Please dear friend, bear in mind as we begin this look at the subject of drawing that my point of view throughout this book is largely centered on painting from life. Working from a photo is fundamentally different. Why? Because one of the many challenges in working from life is the transformation of a three dimensional image into two dimensions, which has, in a limited way, already been done for us in a photo. Unfortunately that same convenience carries with it the intrinsic limitations of photography (compared to the measureless range of human vision). In any case, whether you work from life or otherwise, you must be sharp and never drift into thinking drawing is a casual skill. Of course if you trace your pictures from a projected image, only some of what I have to offer here or elsewhere in this book will be of any relevance. 亲爱的朋友,请记住,在我们开始探讨绘画主题时,我在整本书中的观点主要集中在写生绘画上。从照片作画是根本不同的。为什么呢?因为在写生绘画中的许多挑战之一是将三维图像转化为二维图像,而这在照片中已经以有限的方式完成。不幸的是,同样的便利性也带来了摄影的固有局限性(与人类视觉的无限范围相比)。无论如何,无论您是从实物还是其他方式作画,您都必须保持敏锐,永远不要认为绘画是一种随意的技能。当然,如果您从投影图像中描绘图片,我在这本书中提供的部分内容或其他地方的内容将会有一定的相关性。
GENES DON'T HELP 基因无济于事
There is a popular notion that artists are artists because they are somehow born with a unique ability to draw. As we who draw as part of our life's work know, that is not true, but the impulse to draw is definitely within each of us in childhood. All kids from all cultures make scribbles and eventually images of a sort, but no soul arrives in this world endowed with the necessary skills to convincingly depict visual reality with a pencil or brush. I have never known of a painter who could do it without some structured training. That doesn't necessarily mean art school, because there are a few other ways these skills can be acquired. For example, if you were lucky as a youngster, and you had an obvious love of drawing, you might have had parents or teachers (as I did) who gave support or even early lessons. The Atelier system (studio apprentice) is another example. Every artist I have asked about their own early start in art tells more or less the same story of loving to make pictures and getting encouragement and help in doing it. Even the self-taught probably have a well-stocked library of how-to-do-it drawing books. 有一种流行的观念认为艺术家之所以成为艺术家,是因为他们天生具有独特的绘画能力。作为我们生活中绘画的一部分,我们知道这并不是真的,但绘画的冲动确实存在于我们每个人的童年时期。所有文化背景的孩子都会涂鸦,最终会画出各种图像,但没有一个灵魂天生具备用铅笔或画笔生动地描绘视觉现实所需的技能。我从未听说过有画家能够在没有经过一些结构化训练的情况下做到这一点。这并不一定意味着要上艺术学校,因为还有其他几种方式可以获得这些技能。例如,如果你在年幼时很幸运,并且热爱绘画,你可能有父母或老师(就像我一样)给予支持甚至早期的课程。工作室学徒制度是另一个例子。我询问过的每位艺术家关于他们自己在艺术上的早期起步几乎都讲述了相同的故事,即热爱绘画并得到鼓励和帮助。即使是自学的人可能也有一本丰富的绘画技巧书籍库。
DRAWING IN THE CONTEXT OF PAINTING (Please read this carefully.) 绘画背景下的素描(请仔细阅读。)
For most of us, the word "drawing" brings to mind an outline of something. This deeply ingrained assumption originates in childhood when we learned to use lines to make pictures. Yet in real life there are no lines around things. As beautiful as many line drawings are, they are only linear diagrams of what we see. Painting, on the other hand, the kind I am dealing with here, attempts to create a two dimensional depiction or visual replica of my world by using all of the visible treats of Mother Nature-her limitless colors, her range of brightness and darkness, and her ever-changing tapestry of multicolored forms. 对于我们大多数人来说,“绘画”这个词让我们想到的是某物的轮廓。这种根深蒂固的假设起源于童年,当我们学会用线条来画图时。然而在现实生活中,事物周围并没有线条。尽管许多线条画作品很美,但它们只是我们所看到的东西的线性图表。另一方面,我在这里讨论的绘画试图通过使用大自然所有可见的特征——她无限的颜色、明暗的范围以及不断变化的多彩形式的织物,来创造一个二维描绘或视觉复制品。
So, throughout this book when I use the word "drawing," I mean the size, shape, and arrangement of all the patches of color which collectively make things look the way they do (and which also constitute a painting). When I render those patches the right size, the right shape, and fit them together with their distinctive edges and colors, my painting will look like my subject. If I fail to do that, it will not. It will look different. 因此,在本书中,当我使用“绘画”一词时,我指的是所有颜色块的大小、形状和排列方式,这些颜色块共同使事物看起来如何(也构成一幅画)。当我将这些颜色块渲染成正确的大小、正确的形状,并将它们与其独特的边缘和颜色组合在一起时,我的绘画将看起来像我的主题。如果我未能做到这一点,它将不会。它会看起来不同。
WHY DRAWING IS SO IMPORTANT 为什么绘画如此重要
Sound drawing is the skill which allows all of the other visual elements to come together and form a true-to-life image. Why? Because colors, values, and edges are meaningless shapes by themselves. They are like the letters of the alphabet or individual musical notes in a scale - mere sounds or little black marks on a page until they are rationally arranged and joined just so. Only then do they make sense and thus facilitate instant recognition and convey meaning. Skillful drawing is just like that. It is the ability to see those shapes (notes and letters) in a landscape or a child's face and replicate them as a painting. 声音绘画是一种技能,它使所有其他视觉元素能够汇聚在一起,形成一个栩栩如生的形象。为什么?因为颜色、价值和边缘本身是毫无意义的形状。它们就像字母表中的字母或音阶中的单个音符 - 只是页面上的简单声音或小黑点,直到它们被合理地排列和连接在一起。只有这样,它们才有意义,从而促进即时识别并传达含义。熟练的绘画就是这样。它是能够看到风景或孩子的脸上的这些形状(音符和字母),并将它们复制成一幅画的能力。
WHAT IT TAKES 需要什么
