No doubt that if you are an artist, you have noticed those books on color harmony in the art section at Barnes & Nobles or Borders. And no doubt, if you have ever tried to apply the formulas recommended in such books, you have run into difficulties. We happened to be in the Barnes & Nobles the other day and picked up a couple of these books, so we decided to write an article about what is worthwhile and what is counter productive and confusing in this whole myriad field called color harmony.
We in no way want to denigrate such efforts by highly competent and intelligent color professionals. In fact, what we wish to do here is recommend both of these books, one called Color by Betty Edwards, and another called Color Harmony 2 by Bride M. Whelan. They both contain a wealth of information about the various behaviors and ways of organizing colors. The reason we can recommend these books is that for the first time, we are going to make the information contained in them very useful when it actually comes time to make a work of art, and you find yourself looking at a sea of white on your computer or canvas.
Now does that mean that if you organize your color choices around the idea of a Split Complimentary Scheme, that would therefore constitute color harmony. The answer, alas, is no.
However, once the artist understands how color actually works, then these ideas of how to organize hue groups into the categories outlined by the author suddenly become quite useful. What is missing is Chapter 1, which deals with the fundamental and essential element of color composition, which is quantifying color relationships in 3D HVC space, and applying those HVC (hue, value, chroma) contrasts with Master Colors’ harmonic progressions or scales.
So we are here to provide the first chapter to not only Whelan’s and Edwards’ books, but to all of the other “color harmony” books that have been published.
The Master Colors’ HVC Color Identification and Harmonic Selection System is essential for every artist, from art school and on through an artist’s entire career, whether it’s paint or computer media.
Currently, however, the HVC Color Composer is absolutely essential for every artist who wishes to compose colors correctly in their work. Master Colors also will soon publish its simple mixing technique for matching colors in HVC Color Space so artists may work with the HVC Color Composer in conjunction with paint media as well as computer media.
Look for an article coming up very soon on our Blog titled “How to Mix Colors Accurately in HVC Color Space”. Once you learn this technique, you will be able to mix any color you see accurately within 30 to 60 seconds, without any strain at all.
Let’s get a little further into why using this triad criteria is not sufficient in and of itself if we wish to take a rational, intelligent and effective approach to the color selection process -- take the Split Complimentary Scheme for example.
This is an arrangement of two hues, like an gold and a scarlet, let’s say, with the compliment of the color between them on the color wheel, which in this case would be the compliment of orange, which is cyan or cerulean blue.
Scientists tell us the human eye can see millions of different colors, but in any meaningful sense, about 1,500 to 2,000 colors is more than enough for any artist to execute any work of art (not including gradational relationships, of course). Look for an article on how to handle gradations soon.
Now blue, gold and scarlet – our Split Complimentary triad -- have dozens of colors inside each of those hue slices of varying chromas (intensity) and values. This is where the harmony books break down, because there is no criteria for selecting colors among all of those choices that the Split Complementary criteria leaves us.
When its time to apply a color choice to the artwork, suddenly the choice becomes random again. Once we can quantify the particular gold, scarlet and cerulean blue that we wish to use in the piece, then the gold, scarlet, blue combination becomes quite lovely and beautiful. The triad idea requires Master Colors’ quantification technology to make it work.
The Master Colors’ Harmonic Progression system, organized around the concept of combined HVC Contrast, also gives the artist hundreds of choices within a triad group. But there is a clear, rational criteria for making your final selections.
Let’s take a look at Betty Edwards’ book, Color. While not providing the solution, Edwards outlines the problem in color harmony books perfectly. In Chapter 8, the author states: “Nearly every writer on color proposes one theory or another on how to achieve harmonious color. Some recommend analogous color schemes, some suggests complementary colors, others triadic color schemes (three hues equidistant on the color wheel), or tetradic arrangements (hues at four points on the color wheel), and still others, German colorist Johannes Itten, for example – recommend all of the above.”
The truth is, none of above. None of these approaches will work without Chapter 1 by Master Colors. But the good news is that with the HVC Color Composer, suddenly all of these color harmony ideas will work beautifully and suddenly, the works of Edwards and Whelan become very relevant, with a wealth of color information outlining various ways of organizing colors that can be very useful and effective for color composition.
When the authors of these color harmony books assert that the ideas they contain will create “harmony” in a work of art, they are unintentionally diminishing the word to something bordering on meaningless. Harmony is not an opinion or a subjective feeling. Harmony is objective. Harmony’s effect is subjective. That’s where the confusion lies. (See our blog article, titled “Proportion is Harmony, Contrast is Control”.)
Any meaningful definition of harmony that will really help the artist during the execution of a work of art is a numerical definition. Musical scales are not harmonic because in the opinion of the composer, a particular arrangement of notes sounds good. The notes sound good because the harmonics are objective.
Color harmonies are created by the creation of simple proportional numerical relationships spanning the full range of HVC contrasts, from soft, middle to strong, like black on white, giving the artist maximum flexibility with a wide range of selection choices for the successful completion of any work of art.
NEXT WEEK: Part 2
We take the ideas contained in color harmony books and make them work in an Interactive Harmonic Selection Swatch Book. We also show you how to make such a chart yourself using the HVC Color Composer by Master Colors.
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