I hope everyone is having a great mid-January. Might be a good
time to mention spring J - if you are
in the Ottawa area, I have just posted info about my spring classes on my
website. Registration is now open. I
will give some details after I answer this week’s question. I can’t wait to
meet you!
This week I have a really interesting question to answer. Loni
from Seattle writes:
“Hi Teresa. I
hope this isn’t a dumb question. I took an art class several years ago. It was
mainly a drawing class but we did get into some color theory at the end of the
course. I was looking through my notes from that class and I came across
something the teacher called the “phenomenon of after image”. I can’t make
sense of my notes and I am wondering what this phenomenon is and how do I use
it in my art or maybe I should I avoid it (not sure if after image is a bad
thing). Thanks for any information you have time to share.”
This is a very cool question Loni (certainly not a dumb one J). I haven’t heard of after image in years.
Readers, if I asked you to define ‘after image’, what would your
answer be?
If you need a refresher or if you haven’t actually ever heard of
‘after image’ then listen up cause here is the dish...
The phenomenon
of ‘after image’ is said to be a demonstration of our brain’s ‘need’ for the
complement of a particular colour. This comes from studies of the brain (for example what the left
part of the brain controls and the right part of the brain etc.)
I won’t get into science speak about this but here is an example
that will let you experience the phenomenon first hand (read the
instructions through first).
How to Experience an After Image
·
Take a piece of paper and draw a circle of about an
inch or so in diameter. Colour/paint the circle a rich, intense red colour.
Next make a tiny back dot in the center of the red circle.
·
Take a second piece of paper. Place a similar black
dot in the center of the page.
·
Hold the two sheets side by side. Gaze at the red
coloured circle for about a minute.
·
Next, quickly shift your gaze to the dot on the
second blank sheet. (This is why you need to read the instructions through
first. Stopping to read this after gazing at the circle will ruin the effect.)
·
As you gaze at the black dot on the second blank
sheet of paper, you will “see” the complement to red (which is green) emerge on
the blank paper - the same shape, the same size as the original red circle.
Try this with any colour. Your brain will produce the exact
complement of any hue. This is termed the negative after image.
Apparently if you experiment with two colours, both
complementary colours will appear. (I haven’t tried this)
As an odd twist, for some people, the original colour will
appear as an after image, but in the negative spaces of the original shapes,
which are the uncoloured areas. This is called a positive after image.
So our brains are tricky things, making us see things that
aren’t on the page!
Wonder what else in our
lives gets skewed? J
This is a great little project to get up to with kids or
grandkids. They love magic and illusion.
Why would our brains, need the complement? I have no idea. I am
sure there is some sort of theory on the internet if you are curious enough to
look.
Loni also asked how
this applied to her art.
I honestly don’t think it does!
Understanding
complementary colours and how you can use this knowledge in colour mixing or in
creating interesting darker values (say in shadows) is fun to learn and is of
value but I don’t concern myself with the after image phenomenon.
If any of you do create art being mindful of this after image
phenomenon please write and tell us why. Then tell us how you compensate for
this effect.
Personally, I think it is neat to know about how our brains
process colour images but I don’t use this particular bit of info in my
everyday art making.
Art Newbies:
Maybe you are new to all of this art stuff and you don’t have a
clue what a complementary colour is. I am guessing you have heard of something
called a colour wheel or a colour circle. Colours are arranged around a wheel
based on their relationships with other colours. If you become familiar with
how colours are arranged around a colour wheel, then a complementary colour
will be easy to determine. It is the colour that is directly opposite any given
colour.
Referring back to our example above, the colour across from red
on the colour wheel is green. Therefore the complementary colour of red is
green. Easy peesy. If you would like to learn more, have a look at the art how-to
books in your local library or look up info on the colour wheel on-line.
I hasten to add
that you don’t need to know this to get started drawing or colouring! If you are a newbie, stay within your comfort
zone and don’t overload yourself with stuff you think you should know. Keep it
fun and simple. There will be a time for all of this stuff when you are ready.
Thanks for the interesting question Loni!
_______________________________________________________
Spring 2015 In-Studio Classes, Coloured Pencil Basics and Beyond
the Basics
Coloured Pencil Basics: May16th and 23rd, 2015
Is 2015 your year? Is
it time to seek out vast possibilities and to discover magic? Have you always
wanted to really dive in and explore the world of coloured pencils?
