BASIC Solid Forms

8/3/2019 BASIC Solid Forms

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BASIC INFORMATION ~ Creating Form

All Forms are Created From Five Basic Forms

There are only five basic forms from which all other forms are created. They are

the sphere, the cone, the cylinder, the cube, and the doughnut shaped torus.

Parts of these forms combine to create everything we see. Imagine a halfcylinder on top of a cube and you have the shape of a mailbox, a half sphere

and a cone make a teardrop form, a fir tree is a cone an oak is a half sphere.

The cylindrical coffee mug has a half torus handle.

Values Create Form

Each of these forms has distinctive light and dark value shapes that define

them. Spheres are recognized by crescents and ovals. Cones have triangular

light and dark value shapes. Cubes and flat surfaces are even blends. Cylinders

are stripes. The torus is crescents and stripes. Concave versions of these forms

have the same value shapes but without reflected light. (See

Shadows/Reflected light.) When you can paint these five forms you can paint all

other forms.

click on an image to enlarge

A SPHERE is defined by CRESCENTS AND OVALS. Sphere forms are painted

with crescent and curved brush strokes. (See Brushes)


CONES are defined by TRIANGULAR values of light and dark. Cones are

painted and blended using triangular brush strokes.



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CYLINDERS are defined by light and dark value STRIPES. Cylinders are

painted with parallel brush strokes.


CUBES and all FLAT surfaces are governed by the same rules. GRADUAL

EVEN BLENDS depict a receding flat surface. If there is a flat surface parallel to

your canvas, it may be painted with a single color or value. CUBES are various

receding flat surfaces. Each surface is a gradual blend. Cubes are painted with

parallel brush strokes.


TORUS value shapes combine aspects of two other basic forms. They take the

parallel STRIPES of a cylinder for the middle and the CRESCENTS of a sphere

for the ends. The torus is painted using crescent and curved brush strokes.


Here you can see that value shapes are stronger than contour lines for the

creation of form.

Lighting can be misleading in seeing forms, particularly flat surfaces. Try to see

the form first. Then see the lighting on it.

return to the topBASIC INFORMATION ~ Matching Colors

How Do You Match That Color?
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A rainbow gives us pure examples of the basic colors of the visible world. The

rainbow's colors are, in order, red-violet, red, red-orange, orange, yellow-

orange, yellow, yellow-green, green, blue-green, blue-violet and violet. Whenthis order of colors is formed into a circle we have the COLOR WHEEL. The

color wheel is an essential tool for matching colors.

The Color Wheel


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The wheel is arranged with yellow, the lightest value color at the top and violet,

the darkest value color at the bottom. From the top down on the right areyellow-orange, orange, red-orange, red, and red-violet. These are called the

warm colors. From the top down on the left are yellow-green, green, blue-green,

blue and blue-violet. These are called the cool colors.

Complementary Colors


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Any TWO colors directly across the color wheel from each other are called

COMPLEMENTARY COLORS. Red and green are opposite each other on the

color wheel and therefore are complementary to each other. Yellow and violet

are each other's complements. Yellow-green and red-violet are complements.

Complimentary colors when placed next to each other on the canvas intensify

each other. Complementary colors when mixed together on the paletteneutralize each other. In this chart the pure intense colors are on the outside

opposite their complements. As we move to the middle, the complements are

mixed together until they become gray, the least intense of all.

Color Values

All colors come in all values. The pure spectrum colors are in the position of

their relative values on this seven-value scale.

With These Things in Mind, This is How to Match Any Color


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We have only to answer these three questions to match any color we see.

1. WHAT COLOR IS IT FROM THE COLOR WHEEL? (Its spectrum color)

2. HOW INTENSE IS IT? (How much of its complement does it contain? More

complement means less intense.)

3. WHAT VALUE IS IT? How light or dark is it?

This is How it Works

The colors in order on the palette

Matching the Brown Leaf

The spectrum color is a red-red-violet. White is added to match the value.

Yellow-green, the complement of red-violet is added to reduce its intensity.


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Matching the Green Leaf

Green is the spectrum color. Cadmium green is the base color. It is a little to the

yellow side so its intensity is reduced using a red-violet (Quinacridone Rose).

Yellow-green and red-violet are complementary to each other. White is addedto match the value.

Matching the Silver Tape

Blue is the spectrum color. White is added to match the value.

Orange, the complement of blue is added and the color becomes gray.


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Matching the Colors of a Three Dimensional Object

In this case a bar of soap.

The middle value is first. The spectrum color is yellow-orange. A small amount

of its complement, blue-violet, is added to match the intensity plus a trace of

white.


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White is added to the middle value to create a light value. Blue-violet is added

to the middle value yellow-orange to create the object's shadow color.

The soap's colors are matched. A color's complement will usually make the

color's shadow value. For darker value shadows use the middle value color with


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less white. In some cases a color's compliment won't darken the color enough.

This is when you add black to get the value.

BASIC INFORMATION ~ Shadows

Shadows Create the LightShadows are divided into three categories. First is the shadow side of an object

known simply as a SHADOW. Then the CAST SHADOW which is the absence

of light caused by an object in its environment. Third is the PROXIMITY

SHADOW that is caused when objects touch or nearly touch.

The SHADOW side of an object is a darker less intense version of its middle

value color. (See Matching Colors) Direct light makes dark shadows. Diffusedlight makes indistinct shadows.

Reflected Light Within a Shadow

The light bouncing back from an object's environment is called REFLECTED

LIGHT. The COLOR of an object's surroundings is evident its reflected light.

See the green reflected light in the ball on the left. See the red reflecting in the

middle ball. The color of the environment is a part of all shadows.
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The VALUE of an object's environment is also apparent in its reflected light. The

first ball is free hanging. The second ball is reflecting a white surface. The third

ball reflects a black surface. The value of an object's environment is also part of

its shadow.

Cast Shadows

Cast shadows distinguish themselves from other darks by always being darkest

and most sharply focused near their source. Cast shadows are darker less

intense versions of the color they fall upon.

Colors in a Cast Shadow

The color of a cast shadow will always contain the complement of the color of

the light source, as well as the complement of the color the shadow falls upon.

See the blue in the cast shadow in orange light, the orange cast shadow in theblue light, the green cast shadow in the red light and the red-violet cast shadow

in the yellow-green light.

Cast Shadows Imply Form and Texture


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Cast shadows describe the environment of an object. On the left the wall is

defined by the cast shadow. On the right the cast shadow defines the hill.

The edges of the cast shadows define the textures of the surfaces they fall

upon. Grass on the left and dirt and gravel on the right.

Cast Shadows in Direct and Diffused Light

DIRECT LIGHT (on the left) is usually from a single light source like the sun or

a strong spot light. It is defined by high contrast and dark cast shadows.

DIFFUSED LIGHT (on the right) is usually from multiple light sources. It is

defined by low contrast and indistinct cast shadows.


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OBJECTS WITHIN A CAST SHADOW ARE ALWAYS IN DIFFUSED LIGHT

where they appear flatter and less textured.

Proximity Shadows

These are the dark shadows we see where objects touch each other. The dark

line around a closed door, the dark line beneath the coffee mug and the dark

line between your closed fingers are all PROXIMITY SHADOWS. They are

relatively unaffected by the direction of the light. These shadows within

shadows are often the darkest darks of a painting.


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The proximity shadow at the bottom of the cylinder on the left tells us that the

objects are separated. The cylinder on the right is connected to its base.

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BASIC Solid Forms

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