glass mosaic tile art studio of william j enslen jr
Below is Chapter 6 (Color and Contrast) from my eBook, Mosaic Pieces: Essentials for Beginner and Professional Mosaic Artists. The eBook is
targeted to mosaic artists of all experience levels. I also include anecdotes throughout the eBook that add to the fun of learning how to create
beautiful glass mosaic tile art. I hope you enjoy learning about color and contrast, and how to use them to enhance your mosaic art.
Don't forget to read Chapter 7 to learn about backgrounds and borders. And check out my Lesson of the Month to learn how to install a glass
mosaic tile backsplash using the Direct-Indirect mosaic method.
targeted to mosaic artists of all experience levels. I also include anecdotes throughout the eBook that add to the fun of learning how to create
beautiful glass mosaic tile art. I hope you enjoy learning about color and contrast, and how to use them to enhance your mosaic art.
Don't forget to read Chapter 7 to learn about backgrounds and borders. And check out my Lesson of the Month to learn how to install a glass
mosaic tile backsplash using the Direct-Indirect mosaic method.
| Chapter 6 Color and Contrast Page 1 |
Working with color in mosaics is much more challenging than most other art media, such as paint and colored pencils. The painter's color
palette is limited only by the painter's imagination in mixing any number of colors until the desired hue is achieved. In contrast, the mosaic
artist's color palette is constrained by the limited colors that glass manufacturers decide to produce, which are typically determined by what
sells best.
As an example, let's compare the mosaic artist's choices for the color blue to the painter's choices. One of my favorite online mosaic tile
stores offers 14 various colors of blue vitreous glass tiles; whereas, a popular online artist's paint store offers only 13 colors of blue paint.
However, the paint store also offers 91 various shades of reds, yellows, oranges, greens, purples, pinks, browns, grays, whites, and more.
The painter can choose to blend any one of the 13 blue colors with any number of the other 91 colors. Unlike a painter, the mosaic artist
can't blend various colors to create a new one. So, while the mosaic artist is limited to only 14 colors of blue, the painter has an almost
limitless palette.
If we, as mosaic artists, can't mix colors to create new ones, are we stuck with what the glass manufacturers give us? Certainly not. This
is where the artist's imagination and creativity are tested. Unlike the painter who mixes colors to create new ones, we blend different colors
and shades by placing them next to each other to give the illusion of color change. For example, by alternating small pieces of dark-blue and
light-blue tesserae, the result is that our eyes interpret the pattern as medium-blue when viewed from a distance. If we view the pattern
from only 12 inches, then our eyes can distinguish the pattern and we see an obvious checkerboard. However, when viewed from 12 feet,
we must focus more to distinguish the checkerboard because our eyes interpret the blend as a single color (i.e., we see medium-blue instead
of a bunch of small pieces of dark-blue and light-blue). Figure 6-1 shows an example of this phenomenon.
Color is equally as important to your mosaic's look as andamento (i.e., the visual movement of your mosaic created by placing tesserae in
specific patterns). (Andamento is described in detail in the chapter Designing and Drawing.) Artists choose colors to stir emotions or
simply because they like how the colors look. The brain is sensitive to certain color schemes, so whatever motivates your color choices,
you must ensure the combinations don't irritate or bore the viewer.
Be aware of how the eyes see varying color characteristics when colors are juxtaposed. Plan your desired look before cutting and gluing
any tesserae. Do you want contrast or do you want an intentional blended look where the colors are barely discernable? When you
determine the overall look, mood, and feel that you want your mosaic to represent, you'll know how to achieve it by combining color with
andamento.
Experiment with different hues, tones, and intensities to create texture and shading. Browse the Internet for mosaic artists of different
styles to see how they use color. Note the feelings that each piece evokes in you, then think about how the artist's use of color contributes
to creating those feelings.
The best way to learn how to use color in mosaics is to start cutting and gluing your own glass. Yes, you'll probably make a few mistakes
along the way, but learn from them and don't repeat them. Maybe someday, I'll be in a museum marveling at the incredible use of color in
one of your mosaics!
palette is limited only by the painter's imagination in mixing any number of colors until the desired hue is achieved. In contrast, the mosaic
artist's color palette is constrained by the limited colors that glass manufacturers decide to produce, which are typically determined by what
sells best.
