In this video lesson Richard Robinson talks about how to more easily recognize color and value. Seeing color and value correctly is one of the most difficult aspects of creating art. In this lesson, Richard discusses how detail in your reference picture can actually distract you from seeing the main values. He recommends to squint your eyes when looking at your reference picture, which blurs the image and makes it easier to recognize value. He goes on to say that while squinting your eyes can help see value, it will not help you to better recognize color.
Recognizing color is a real challenge. One of the main reasons it is so challenging to see color accurately is because of a a particular color’s surrounding environment. A color’s surrounding environment can greatly affect the way we perceive it.
For instance, you can take the same color blue and surround it with two different colors as illustrated in the picture below. Notice how the the blue swatch on the left appears lighter and seems to stand out more than the blue swatch on the right?
Richard’s example in the video below will illustrate this point even better. He goes on to explain that in order to see the color correctly, we must isolate that particular color from its surrounding environment. Richard discusses an awesome tool that he uses to accomplish this.. Watch the video below to learn more!
Leave a Reply