Although drawing from life is a skill that must be learned, it isn't like learning to swim or ride a bicycle. Once you get the knack of it, you can't just relax and let it happen all by itself. It takes constant practice and the resolute dedication of a bird dog. Why? Because it is not a physical skill, or simply a body of information like English grammar or arithmetic. Drawing is a mental discipline - a state of mind requiring heightened perception, observational skill, and analytic ability. You might say it is perpetual learning, because it deals with continual variables rather than the repetition of memorized data or images. I always have the fond hope that someday it will get easier, but it never does. Sound drawing always demands great care right down to the last dab in my painting. 尽管素描是一项必须学习的技能,但它并不像学游泳或骑自行车那样。一旦掌握窍门,你不能只是放松下来,让事情自然发生。这需要持续的练习和坚定的奉献精神。为什么呢?因为这不是一项身体技能,也不仅仅是像英语语法或算术那样的信息体系。素描是一种精神修养 - 一种需要高度感知、观察技巧和分析能力的心态。你可以说它是永恒的学习,因为它涉及持续变量而不是记忆数据或图像的重复。我总是怀着美好的希望,希望有一天会变得更容易,但事实并非如此。精准的素描始终要求极大的细心,直到我画作的最后一笔。
Interestingly, children under ten years or so are not the least concerned when their art doesn't look the way things do to grown-ups. This is because when little kids draw they are not trying to replicate nature (they couldn't anyway). They are simply telling a story. Adult drawing should not be forced upon them at an early age, because certain motor skills and mental developments should be allowed to happen at each child's individual pace first. 有趣的是,十岁以下的孩子在画画时并不关心作品看起来是否符合成年人的看法。这是因为小孩画画时并不试图复制自然(他们也做不到)。他们只是在讲述一个故事。不应该在孩子很小的时候强迫他们学成年人的画画,因为某些运动技能和心理发展应该首先允许以每个孩子独特的步调发展。
I LIKE LINES TOO 我也喜欢线条
I do not mean to dismiss line drawing as being in any way inferior to painting. By itself it is a separate and beautiful art form with endless expressive power. My point is this: from here on I use the word drawing to mean the character, the dimensions, and the relationships of elements in a direct painting from life, not necessarily to the art of linear representation. All forms of art have their strengths and limitations. One is not better than another, but each does certain things better than another. 我并不是要贬低线描绘,认为它在任何方面都逊色于绘画。线描本身是一种独立而美丽的艺术形式,具有无穷的表现力。我的观点是:从现在开始,我使用“线描”一词来指代直接从生活中绘制的绘画的特征、尺寸和元素之间的关系,而不一定是线性表现的艺术。所有形式的艺术都有其优势和局限性。没有一种比另一种更好,但每种都比另一种更擅长某些事情。
Having said all of the above, I must hasten to say line drawings are universally used (and often indispensable) in various early and middle stages of paintings as temporary guides in all media. Please refer back to pages 69 and 73 for examples. 说了以上所有内容,我必须赶快说,线描在各种绘画的早期和中期阶段普遍被使用(并且常常是必不可少的),作为所有媒介中的临时指导。请参考第 69 页和第 73 页的示例。
WHY DOES DRAWING SEEM HARD? 为什么画画看起来那么困难?
It shouldn't. After all, at its core most drawing is simply measuring and seeing the relationships among shapes. As it applies to direct painting from life, it comes down to little more than figuring out the width and height of color shapes and then fitting them together one at a time (assuming you have already determined what shape is to be measured). Still, certain things about drawing remain very difficult for nearly everyone. 它不应该。毕竟,在其核心,大多数绘画只是测量和观察形状之间的关系。就直接从生活中绘画而言,它归结为不过是弄清楚颜色形状的宽度和高度,然后逐一将它们拼合在一起(假设您已经确定了要测量的形状)。尽管如此,关于绘画的某些事情对几乎每个人来说仍然非常困难。
I find it odd when I think about it because drawing is the only aspect of the images we work with which deals with a measurable and definable aspect of the visible world. The other three elements: colors, value, and edges, are relative qualities with generous room for interpretation. By contrast, drawing is about specific dimensions. If a nose or other feature in your painting is "out of drawing," it is either: 当我考虑到这一点时,我觉得很奇怪,因为绘画是我们处理的图像中唯一涉及可衡量和可定义的可见世界方面。另外三个元素:颜色、价值和边缘,是相对的品质,有很大的解释空间。相比之下,绘画是关于具体的尺寸。如果你绘画中的鼻子或其他特征“绘制不准确”,要么是:
TOO BIG. 太大。
TOO SMALL. 太小。
THE WRONG SHAPE. 错误的形状。
IT DOESN'T FIT CORRECTLY WITH THE OTHER FEATURES. 它与其他特征不相符。
All of the above are measurable qualities which can be verified with a ruler or calipers. Therefore, you would think good drawing could be nailed down exactly, or it is almost mathematical, but as we all know it doesn't quite work out that way. Theoretically at least, all things visible in this universe, including many invisible things (empty space, for example) can be measured with precision when they are reduced to two dimensions on a flat canvas. Well, not quite everything. Fog and mist, blazing fires, flying birds, explosions, squirmy little children, rain, crashing waves, and other such things are a bit hard to pin down. On the other hand, houses, mountains, grown-up people who sit still, and potted plants, all have very definite sizes and shapes which present us with measurable dimensions-but even then we still miss the mark! 以上所有都是可用尺子或卡钳验证的可测量品质。因此,你可能会认为好的绘画可以被准确地确定下来,或者几乎是数学的,但众所周知,事实并非完全如此。至少在理论上,这个宇宙中所有可见的事物,包括许多看不见的事物(比如空间),当它们被缩减到平面画布上的二维时,都可以被精确测量。嗯,并非所有事物都是如此。雾和薄雾、熊熊燃烧的火焰、飞翔的鸟儿、爆炸、蠕动的小孩、雨、翻滚的海浪以及其他类似的事物都有点难以捉摸。另一方面,房屋、山脉、静坐的成年人和盆栽植物都有非常明确的尺寸和形状,呈现出可测量的维度-但即便如此,我们仍然偏离了目标!
