Painting Warm Light Cool Shadows

Note for example the hints of green halftones near the subject s mouth and chin and the warm deep shadows in her nostrils and at the back of her neck.

Painting warm light cool shadows. I paint in narrow alleys where reflected light often intensely warf or cool is a huge factor that can overwhelm other color. Warm light cool but very muted shadows cool light warm but very muted shadows and keep it consistent. It s a proven fact of ocular physics. Cool light warm shadows.

But it s sometimes hard to tell what the light temperature is. Now put all of that together. In the warm light source image i painted a warm shadow and in the cool light source image i painted a cool shadow according to the light source i was using for both instances. The image reveals both warm and cool color temperatures.

Light is cool shadows are warm deep shadows are hot. Whatever temperature the light is the shadows are the opposite. Photo c is a detail of photo b showing more clearly the shifts from warm to cool fleshtones on the three dimensional form of the face. A lesson on how light bounces in shadow creating mixtures of hue.

Warm light cool shadows. So if we use the cool complementary color for the shadows and the warm complement for the highlights we increase the contrast making the image more visually stimulating. For warm painted walls white dove oc 17 offers less contrast and a slightly more muted approach to white. Step 3 observe the colour temperature of the light source.

Here s a useful law. When i turned in the assignment i was told by my professor that my painting was wrong because of the warm cool light and shadow principle the book spoke of. The usual instruction in art circles is to paint warm light cool shadows and cool light warm shadows i have found this confusing because i don t comprehend that it is a property of light to behave that way. If you choose to paint your walls in a cool color decorator s white oc 149 offers a clean bright look that pairs beautifully with blues greens and purples.

Putting it all together. There are rarely any laws in painting but this one goes beyond being a mere rule. Start your drawing or painting with a plan as to how you will handle the highlights and shadows. Best white trim for warm and cool colors white painted trim is always classic and dependable.

In my portrait commissions i don t want to exaggerate the warm cool counterposition but in the lightest flesh. Warm light cool shadow or cool light warm shadow. If you decide on a warm light and cool shadow composition stick to that throughout the painting. It also pairs elegantly with reds.