Example of objects photographed in different light:
Oil painting by Carol Marine. Example of home value of dark cloth in light and shadow.
WORKSHOP TAKE-AWAY
Before you start a painting observe the following:
Every hue or colour has a chroma (intensity), a value (light/dark), temperature (leaning towards yellow, orange, red/green, violet, blue)
LOCAL COLOUR - what colour is the object?
HOME VALUE - Where does that colour naturally live on my value scale?
COLOUR OF LIGHT - Warm, cool, neutral?
LIGHT SIDE - How does the light change the local colour?
SHADOW SIDE - How does the shadow change the local colour?
VALUE RELATIONSHIP - Are the value separations roughly within 1 or 2 steps?
Make sure everthing is a colour even if it appears washed out and white in the light or appears dark and colourless in the shadow.
Occlusion shadows are areas where little or no light can enter, and they usually appear as rich, warm darks.
Form shadows occur on the object itself as the surface turns away from the light.
Cast shadows are areas on other surfaces where light is blocked by an object.
In general, when a light is warm:
The shadow side may appear slightly more blue/violet/green than the local value colour.
The lit side may appear more yellow/red/orange.
The reflected light will be slightly warmer and is never as light as the lit side, and occurs when light bounces back into the shadow side of an object.
Paint the transitions from mid to dark and mid to light analogously by adding the complementary colour. In some cases white may be useful, but try to achieve light by mixing in a lighter version of a colour. This applies to a single light source.