As an example, let's compare the mosaic artist's choices for the color blue to the painter's choices. One of my favorite online mosaic tile
stores offers 14 various colors of blue vitreous glass tiles; whereas, a popular online artist's paint store offers only 13 colors of blue paint.
However, the paint store also offers 91 various shades of reds, yellows, oranges, greens, purples, pinks, browns, grays, whites, and more.
The painter can choose to blend any one of the 13 blue colors with any number of the other 91 colors. Unlike a painter, the mosaic artist
can't blend various colors to create a new one. So, while the mosaic artist is limited to only 14 colors of blue, the painter has an almost
limitless palette.
If we, as mosaic artists, can't mix colors to create new ones, are we stuck with what the glass manufacturers give us? Certainly not. This
is where the artist's imagination and creativity are tested. Unlike the painter who mixes colors to create new ones, we blend different colors
and shades by placing them next to each other to give the illusion of color change. For example, by alternating small pieces of dark-blue and
light-blue tesserae, the result is that our eyes interpret the pattern as medium-blue when viewed from a distance. If we view the pattern
from only 12 inches, then our eyes can distinguish the pattern and we see an obvious checkerboard. However, when viewed from 12 feet,
we must focus more to distinguish the checkerboard because our eyes interpret the blend as a single color (i.e., we see medium-blue instead
of a bunch of small pieces of dark-blue and light-blue). Figure 6-1 shows an example of this phenomenon.
Color is equally as important to your mosaic's look as andamento (i.e., the visual movement of your mosaic created by placing tesserae in
specific patterns). (Andamento is described in detail in the chapter Designing and Drawing.) Artists choose colors to stir emotions or
simply because they like how the colors look. The brain is sensitive to certain color schemes, so whatever motivates your color choices,
you must ensure the combinations don't irritate or bore the viewer.
Be aware of how the eyes see varying color characteristics when colors are juxtaposed. Plan your desired look before cutting and gluing
any tesserae. Do you want contrast or do you want an intentional blended look where the colors are barely discernable? When you
determine the overall look, mood, and feel that you want your mosaic to represent, you'll know how to achieve it by combining color with
andamento.
Experiment with different hues, tones, and intensities to create texture and shading. Browse the Internet for mosaic artists of different
styles to see how they use color. Note the feelings that each piece evokes in you, then think about how the artist's use of color contributes
to creating those feelings.
The best way to learn how to use color in mosaics is to start cutting and gluing your own glass. Yes, you'll probably make a few mistakes
along the way, but learn from them and don't repeat them. Maybe someday, I'll be in a museum marveling at the incredible use of color in
one of your mosaics!
Figure 6-1. Dark and Light Blend to Make Medium
Please click on the page you'd like to go to next:
| Figure 6-2. Color Wheel with Primary Colors |
| Figure 6-3. Color Wheel with Primary and Secondary Colors |
Basic Color Theory
The subject of color theory is so extensive that you can get a college degree in
it. Let's just touch on the basics. If you want a broader understanding, search
the Internet for the keyword "color theory" and you'll find tons of information
about color harmony and schemes, the psychological effect of colors, and
much more.
Color theory explains how color combinations are pleasant, displeasing, or
neutral to the eye. The "color circle" visually represents the color spectrum
and the connection among various hues. It is made by joining the ends of the
linear color spectrum to form a circle. Filling in the circle's center with color
gives the familiar "color wheel" that we studied in grade school.
The basic color wheel comprises three primary colors: blue, red, and yellow.
These colors cannot be formed by blending any combination of colors in the
spectrum. In contrast, all other colors are formed by mixing various amounts
and combinations of these three colors (hence, the name "primary").
Figure 6-2 shows the color wheel for the three primary colors.
Each of the three "secondary" colors is formed by blending two primary
colors. Green forms from a blend of yellow and blue, purple from blue and
red, and orange from red and yellow. Therefore, the secondary colors are:
green, purple, and orange. Figure 6-3 shows the color wheel with the three
primary and three secondary colors.
