Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Complimentary Color Glazes

Before the oil glazes.
She looks nice but I want her color to really intensify.


"When complimentary colors are in motion so that they weave in and out or across each other's paths upon the field of vision, then the contrasts between them are intensified far beyond what occurs when the colors are stationary."

~Walter Sargent
"The Enjoyment and Use of Color"


Adding complimentary colors to your canvas (flat or 3-d) is one of the simplest and most effective methods that can be used in order to make the colors appear richer and more vibrant.

Place the color (in this instance a purple because the horse has "orange" hues to it) in areas you wish to intensify. A glazing method is my preferred method of application because I like to have the base color show through the complimentary color. The glaze allows the base to show through slightly. I placed the lighter purple inside the "dapple" and the darker purple around the "dapple" to achieve more intensity. Glazing took several hours, but the effect is much more intense than what was originally presented.

Purple colors mixed on a white palette.


Light purple right in the dapple.


Adding a darker color around the dapple and
then slightly blending all together.


Purples were also added to the face to help
intensify the color and bring out details.


What transpired after a few hours of glazing.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the informative post Jenn. I was wondering, what brand of oil paints do you prefer to use? also what brand/type of drier do you use to mix in with oils? How long does it usually take for oils to dry before sealing with dullcote or krylon? I'm new to oils & was wondering what materials you recommend? I'll be practicing on stablemate models :) Can you do a post on brushes and cleaning them?