Tertiary

Hello again friends! Sorry for not posting a blog last week.  I had this one already written ahead of time and was ready to post it last Tuesday but forgot and then next thing I know it was Friday and it was too late.  Sooooo I just skipped last week.  Now that things are getting back to normal in my house I plan on keeping my usual schedule for my blogs.  So keep reading and checking back to see what new things you can learn each week.  I do plan on getting the videos going again so stay tuned this summer we can get back on track.

Now, hold on to your hats this next color term can be confusing in writing but I will help give some visual examples to help you understand.

Tertiary colors are when one primary color (red, blue, and yellow) are mixed with a secondary color (green, orange, and violet).  Hopefully, that seems fairly simple but I will help by giving examples using a color wheel:

Notice the primary colors and secondary colors have a color between them.  That is your tertiary color.  So when you mix red + violet = you get red-violet.  When you mix blue + green = you get blue-green.  Understand?  Now you know the correct term for those colors.  Have fun mixing paint and you can see how many colors that are out there from just primary and secondary color combinations.  

Please do not forget to visit my twitter @BrennaDaileyArt and my Etsy shop atwww.etsy.com/shop/BrennaDaileyArt

Monochromatic

I know that I am a day late in posting my weekly blog and I am sorry.  I have family visiting tomorrow and needed to get some much needed cleaning done first.  My son is turning one this Friday and I am excited and sad at the same time.  I am sad because the year went so fast and he has grown from being my little baby to my little boy who loves to understand the world around him.  Everyone always says "the first year goes so fast" and I know I am going to say the "cliche" comment to that statement....they were right.  But, I am so excited to see my son grow and see his little personality bursting at the seams.  I love him dearly and can not wait to teach him about art, like I am teaching you.

Today, I am going to give a short lesson on "Monochromatic".  According to Merriam-Webster Online dictionary the term Monochromatic is defined as: having or made up of one color or shades of one color.  I would like to add to that definition by first saying the word color can be called "hue".  So Monochromatic artwork is made up of tints and shades of one hue.  So if you have a painting that is monochromatic....you would only use say for example, red.  ONLY red.  That is it!  So, that is what makes it monochromatic.

I can not talk about monochromatic work without talking about Pablo Picasso and his famous "blue period".  While Picasso was creating work between the years 1901-1904 he only created blue monochromatic paintings while he lived in Barcelona.  During this time, like most artists, he had trouble selling these famous works but of course has sold them now after he has passed and it has become one of his most famous periods of creating work.  Why he did this...not many people can explain.  I like to think he was sad....that's why he chose to use the color blue.  Either way, this is a great example of monochromatic painting.

So, go out and try and create a monochromatic piece of artwork.  You might just find that it can be more difficult then you think.

"The Old Guitarist" by Pablo Picasso

Color in Film and TV

After my son goes to bed at night my husband and I try and watch a show together if its not too late. Lately we have been watching "Dexter". It is a show about a serial killer who kills only people who are bad. Their is more to it but that is a brief summary. It is a dark show to watch but I'm curious to how it will end.  Well, I noticed the colors in the show seem to be red and green. The set design, lighting, and costumes all seem to keep that theme. So, it got me to thinking lets talk about color in film and shows.

"Dexter" and the use of greens and reds

I know I am no movie expert or very active movie watcher (anymore, after a kid who has the time?) but I, like most movie fans, notice different things in movies. I guess I notice things differently then others because I think about how it can become art but we all can agree movies use color to set a certain theme. Green lighting is one of the most unsettling colors you can use so why not use it in a horror film when the audience needs to be on edge to fully experience a scary scene. Now of course we need to mention the use of red in horror films for well, obvious reasons. It is one of the most common used colors because it creates alertness and caution for the viewer. Horror likes to make you feel as uncomfortable as possible so the director can achieve the desired effect.

I have always loved musicals. One of my favorite things musicals do is have the women wear a bright color under their dress. If the woman is wearing white and starts dancing and kicks up her dress it is red underneath. "The Music Man" does this and it is so playful which is exactly what they were going for....a playful scene to make you feel happy. I loved this so much I had my wedding dress lining be blue. So when I picked up my dress you saw a flash of blue which was also my something blue. Another great playful show with color is "Pushing Daisies". That show had great set design full of vibrant colors to make it a show that showed life which if you know anything about the show you would find that funny and true.

Here is the "Shipoopi" music scene from the 1962 "Music Man" that has the different color under the dress.

"Shipoopi"-"The Music Man"

A still of "Pushing Daisies" use of color

So next movie you watch or show you enjoy, pay attention to the colors and let that help you see what it is really about. Enjoy!