The subject of color theory is so extensive that you can get a college degree in
it. Let's just touch on the basics. If you want a broader understanding, search
the Internet for the keyword "color theory" and you'll find tons of information
about color harmony and schemes, the psychological effect of colors, and
much more.
Color theory explains how color combinations are pleasant, displeasing, or
neutral to the eye. The "color circle" visually represents the color spectrum
and the connection among various hues. It is made by joining the ends of the
linear color spectrum to form a circle. Filling in the circle's center with color
gives the familiar "color wheel" that we studied in grade school.
The basic color wheel comprises three primary colors: blue, red, and yellow.
These colors cannot be formed by blending any combination of colors in the
spectrum. In contrast, all other colors are formed by mixing various amounts
and combinations of these three colors (hence, the name "primary").
Figure 6-2 shows the color wheel for the three primary colors.
Each of the three "secondary" colors is formed by blending two primary
colors. Green forms from a blend of yellow and blue, purple from blue and
red, and orange from red and yellow. Therefore, the secondary colors are:
green, purple, and orange. Figure 6-3 shows the color wheel with the three
primary and three secondary colors.
Each of the six "tertiary" colors is formed by blending primary and secondary colors that are adjacent on the color wheel. Blue-purple
forms from a blend of blue and purple, red-purple from red and purple, red-orange from red and orange, yellow-orange from yellow and
orange, yellow-green from yellow and green, and blue-green from blue and green. Each tertiary color's name begins with the primary color
and ends with the secondary color (e.g., the name is "yellow-green" instead of "green-yellow"). Figure 6-4 shows the color wheel with the
three primary, three secondary, and six tertiary colors.
forms from a blend of blue and purple, red-purple from red and purple, red-orange from red and orange, yellow-orange from yellow and
orange, yellow-green from yellow and green, and blue-green from blue and green. Each tertiary color's name begins with the primary color
and ends with the secondary color (e.g., the name is "yellow-green" instead of "green-yellow"). Figure 6-4 shows the color wheel with the
three primary, three secondary, and six tertiary colors.
| Figure 6-4. Color Wheel with Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Colors |
Color combinations are often called "color schemes" and color schemes are considered harmonious when pleasing to the eye. It's
interesting to note the relationship of pleasing color schemes on the color wheel.
The "analogous" color scheme comprises two or three colors adjacent on the color wheel, resulting in minimal contrast. For example, your
work would be considered in harmony if the majority of it were done in the analogous colors red-orange, orange, and yellow-orange. One
color is usually dominant over the other two. Small amounts of contrast may be inserted into the scheme, but too much contrast may
confuse our eyes, resulting in a displeasing image.
The "complementary" color scheme comprises two colors directly opposite each other on the color wheel, resulting in maximum contrast.
For example, your work would be in harmony with maximum contrast if it were done in green, yellow-green, red, and red-purple (notice
how two colors are exactly opposite the other two on the color wheel). One color is usually dominant and the opposite complementary
color usually provides accents.
For information on other more intricate color schemes, search the Internet for the keyword "color theory" or "color wheel." Once you
become familiar with the complexities of color, you'll be better prepared to properly use color to help stir the desired emotions in your
mosaics.
interesting to note the relationship of pleasing color schemes on the color wheel.
The "analogous" color scheme comprises two or three colors adjacent on the color wheel, resulting in minimal contrast. For example, your
work would be considered in harmony if the majority of it were done in the analogous colors red-orange, orange, and yellow-orange. One
color is usually dominant over the other two. Small amounts of contrast may be inserted into the scheme, but too much contrast may
confuse our eyes, resulting in a displeasing image.
The "complementary" color scheme comprises two colors directly opposite each other on the color wheel, resulting in maximum contrast.
For example, your work would be in harmony with maximum contrast if it were done in green, yellow-green, red, and red-purple (notice
how two colors are exactly opposite the other two on the color wheel). One color is usually dominant and the opposite complementary
color usually provides accents.
For information on other more intricate color schemes, search the Internet for the keyword "color theory" or "color wheel." Once you
become familiar with the complexities of color, you'll be better prepared to properly use color to help stir the desired emotions in your
mosaics.
Please note: Text and figures
from the eBook have been
reformatted to fit this webpage.
from the eBook have been
reformatted to fit this webpage.
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