• Bezold effect

The Bezold effect is an optical illusion, named after Wilhelm von Bezold, who discovered that a color may appear different depending on its relation to adjacent colors.

For example, the red seems lighter combined with the white, and darker combined with the black.

Bezold_Effect

Positive and Negative space

refer to: Positive and Negative Space

• Positive space refers to the main focus of a picture, while negative space refers to the background.

• positive space is best described as the areas in a work of art that are the subjects, or areas of interest. Negative space is area around the subjects, or areas of interest.

• Take a look at the image below, do you see faces or a vase?

faces or vase

If you are seeing a vase, then you are seeing the white area as the positive space. The black areas become the negative space. If you are seeing faces, then you are seeing the black areas as the positive space, and the white area as the negative space.

• Balance of Positive and Negative space

balance

• Mostly Negative Space

excessive negative

• Mostly Positive Space

excessive positive

Johannes Itten's 7 color contrasts

refer to: Painting and Artists

• The contrast of Hue

contraste-color-hue

• The contrast of saturation

contraste-saturation

• Temperature contrast.

Color contrast between warm and cold colors.

contraste-temperature

• Simultaneous contrast

When we have a saturated color (without any gray or white) and we place it above a gray, inside the gray tone we will see the complementary color of the saturated color. If we have a red on a gray, some blue hue will be generated inside the gray color (blue is the complementary of the red). Simultaneous means that the contrast is generated because a color is near another color, and there is always an visual effect between them.

contraste-simultaneous

• The contrast of proportion

We have two colors but each color occupies a different area, or size. This difference generates a quantity contrast.

contraste-proportion

• The contrast of light and dark

contraste-lightness

• Contrast of complementary colors

contraste-complementarios

Proportion & Intensity

refer to: PROPORTION & INTENSITY

• The color with the largest proportional area is the dominant color (the ground).

• Smaller areas are subdominant colors.

• Accent colors are those with a small relative area, but offer a contrast because of a variation in hue, intensity, or saturation.

• Placing small areas of light color on a dark background, or a small area of dark on a light background will create an accent.

• If large areas of a light hue are used, the whole area will appear light; conversely, if large areas of dark values are used, the whole area appears dark.

• Alternating color by intensity rather than proportion will also change the perceived visual mix of color.

proportion

Contrast & Dominace

refer to: CONTRAST & DOMINANCE

• If the proximity between the neighboring hues is less apparent when you squint, the overall composition a displays lower contrast level; if the overall composition appears light, it has a light value. Conversely, if distinctions between hues are very apparent, the contrast is high, and if the overall composition appears dark, the value level is dark.

• contrast dominance

  • Low contrast compositions use colors within a narrow range of luminosity or brightness levels.

    
    
    low contrast

  • Moderate contrast compositions use colors within a moderate range of luminosity or brightness levels.

    
    
    moderate contrast

  • High contrast compositions colors range from very light (high-luminosity) to very dark (low luminosity).

    
    
    high contrast

• value dominance

  • A composition made up of tints, displays an overall light value.

    
    
    light value

  • A medium value composition is made up of a balance between tints, saturated hues, and shades.

    
    
    medium value

  • A dark value composition displays mostly shades.

    
    
    dark value