Welcome to
The Painting Lesson
by Linda Carson
big black pig studio
98 King St. N., Waterloo Ontario Canada
www.bigblackpig.com
Complementary Colours
Marc Chagall once said:
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"All colours are the friends of their neighbours and the lovers of their opposites." |
The most important relationship in all of colour theory is the complementary colours. Think of the complements as being "opposites."
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For example: What's the opposite of blue? Well, orange is the most un-blue colour on the wheel because it's got little or no blue in it at all. Orange and blue are complementary. Putting them side-by-side (as in the painting above) makes both of them look brighter (more saturated). |
It's not an exact science. Most bluish colours are complemented by anything orangey. Set off cobalt blue with burnt sienna, a reddish-orangey brown, for example. It's worth memorizing the three pairs of complementary colours:
- blues complement oranges;
- reds complement greens; and
- yellows complement purples.
Why do we care? Complementary colours, used side by side, accent each other. Think of a room decorated entirely in beautiful blues. Sounds lovely. But boring. Now, imagine adding a chunky terra cotta jug or a sunny coral throw rug, and the whole thing comes to life.
A little too lively for you? Well, complementary colours, mixed together, tone one another down. Is your banana looking too gaudy? Mix a teensy smidge of (surprise!) purple into that yellow, and you'll get a tasty butterscotch colour that makes a much more convincing banana peel. Turn red into a smokey burgundy by adding a touch of green.
You can even use complementary colours to fix yesterday's work. Your pumpkin's looking too orange and not pumpkin-y at all? Try laying a thin sheer coat of blue over it (that's glazing) and soften the colour.
P.S. Spell it right. It's not the same thing as a complimentary drink (which is free) or a complimentary comment (which is flattering).
Note:
The blue-orange, yellow-purple, red-green notion of complementary colours is
not the whole story.
It's a practical simplification that works
just fine for most purposes,
and it is the answer everybody expects from you
on the Art Vocabulary quiz.
However, some readers worry about the
gory technical details.
Back to the main lesson?Art & Text (C) Linda Carson 2002
Loosely translated, that means:
"Please don't copy this material or redistribute it
in some other form, for any reason.
This is my livelihood."