GIRL IN A WHITE DRESS 白色连衣裙的女孩
oil on canvas, 帆布油画,
Careful drawing need not result in "tight" or excessively detailed work. On the contrary. As this little painting shows, drawing well gives me the freedom to play with interesting brushwork as much as I please. Control through fine drawing is the key. 细致的绘画不一定会导致“紧绷”或过分详细的作品。相反。正如这幅小画所示,良好的绘画让我有自由发挥有趣的笔触,尽情地玩耍。通过精细的绘画控制是关键。
"Looseness," as I am very fond of pointing out, should be the way a painting LOOKS, not how it is accomplished. “松散”,正如我喜欢强调的那样,应该是一幅画看起来的方式,而不是完成的方式。
Many of the loosely painted bravura works from the great period of painting in the 19th century were done with slow and deliberate brushstrokes. 19 世纪绘画的伟大时期许多宽松绘制的壮丽作品都是通过缓慢而审慎的笔触完成的。
Masters such as Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones (before her illness), John Singer Sargent, Cecilia Beaux, Anders Zorn, Joaquín Sorolla, William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri, and the man called "the Master of Swish," Giovanni Boldini, and others, were professionals who planned and thought carefully before touching a canvas with paint. 伊丽莎白·斯帕霍克-琼斯(在她生病之前)、约翰·辛格·萨金特、塞西莉亚·博、安德斯·宗恩、瓦金·索罗拉、威廉·梅里特·查斯、罗伯特·亨利,以及被称为“风格大师”的乔瓦尼·博尔迪尼等大师,都是那些在动手涂抹画布之前认真策划和思考的专业人士。
Unlike super-tight realism, which tends to downplay a painterly look, the dashing style of bravura painting combines the resplendent qualities of paint itself with the experienced discipline of controlled application. 与超紧密的写实主义不同,它倾向于淡化画家的外观,勇猛绘画的风格结合了油漆本身的辉煌品质和经验丰富的受控应用纪律。
The American illustrator Haddon Sundblom, who mastered Zorn's free flowing style, would sometimes plan his brushstrokes for an illustration by drawing each one beforehand with a light blue pencil outline, like a paint-by-number picture. Sundblom was famous worldwide for his depictions of Santa Claus in Christmas ads for Coca-Cola. Practices like his were not unusual in the commercial art business, where a client paid for an artist's recognized style. 美国插画家哈登·桑德布隆精通宗恩的自由流畅风格,有时会用浅蓝色铅笔轮廓提前绘制每一笔描绘,就像按数字绘画一样。桑德布隆以为可口可乐的圣诞广告中的圣诞老人形象而闻名于世。像他这样的做法在商业艺术界并不罕见,客户为艺术家的公认风格付费。
THE PROBLEM 问题
If almost every shape can be measured, why is drawing so tricky? Why can some people see that their picture is "out of drawing," but cannot see where the mistakes are? Why are others not even aware their drawing is wrong - that it does not even remotely resemble their subject? 如果几乎每种形状都可以被测量,为什么绘画会如此棘手?为什么有些人能够看出他们的画“画得不对”,却看不出错误在哪里?为什么有些人甚至没有意识到他们的画是错误的 - 它甚至与他们的主题完全不相似?
To begin with, I don't have to construct my face in the mirror each morning the way I do a portrait. My face is already there-complete and quite handsome too-and I simply recognize myself (backwards, no less). I do not have to scan myself analytically as I would a subject to be painted. In my usual early morning stupor I am not conscious of my specific facial relationships and dimensions - the things I must figure out from scratch when I do a portrait. 首先,我不必每天早晨在镜子前构建我的脸,就像我画肖像那样。我的脸已经在那里-完整而相当英俊-我只是认出了自己(甚至是倒过来)。我不必像画一幅主题那样对自己进行分析扫描。在我通常的清晨昏迷中,我并没有意识到我的具体面部关系和尺寸-这些是我在画肖像时必须从头开始弄清楚的事情。
The very last thing on this earth I could possibly imagine doing before I've had my first cup of coffee in the morning, would be to measure my eyes and nose and ears! (It's hard enough just keeping my eyes open.) Later of course, I must make similar measurements as a routine part of my job as a painter. In a portrait, for example, it is the effort of determining those exact measurements and alignments that is often so taxing. 在早晨喝第一杯咖啡之前,我能想到的最后一件事就是测量我的眼睛、鼻子和耳朵!(保持眼睛睁开已经够难了。)当然,稍后作为画家工作的例行程序,我必须进行类似的测量。例如,在肖像画中,确定这些精确的测量和对齐通常是如此费力的一部分。
One reason it is sometimes hard for me to grasp those measurements, and then make them fit together just so, is that I must measure the shapes of color which make up my sitter's features rather than the features themselves. To make matters even more interesting, those shapes change with the light and angle of view. The same holds true for any subject. Landscapes and still lifes are just different arrays of large, small, and medium-sized colored forms. Most of them are abstract shapes. Sometimes though they will be geometric, resembling squares, rectangles, triangles, and so on. 有时让我难以理解这些测量的原因,然后让它们完美契合在一起的是,我必须测量构成模特特征的颜色形状,而不是特征本身。更有趣的是,这些形状会随着光线和视角的变化而改变。对于任何主题都是如此。风景和静物只是大、小和中等大小彩色形状的不同排列。其中大部分是抽象形状。有时候它们会是几何形状,如正方形、长方形、三角形等。
Each time I begin a painting, I am dealing with a fresh set of configurations to untangle. As if all of that were not enough, many of the shapes I see are so hazy, figuring out where each stops and another begins (how they blend) can often seem impossible. (My childhood coloring books seemed so much easier.) 每次我开始一幅画时,我都要处理一组全新的配置来解开。仿佛这一切还不够,我看到的许多形状都很模糊,弄清楚每一个停止的地方和另一个开始的地方(它们如何混合)常常似乎是不可能的。(我的童年涂色书看起来简单多了。)
It isn't impossible though. The way in which shapes join together to form a realistic image is a fascinating subject, and it can be mastered like anything else. It is called the study of EDGES, and I discuss them at considerable length in Chapter Six. Try the following if you want to see nature create and blend forms. Go out late on a hot summer afternoon to a meadow, or a park if you live in the city, with a blanket or reclining folding chair, and watch the clouds. Try to pick a day when billowy cumulonimbus (storm) clouds are forming and notice how shapes appear and then change and blend into one another to make larger sweeping forms. Such clouds are not only lessons in abstract shapes, they also demonstrate the full range and interaction of edges. 这并非不可能。形状如何相互连接以形成逼真的图像是一个迷人的主题,它可以像其他任何事物一样被掌握。这被称为边缘的研究,在第六章中我会详细讨论它们。如果你想看到大自然创造和融合形式,请尝试以下方法。在一个炎热的夏日下午晚些时候,去草地上,或者如果你住在城市,去公园,带上毯子或躺椅,观察云彩。尽量选择一个积雨云(暴风雨)云朵形成的日子,注意形状如何出现,然后改变并融合在一起形成更大的扫描形式。这样的云不仅是抽象形状的教训,它们还展示了边缘的全部范围和互动。
THE EARLY ROOTS OF HOW WE LEARN TO SEE 我们学会看的早期根源
Very little in our early learning and development prepares us for the task of critical observation as we paint. Knowledge is wonderful, but the way in which we are taught can make the job of painting a bit more taxing because of what we must unlearn. Whether we are self-taught or receive formal instruction, the most common direction of teaching is from the parts to the whole, rather than a holistic way from the onset. We learn about basic forms such as cubes, cylinders, cones, spheres, human form, foregrounds, backgrounds, perspective, and so on. As useful as those things are, all such studies are simply ways to sort out the visual world into easily understood parts. It isn't until we get into serious painting that we are forced to finally deal with the more sophisticated challenge of depicting the fully intact whole of what we see before us. 我们早期的学习和发展中很少有东西能为我们绘画中的批判性观察任务做好准备。知识是美好的,但我们接受教育的方式可能会使绘画工作变得更加费力,因为我们必须放下的东西太多。无论是自学还是接受正规指导,教学的最常见方向都是从部分到整体,而不是从一开始就以整体的方式。我们学习基本形式,如立方体、圆柱体、圆锥体、球体、人体形态、前景、背景、透视等。尽管这些内容很有用,但所有这些研究只是将视觉世界整理成易于理解的部分的方法。直到我们认真绘画时,我们才被迫最终面对更复杂的挑战,即描绘我们眼前所见的完整整体。
I hasten to say, the blizzard of information we take in as children (the socialization process) is all very necessary if we are to survive and function in society. Perhaps the parts-to-the-whole teaching is a necessary step for a young mind. In infancy we rely heavily upon our sense of touch and sight to explain the world around us. At the same time we acquire language and are taught the names of the many thousands of things we must know about. Thus begins the process of categorizing our curious new world instead of understanding it as an all-embracing totality. 我急于说,我们作为儿童接受的信息暴风雪(社会化过程)是非常必要的,如果我们要在社会中生存和发挥作用。也许,从部分到整体的教学是年幼心灵的必要步骤。在婴儿期,我们严重依赖触觉和视觉来解释我们周围的世界。与此同时,我们学会语言,并被教导我们必须了解的成千上万事物的名称。因此,开始了对我们这个充满好奇的新世界进行分类而不是理解它作为一个包罗万象的整体的过程。
At a certain point in middle childhood, when we begin to draw recognizable things, we further separate them from "empty" space and delineate them as outlines. Later, in art school, this preoccupation with form expressed as an outline is further reinforced as we learn to model the outline drawing with shading-further isolating objects in space and disregarding any relationship to their surroundings. 在中期童年的某个时候,当我们开始画出可识别的事物时,我们进一步将它们与“空白”空间分开,并将它们勾勒出轮廓。后来,在艺术学校,对形式的这种关注表现为轮廓进一步得到强化,因为我们学会用阴影来描绘轮廓,进一步将物体孤立在空间中,并忽略与周围环境的任何关系。
It is analogous to taking apart my computer to understand how it works - a sensible idea for learning what is inside-but when the bits and pieces are spread about, they do not look like the computer because they have ceased to be a singular functioning device. It is only after I have examined the parts, then reassembled them and turned it on, that I can understand the wholeness of the machine. 这就好比拆开我的电脑来了解它的工作原理——这是一个理智的学习方法,可以了解内部结构——但当零件散落时,它们看起来不像电脑,因为它们已经不再是一个单一的工作设备。只有在我检查了这些部件,重新组装并打开电脑后,我才能理解整个机器的完整性。
Our task then when we paint is to restore the original complex web that was so carefully taken apart. To do that convincingly we must deal with the actual information reaching our retinas - and that is what drawing , as it applies to painting. 我们绘画时的任务是恢复那个被精心拆解的原始复杂网络。为了真实可信地做到这一点,我们必须处理抵达我们视网膜的实际信息 - 这就是绘画所涉及的绘图 。
THE VISUAL FIELD AS PAINT 视觉领域作为绘画
What we are literally seeing when our eyes are open (and there is light), is a two-dimensional panorama of the world immediately before us, plus a bit of peripheral vision. Two slightly different inverted images spaced about two and one half inches apart (yes, I measured it) are received by our retinas. Those images zoom through our optic nerves to our brain and are processed there, giving us a three-dimensional-right-side-up version of the world-and we do it all at nearly the speed of light. What a trick! Learning to draw seems like child's play by comparison (but it isn't). 当我们睁开眼睛(并且有光线)时,我们实际看到的是我们眼前世界的二维全景,以及一点点的周围视野。两个略有不同的倒置图像相距约两英寸半(是的,我测量过),被我们的视网膜接收。这些图像通过我们的视神经迅速传送到大脑,在那里被处理,为我们呈现出一个立体正立的世界版本,而我们几乎以光速完成这一切。多么神奇的技巧!相比之下,学习绘画看起来就像小孩的游戏(但实际上并非如此)。
Normally, as we gaze out across a scene we automatically separate objects in our field of vision from the space around them; then we organize the whole scene in terms of what things are - their sizes, shapes, local colors, and distances. The sky is big and empty, the barn is nearer and red and not so big, the cows are tiny and far away and have black spots, and so on. This is how we are able to make sense of the blizzard of light fragments striking our eyes. We recognize and identify patterns we are familiar with, and we give them names and colors and shapes. Then we put all of them together and call it a farm under a summer sky. Seeing the world this way is a marvelous thing indeed, a triumph of evolution, vital to our survival, and great to have when driving on the Los Angeles freeways, but a bit of a hindrance in painting from life. 通常,当我们凝视着一个场景时,我们会自动将视野中的物体与周围的空间分开;然后我们根据事物的大小、形状、局部颜色和距离来组织整个场景。天空辽阔而空旷,谷仓更近,是红色的而且不是很大,牛很小很远,有黑色斑点,等等。这样我们才能理解眼睛中光碎片的风暴。我们识别和辨认我们熟悉的模式,并给它们命名、颜色和形状。然后我们把它们全部放在一起,称之为夏日天空下的农场。以这种方式看世界确实是一件了不起的事情,是进化的胜利,对我们的生存至关重要,在洛杉矶高速公路上驾驶时也很有用,但在写生绘画时却有点妨碍。
When we paint, we must transform our three-dimensional experience into two dimensions so we can put it on our twodimensional canvas. This means we must view what we are seeing as an arrangement of shapes on a vertical plane, not an assortment of items separated from one another in space. It is embarrassingly similar, at least in principle, to what we see in jigsaw puzzles, outdoor billboard painting, and paint-by-number kits. (There is indeed a tiny grain of truth in the weary old joke: The secret of a successful painting is covering up all the numbers). 当我们绘画时,我们必须将我们的三维体验转化为二维,这样我们才能将它放在我们的二维画布上。这意味着我们必须将我们所看到的东西视为垂直平面上的形状排列,而不是空间中相互分离的物品组合。至少在原则上,这与我们在拼图、户外广告绘画和按数字涂色套件中看到的情况非常相似,这有点尴尬。(至少在一个成功绘画的秘诀中确实有一点点真理:掩盖所有数字)。
To get serious again, let me show you an example on the opposite page. The sky in my landscape painting does not continue behind the trees as it does in real life. The "sky" in this case is simply a color shape which stops at the edges of other color shapes (the tree branches), then reappears as a similar color shape at the opposite edge of the paint shapes of the branches. The enlarged images, Detail B and Detail C, show this clearly. 严肃起来,让我在对面的页面上给你展示一个例子。我的风景画中的天空并不像现实生活中那样延续到树木的后面。在这种情况下,“天空”只是一个颜色形状,它在其他颜色形状的边缘(树枝)停止,然后重新出现在画枝条的相反边缘作为类似的颜色形状。放大的图像,细节 B 和细节 C,清楚地展示了这一点。
It may sound simplistic to mention something so obvious, but in practice it is not so easy to summon up enough cool objectivity to see something as evocative as the sweetly poignant look in a child's eyes as merely an assembly of flat patches of color. It goes contrary to the emotional logic of our experience. Moreover, it is not easy to identify shapes when they have indistinct edges and blend often imperceptibly into adjacent shapes. Nevertheless, this is what must be done, because painting the innocence in a child's expression is impossible, but painting the pattern of color shapes which constitute her expression is definitely possible. 可能听起来很简单,提到如此明显的事情,但实际上要召集足够冷静客观的态度来看待一个孩子眼中那种甜蜜而令人感伤的表情,却并非易事。这违背了我们情感经验的逻辑。此外,当形状边缘模糊不清,常常与相邻形状融为一体时,要识别形状也并非易事。然而,这正是必须做的,因为描绘一个孩子表情中的纯真是不可能的,但描绘构成她表情的色彩形状图案却是完全可能的。
BRATTLEBORO BARNYARD oil on canvas, , Detail A BRATTLEBORO BARNYARD 油彩画布, ,细节 A
Detail B 细节 B
Detail C 细节 C
I find men easier to paint compared to women and children, especially men who have beards, rugged features, and angularity of facial bone structure. Such things are not only easy to grasp (and therefore easy to get right), but they also lend themselves to bold brushstrokes, which are always nice. 我发现相对于女性和儿童,男性更容易绘画,尤其是那些有胡须、粗犷特征和面部骨骼角度的男性。这些特征不仅容易把握(因此容易做到准确),而且适合大胆的笔触,这总是令人愉悦的。
The other thing about beards and hats is that they hide some of the hard parts. In painting a head, for example, I have always found the line of the jaw, the mouth, and the chin to be the most demanding anatomical features. Eyes, noses, and ears are no problem for me because they have so many easy-to-see shapes. Also, there is no movement in the nose or ears, and not much in the eyes themselves. Eyes merely open or close, or look left or right, up or down. It is the eyebrows that have greater mobility and signal expression. 关于胡须和帽子的另一件事是它们隐藏了一些难画的部分。例如,在画头部时,我总是觉得下巴的线条、嘴巴和下巴是最具挑战性的解剖特征。眼睛、鼻子和耳朵对我来说不是问题,因为它们有很多容易看到的形状。此外,鼻子或耳朵没有太多的运动,眼睛本身也没有太多。眼睛只是睁开或闭上,或向左或向右、向上或向下看。眉毛具有更大的活动性和表达信号。
Contrary to popular belief, it is the mouth, not the eyes, that conveys the majority of facial expression, which is why the slightest error in painting a mouth can cause my result to look ridiculous. 与普遍看法相反,面部表情的大部分传达是通过嘴巴而不是眼睛完成的,这就是为什么在绘画嘴巴时即使是最细微的错误也可能导致我的作品看起来荒谬可笑。
The jaw and chin are tricky because their forms are so subtle and smooth. Also the jaw can change dramatically with age or weight gain. A beard and mustache or both can neatly veil all of these sensitive areas. 下巴和下巴是棘手的,因为它们的形态是如此微妙和平滑。此外,下巴的形状会随着年龄或体重增加而发生巨大变化。胡须和胡须或两者都可以巧妙地遮盖所有这些敏感区域。
Another great benefit of a bewhiskered face is that it provides tempting opportunities for interesting edges. 另一个留着胡须的好处是,它为有趣的边缘提供了诱人的机会。
Note also in this head study that there are two distinct light sources - a warm one on the model's left, and a cool one on his right. 请注意这个头部研究中有两个明显的光源 - 一个温暖的在模特的左边,一个凉爽的在他的右边。
This picture remains in my personal collection because I have always regarded it as one of the most rewarding portraits I have ever done. It was a three hour study painted at the Palette & Chisel Academy in the 1980s. 这幅画一直留在我的个人收藏中,因为我一直把它视为我所做过的最有价值的肖像画之一。这是上世纪 80 年代在 Palette & Chisel Academy 进行的一个为期三小时的写生。
It is hard for me to imagine any other choice but to paint those color fragments and just let go of what I know about what they are. The only question I need to address as I paint is how to see the shapes before me as accurately as I can, and then fit them together properly. It took lots of practice under Bill Mosby's patient guidance, but now I see them. Most of the time I am able to paint the shapes correctly because I have disciplined myself to do them one at a time very carefully. Nearly seventy years of experience helps too. 很难想象我还有其他选择,只能绘制那些色彩碎片,然后放下我对它们的认识。在绘画时,我需要解决的唯一问题是如何尽可能准确地看到眼前的形状,然后将它们正确地拼合在一起。在比尔·莫斯比(Bill Mosby)耐心的指导下进行了大量练习,现在我看到了它们。大多数时候,我能够正确地绘制这些形状,因为我已经训练自己非常仔细地一次做好一件事。将近七十年的经验也有所帮助。
MEASURING AND COMPARING TO GET IT RIGHT 测量和比较以确保准确
After my block-in is complete and I'm ready for the meticulous no-nonsense phase of my creation, I take a deep breath and look carefully at the place on my subject I have decided to deal with first. I make the determination by asking myself what I wish to capture above all else. In other words I ask what is it I want to see happen first on my canvas so I know I'm on the right track. Only then can I ease back a bit and start to enjoy the process. The answer of course is easy because I decided what it would be the first moment I decided to paint my subject. 在我完成了画作的初步构图并准备进入细致严谨的创作阶段后,我深吸一口气,仔细观察我决定首先处理的主题部位。我通过问自己最想捕捉的是什么来做出决定。换句话说,我问自己在画布上最想看到的是什么,这样我就知道自己走在正确的道路上。只有在那之后,我才能稍微放松一下并开始享受创作的过程。当然,答案很明显,因为我在决定绘制主题的第一刻就已经确定了。
Zeroing in then on my target, I carefully measure the first thing I put down on my canvas, and then measure it again to make sure it is precisely correct, because it is the building block of all else to come. Then I measure the next shape and compare it to the first one. Next comes the third shape and I check it against the first two. The fourth is then placed and measured against the first three. I keep doing that over and over and over until I have the cow under the summer sky or whatever. It's a bit like laying bricks, except each "brick" (brushstroke) is unique, and instead of just ending up with a wall, I could end up with a great world-shaking, fabulously valuable, masterpiece of art! 将目标锁定在我的画布上,我仔细测量我放在画布上的第一件事物,然后再次测量以确保它是准确无误的,因为它是所有其他事物的基石。然后我测量下一个形状并将其与第一个形状进行比较。接着是第三个形状,我将其与前两个进行对比。第四个形状随后被放置并与前三个进行测量。我一遍又一遍地重复这个过程,直到我在夏日天空下画出了牛或其他什么东西。这有点像砌砖,只不过每个“砖块”(笔触)都是独一无二的,而且我不仅仅是要建造一堵墙,我可能会创作出一个震撼世界、价值连城的艺术杰作!
For me this way of working is very important, because as the brushwork progresses, so does a reassuring and very necessary momentum of confidence. I know it may seem rather tedious, and it certainly doesn't have the flair of the usual swashbuckling sketching associated with starting a painting, but what it lacks in swagger it makes up for in superb control. It does away with most of the usual laborious correcting and repainting, and that appeals to me. I think it is a waste of valuable painting time to spend rectifying what could have been done right in the first place. 对我来说,这种工作方式非常重要,因为随着笔触的进行,一种令人放心且非常必要的信心动力也在增强。我知道这可能看起来相当乏味,它确实没有通常与开始绘画相关的豪迈速写的风采,但它在出色的控制方面弥补了这一点。它省去了大部分通常费时的修改和重绘,这一点吸引了我。我认为把时间浪费在纠正本来就可以一开始就做对的事情上是对宝贵的绘画时间的浪费。