Maybe you are thinking
it would take a miracle for you to be the artist you dream of being. If so,
then you are in the right place because here at TMS, delicious alchemy happens.
You bring your doubts, your fears and your insecurities and I wave my magic
wand and poof, at the end of our time together, you are transformed into a
confident, pencil savvy diva. I have seen it happen over and over and over
again. Let me assure you, you are not the exception! J (okay the bit about
the magic wand is a bit of an exaggeration but you get the idea)
If you are ready to
ditch your fears and sharpen some pencils, I am offering Coloured Pencil Basics, a course consisting of
two full days on Saturday May 16th and 23rd, 2015.
This course is
jam packed with fun projects and tons of how-tos plus an incredible Bonus Package. You will go
from a total newbie to someone that can create this:
Plum Project, step by step, CP Basics, copyright Teresa
Mallen
You will also create your own version of this leaf. The
veins are super simple to do but you have to experience it to believe me... (line
drawings are included, plus full instructions and you also get a drawing of the
veins to ‘impress’)
Impressed line technique, leaf
project, CP Basics, copyright Teresa Mallen
We work on lots of
other stuff too!
Have I mentioned that
we have lots of fun?
To read all of the
details, please visit the classes page of my website, (click here to get there). Scroll down past the glowing testimonials
until you see Coloured Pencils Basics.
I have spent
quite a bit of time describing the course and the Bonus Package so please do
yourself a favour and make sure you take in all of the super helpful info.
You can register via
your credit card right from that page.
Need more help
deciding?
If have read the
course description and something inside of you is excitedly saying ‘yes’ and you
really want to hit the cart button but
you also have a few butterflies in your stomach, I get it. This is just a
message from that tiny part of you that still wonders if you can really do
this.
We can set up a time
for a quick get acquainted call. Together we can determine if this course is the
right fit for you. And you can get to know me. Studying with someone you
haven’t met can be intimidating but I can assure you, once we have chatted you
will know that I am not the least bit scary. J There will be
no pressure. Whether or not you register is entirely up to you. I simply want
to give you any info that will help you make the decision that you feel is
best.
_________________________________________________________
Beyond the Basics April 25th, May 2nd
2015
As the title suggests,
this content packed two day course is all about launching into more artsy info
that takes you beyond the basics of working in coloured pencil.
This course is perfect
for someone who has already taken my CP Basics course or someone that is self
taught and has been practicing on their own or someone who has studied with
someone else and who wishes to explore the world of coloured pencil further.
We will cover a lot in
this course but it won’t be overwhelming. I firmly believe that learning should
be fun and we will take it all at a manageable pace. We will spend quite a bit
of our time on learning how to see and create colour with greater mastery, we
will explore the rich world of working with complementary colours, we will
practice the different ways to create darker values and there will be fun bits
of info on colour harmony and composition.
I won’t write out all
of the course details because I have carefully described it all on my classes
page. You need to scroll down the page to the Beyond the Basics section. You
can register right from that page.
Please read the Need More Help
Deciding? section just up
above. The same applies for this course. If you would like to have a quick chat
about this course, please email to set up a time for the call. I would love to
hear from you.
_________________________________________________________
On-Line Course Bonus
By now you know that I
will be offering my first on-line course later this year. Perhaps you are
trying to decide between coming to in-studio classes or waiting and taking
something on-line.
The easy answer is
that you should do both. BUT you won’t have to shell out tons of
money for both.
As a thank you to everyone that has studied with me over
the past decade, I shall be offering my on-line course to former students at a
super duper special price.
The on-line course
will run over many weeks and as a result it will contain a lot more content. Please
don’t feel that you will miss out by taking the in-studio session.
You will have
the best of both worlds – you will be able to get started working with your
pencils this spring AND you can sign up at a crazy bonus price to get all of
the extra projects, on-line. I really do value and appreciate all the support I
have received over the years and I want to thank you.
So just to be clear, you won’t have to pay the full price
twice. It is not better to wait. It
is a much better deal money wise, to take the in-studio session and then add on
the on-line course when it becomes available.
__________________________________________________________
Finally, if you know of someone
that might be interested in these courses, please do them a favour and let them
know.
Spaces are very limited and
seats are filled on a first come first served basis.
I don’t plan on offering these classes again in 2015 so if
you are keen, please don’t miss out.
Have a great week everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment