How to Use the Color Dominance Theory for Oil Paintings
In no other medium is it more important to make specific decisions on color dominance than in oil painting. Oil paints are the most opaque, and because of this, controlling the dominance of each color is an essential skill in making effective oil paintings.
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Instructions
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Using Color Dominance
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Decide what elements of your painting need to stand out. Whether a landscape or a portrait, you need to decide before you start painting what part of your composition you want the viewer's eye to go to first. This area, known as the focal point, is where the majority of your color decisions will be made.
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Use your purest colors in your focal point. A pure color is one that has very little white or gray in it. An area heavily colored in red, for example, will draw the eye more effectively than an area colored with pink. Alter the colors in your painting slightly to make your focal point with as many pure colors as possible.
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Use warm colors to advance and cool colors to recede. Making a painting seem more lifelike and three-dimensional can be made easier by making objects in the foreground out of warm colors (reds, oranges and yellows) and objects farther in the background in cool colors (blues).
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Use color contrast to increase the dominance of your focal point. Areas of high contrast, or areas with a high variation of dark and light colors, attract the eye. Use areas where colors are closer together in darkness and lightness (also known as value) in less important areas.
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Tips & Warnings
Oil paints are very pure to begin with. Avoid mixing colors when trying to get color purity.
Avoid layering paints too thickly. Caked up paints can cause all of your colors to look the same, subverting any color dominance decisions you've made.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Palette with oil paints image by petercoupe from Fotolia.com
