T for transparent
O for opaque
Trying to figure out when and why to use transparent paints, and when to use more opaque paints. Glazing? Impasto? How to layer colors to create new colors. How colors react one on top of another, how and when light reflects through colors and bounces back to the iris – or when it is absorbed, and what effect this creates – the optics/aesthetic/visual impact of a painting. Color “vibrations” – is this just how colors react when they are close to one another, side by side, or is this the vibrational effect of layers of paint and how they react one on top of one another?
Research transparent vs non transparent colors/color vibrations
New colors: phthalo blue (T)
Perm magenta (T)
Prussian blue (T)
Purple lake (T)
Burnt umber (T)
Prussian green (T)
Permanent Alizarin Crimson (T)
Permanent Rose (t)
Rose Madder Deep t
Cad lemon o
Cad red o
Sap green t
Cad yellow o
Cobalt st
Venetian red o
Ult. Blue t
Viridian t
Vermilion hue o
Ivory black so
Lemon yellow hue o
Lamp black o
Manganese blue hue t
Mars black o
Yellow ochre st (raw Sienna alternative – t?)
Naples yellow o
Buy: for lights in procession: cobalt
Perm rose – rose dore mad
Schev rose deep
Viridian(?) green deep
Vine black (?)
Scarlet lake extra
Perm carmine?
Use in blacks: burnt Sienna
Naples yellow (o)
Gold ochre transparent
Cobalt violet
Vermilion extra OH
Alizarin
Van dyck brown
Transparent red oxide lake
Transparent oxide yellow lake
Flesh ochre
Naples yellow deep extra
Flesh tint
Golden barok red
Ultramarine blue deep
Aliz
Yellow light
Cad yellow lemon
Naples yellow deep extra
Copied from various sources: A transparent pigment applied onto a white ground will appear brilliant, because some of the white surface beneath reflects the light back. If the same pigment were applied onto a dark or black background, most of the light would be absorbed, causing the color to appear dull. For this reason, translucent pigments are ideal for glazing techniques, as the color beneath is still visible.
Pigments that are more translucent in nature are: permanent rose, permanent crimson, alizarin crimson, dioxazine blue, ultramarine, pthalo blue, Prussian blue, viridian green, terre verte, sap green, burnt sienna, raw sienna and raw umber. These colors, being transparent in nature will need careful selection of an opaque color to provide body and covering power if this is needed.
Mixing Transparent Hues with White
Beware that mixing a translucent color with titanium white (which has high RI) will not bring a paler version of the hue. Apply a thin glaze of ultramarine on a white surface, and a brilliant blue will result. Similarly, apply a thin glaze of permanent rose on a white surface and a brilliant pink will be the outcome. Mix ultramarine with white, and an opaque, rather grayish, flat blue will come back. Mix permanent rose with white, and a candy-floss pink will be the consequence. Translucent pigments are ideal for glazing techniques, but careful mixing is required if an opaque paint layer is needed.
A selection of translucent, semi-translucent and opaque paints will come in useful for the artist. Translucent colors are ideal for glazing techniques and for deepening a color beneath. Opaque colors will come in useful for alla prima, impasto or simply to cover up unwanted marks. Opaque colors will also provide a flat, even paint layer if this is desired.
If you want to paint with a limited palette, then a great place to start is all three primary colors (red, yellow and blue), white, raw umber (or burnt sienna) and black.
Black is optional as you can actually mix a nice black tone by combining equal parts of the primary colors together, or by mixing french ultramarine blue with raw umber. Many great artists, particularly the Impressionists, exclude black from their palette due to the thought it was not a natural color of the environment.
Anders Zorn is thought to have limited his palette to only four colors for many of his paintings: white, yellow ochre, cadmium red medium and ivory black. Ivory black is a cool color and was used by Anders Zorn as a very dark blue.
notes from Ryan: Titanium white, yellow ochre deep, (transparent) red ochre, and I’ll switch between ivory black and vine black (st)depending on what I need 🙂
I really like burnt sienna in place of red ochre too, or Venetian red :~)
Red ochre is beautiful I think, it makes such a natural soft pink
A little hard to make warmer orange tones though, which burnt sienna and Venetian red are really good at
Ivory tends towards a cooler grey, while vine towards a warmer !
Also I think mars black also tends towards a very cool grey, like u can make sort of a blue with it
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