Q. How do I get my first shape right?
A. I choose one that is easy to identify so I can't miss. Q. Which shapes are easy to see? Q. Which ones are obvious?
A. The obvious ones.
A. Shapes having a clear geometry. 问:如何确保第一个形状正确?答:我选择一个容易识别的,这样我就不会错过。问:哪些形状容易看到?哪些是显而易见的?答:显而易见的。答:具有明确几何形状的形状。
By clear geometry I mean squares, circles, ovals, rectangles, triangles, anything with straight lines and clean edges, etc. I try to use shapes which also have strong values and/or colors. (It's the reason why they are obvious.) Usually I go first for a shape that is well defined, something pure white or black, or a highly saturated primary or secondary color. Those qualities are easy to see, which means my chances for getting them right are pretty good. 通过清晰的几何形状,我指的是正方形、圆形、椭圆形、矩形、三角形,任何有直线和清晰边缘的形状等。我尝试使用具有强烈价值和/或颜色的形状。 (这就是它们显而易见的原因。)通常我首先选择一个定义明确的形状,纯白色或黑色,或者高饱和度的主色或辅助色。这些特质很容易看到,这意味着我正确把握它们的机会相当不错。
In the past I have tried many things to get my judgments right. In my student days I would sometimes go up to the model with a ruler (if there is no other way) and physically measure the shape I needed. Of course it only worked when I was painting lifesize, and even then was not very reliable. Why? Because very few things in a subject can be measured and still correspond to what I see from where I stand when I'm painting. The models did not like it either, especially the figure models. Today, several more or less geometrical methods of drawing resurrected from the Italian Renaissance and other periods are being taught. Some are quite interesting, but none meet the full requirements of painting from life in one session (Alla Prima). In the end nothing beats having a well trained eye and mind. 过去,我尝试过许多方法来正确判断。在我还是学生的时候,有时我会拿着尺子走到模特身边(如果没有其他办法),亲自测量我需要的形状。当然,这只有在我绘制真人大小的作品时才有效,即便如此,也并不十分可靠。为什么呢?因为在一个主题中很少有东西可以被测量,而且仍然与我站在绘画时所看到的东西相对应。模特们也不喜欢这样,尤其是人体模特。如今,一些更或多或少从意大利文艺复兴和其他时期复苏的几何绘画方法正在被教授。有些方法相当有趣,但没有一种能完全满足在一个会话中(Alla Prima)从真实生活中绘画的全部要求。最终,没有什么比拥有一双训练有素的眼睛和头脑更重要。
THE REFERENCE POINT 参考点
The "trick" in measuring shapes and intervals is to select a typical shape, feature, or object in or on a subject as a unit of measure rather than relying entirely on memorized average proportions (although such things should be learned as well, as they can be very useful), or using inches or metrics. I find it much easier to select a single feature in my subject and paint it the size I want it to be (let's call it my reference point), and then measure everything else according to it. 测量形状和间隔的“诀窍”是选择主体中的典型形状、特征或物体作为测量单位,而不是完全依赖记忆的平均比例(尽管这些也应该学习,因为它们非常有用),或使用英寸或公制。我发现选择主体中的一个特征,并将其绘制为我想要的尺寸(我们称之为参考点)要容易得多,然后根据它来测量其他所有东西。
In doing a head, for example, I use the width of an eye, or the distance between corners of the mouth, or the width of the nose, as units of measure - in a full face pose, a sitter's proportions might be five eyes wide at the cheekbones, and seven eyes high from chin to hairline, and so on. In figure painting it is universal to describe a model as so many heads high, rather than sixty-six inches high. Horses are commonly described as so many hands high (human hands, that is, horses have no hands). My driver's license says I'm six foot one inch tall, but in a painting I would be about eight heads high. Although Nancy is much shorter than I, she is almost seven and a half heads high because her head is smaller than mine. Everything follows proportionally from the item I choose as my unit of measurement for the particular painting I am working on. In painting people, life size is the easiest because it is the size of the face you are most familiar with, the one you see in your mirror each day. 在绘制头部时,例如,我使用眼睛的宽度,或者嘴角之间的距离,或者鼻子的宽度作为测量单位 - 在正面姿势中,坐姿者的比例可能在颧骨处宽五只眼睛,在下巴到发际线处高七只眼睛,依此类推。在人物绘画中,通常会将模特描述为多少个头高,而不是六十六英寸高。马通常被描述为多少个手高(人的手,因为马没有手)。我的驾驶执照上写着我身高六英尺一英寸,但在一幅画中,我大约会高八个头。尽管南希比我矮得多,但她几乎有七个半头高,因为她的头比我的小。一切都按比例从我选择的特定绘画单位的项目中进行测量。在绘画人物时,真人大小是最容易的,因为它是你最熟悉的脸的大小,是你每天在镜子中看到的那个。
Smaller features, whether it's trees or structures in a landscape or bellybuttons on tummies, all have clear points of beginning and end, which make them easy to estimate and use for measuring. Because they are also short increments, you are more likely to get them correct than if you use a longer unit of measurement. It is always easier to judge the distance between someone's eyes than between their ears. Try it in a mirror and you'll see what I mean. 较小的特征,无论是风景中的树木或建筑物,还是腹部的肚脐,都有明确的起点和终点,这使它们易于估计并用于测量。由于它们也是较短的增量,您更有可能正确地测量它们,而不是使用较长的计量单位。判断某人眼睛之间的距离总是比判断他们耳朵之间的距离更容易。在镜子中试一试,你就会明白我的意思。
CAUTION: CURVES 注意:曲线
The outlines of contours present problems for many artists, particularly in figure or portrait painting. Here are some things to think about: Most curves are rarely as "curvy" as they first appear. Inexperienced artists usually exaggerate them. For example, an overly rounded cheekbone is one of the most common drawing mistakes in painting a head or indicating anatomy on a figure. Another frequent error is drawing the skull or outline of the head as a single unbroken curve (it isn't). The way to get around curves (pardon the pun) is to think of every curve as a series of straight lines which simply change direction. If you paint them with that in mind, they will be stronger, more interesting, and far more accurate than a single nondescript curve. 轮廓线对许多艺术家来说是一个问题,特别是在人物或肖像画中。以下是一些需要考虑的事项:大多数曲线很少像它们最初看起来那样“弯曲”。经验不足的艺术家通常会夸大它们。例如,过分圆润的颧骨是绘制头部或在人物上指示解剖结构时最常见的绘画错误之一。另一个常见的错误是将头骨或头部轮廓绘制为单个不间断的曲线(实际上并非如此)。避免曲线的方法是将每条曲线视为一系列简单改变方向的直线。如果你以此为出发点进行绘制,它们将比单一的不明确曲线更加坚实、有趣,也更加准确。
