inks of every computer printer. These are pigment primaries. Light primaries, Red, Green and Blue-Violet are the secondary colors of pigments. Every TV or computer monitor depends on RGB color to generate an entire spectrum.

3D Colorwheel from Richard (Dick) Nelson on Vimeo.

An animated building of a 3D color wheel with identifying text. The full dimension of color relationships can be viewed in this animated movie. This is part of Dick Nelson’s DVD “Dimensions of Color”, used as his teaching device for the serious student of color. Having studied with the 20th Century master of color Josef Albers at Yale, Dick has incorporated many lessons from his mentor and added some of his own color revelations.

Class photos – Wednesday group

Class photos – Sunday group

External resources – on watercolor paper

Dick talked about some of the qualities of watercolor paper. Here are a couple of videos with more detail. They talk about how it is made, internal and external sizing, the surfaces and weights available, and include some demos. (They also use the French pronunciation – arsh – which I’m sure is correct, but I’m not sure how many of us will adopt.)

On the Arches website: https://www.arches-papers.com/our-papers/arches-aquarelle-watercolour-paper/

From the Dick Blick website:

Dick also suggested a page from the Handprint site for more information on sizing. This site is extensive, a rich resource with detailed information and observations, some of it very technical, on watercolor painting.

Mahalo to Valérie Richter for Wednesday photos and videos, and to Holly Duane for Sunday photos.