Finding the key drawing points in a subject and then fitting the pieces together is not particularly difficult, but it does call for patience and discipline. It's like laying bricks plumb and level-very repetitious, but very demanding of concentration. Using the front view of a head again as an example: An imaginary line drawn straight down from the inside corner of the eye will usually just touch the wing of the nostril. A similar line dropped down from the center of the eye could locate the corner of the mouth. Using my measuring units then (the width of an eye, shall we say), I only have to judge the distance down those lines to place the nose and mouth in correct relationship to the eyes. Likewise, imaginary horizontal lines drawn from the nose and eye corners will tell me exactly where the ears are. 在一个主题中找到关键的绘图要点,然后将这些要点拼凑在一起并不特别困难,但需要耐心和纪律。这就像垂直和水平地铺砖一样-非常重复,但需要高度集中注意力。再以头部的正面视图为例:从眼睛内角直接向下画一条虚拟直线通常会刚好触及鼻孔的翼。从眼睛中心向下垂直画一条类似的线可以定位嘴角。然后使用我的测量单位(比如说一个眼睛的宽度),我只需要判断这些线向下的距离,就可以正确地将鼻子和嘴巴放置在与眼睛的正确关系中。同样,从鼻子和眼角画出的虚拟水平线会准确告诉我耳朵的位置。
Unfortunately, problems do arise when a model moves. Live human beings enjoy breathing; they also like to blink, yawn, talk, stretch, shift position, and everything else when they pose. I can't sit still for more than a few minutes, so I'm amazed and grateful when others are willing to endure modeling. Most people are able to hold a pose well enough for my style of working because I always expect them to move somewhat. Even professional models are subject to the natural involuntary muscle adjustments a human body makes after long periods of holding one position. I am also very nice to my subjects. I like them bright, alert, comfortable, relaxed, and interested in what is happening. I think it is unnatural to stay in a fixed position, so I encourage my models to take breaks or move whenever they wish. I pose them so they will feel natural-my only requirement is they be able to return to their position if they drift off or take a break. 不幸的是,当模特移动时会出现问题。活生生的人喜欢呼吸;他们也喜欢眨眼、打哈欠、说话、伸展、换姿势,以及摆出姿势时的一切动作。我自己坐不住超过几分钟,所以当别人愿意忍受模特表演时,我感到惊讶和感激。大多数人能够保持足够长时间的姿势,适合我的工作风格,因为我总是预计他们会有些移动。即使是专业模特也会受到自然而然的肌肉调整的影响,这是人体在保持一个姿势很长时间后会做出的。我对我的模特也非常友善。我希望他们精神饱满、警觉、舒适、放松,并对发生的事情感兴趣。我认为保持固定姿势是不自然的,所以我鼓励我的模特随时休息或移动。我让他们摆出自然的姿势,我唯一的要求是如果他们走神或休息,他们要能够回到原来的姿势。
oil on panel, 油彩画板,
To accommodate their inevitable movement, I rely upon very thinly drawn contour and center lines placed during my block-in to guide me (like the latitude and longitude lines on a globe). You are probably familiar with drawing books with pictures of the head as an egg with a line down the front and back (dividing an imagined face in two lengthwise). Another line is drawn down and around the sides for the ears, and then several horizontal lines circumscribing the egg at the level of eyebrows, eyes, bottom of the nose, and center of the lips. I find contour lines such as those useful, and once I place them I do not change them until I complete the head, and the lines are covered with finished painting. However, before I reach that point, they remain as a constant guide and as a reference when I bring a subject back into correct position. You can see how important it is then to have the first thing right, and how it, in turn, generates other correct elements. 为了适应它们不可避免的移动,我依赖于在我的初步画板上放置的非常细的轮廓线和中心线来指导我(就像地球仪上的纬度和经度线)。你可能熟悉那些有关头部画法的书籍,头部被描绘成一个鸡蛋形状,前后各有一条线(将想象中的脸纵向分成两半)。另一条线画在两侧并环绕耳朵,然后在眉毛、眼睛、鼻子底部和嘴唇中心的水平线上画几条线勾勒出鸡蛋的轮廓。我发现这些轮廓线很有用,一旦我放置它们,我就不会在完成头部之前改变它们,这些线条会被完成的绘画覆盖。然而,在我达到那一点之前,它们仍然是一个恒定的指导,并且在我将一个主题带回正确位置时作为参考。你可以看到第一步是多么重要,以及它如何产生其他正确的元素。
IT ISN'T ALL DRUDGERY 这并不全是苦差事
I realize what I have just described sounds more like high school geometry than the sensitive act of creation, but I don't see any way around it. I must measure things because drawing has always been very hard for me. I do not have a special gift that allows me to do it naturally. Of course, measuring for competent drawing in itself isn't Art any more than scales and chords alone are Music. However, like those things, sound drawing for me is a technical requisite which must be present before my kind of Art can happen. Besides, there is no reason why a brushstroke can't be done with giddy passion and still be the right length and color! I love throwing paint around as much as anyone, and the last thing I want to do is take the fun out of painting. 我意识到我刚描述的听起来更像是高中几何而不是创作的敏感行为,但我看不出其他办法。我必须测量事物,因为对我来说画画一直很困难。我没有特殊的天赋让我能够自然地做到这一点。当然,单单为了胜任的绘画本身并不是艺术,就像单单音阶和和弦并不能构成音乐一样。然而,对我来说,准确的绘画是一种技术要求,必须在我这种艺术发生之前存在。此外,毫无理由认为一笔一划不能充满狂喜的激情,同时又是正确的长度和颜色!我喜欢随意挥洒颜料,就像任何人一样,我最不想做的事情就是让绘画失去乐趣。
The good news is, measuring by itself, even measuring the vague fuzzy shapes, gets easier with practice. The hard part is getting into the habit of doing it for every shape you paint. That takes real effort, but once you acquire it, you will experience a remarkable release, a sense of both freedom and control, the stuff of real power. Nothing will seem impossible when you realize you can draw well-all you have to do is get into the swing of measuring very carefully all the time. It is a state of high awareness, and it will let your brush dance in the same way virtuoso bowing technique makes a violin sing. 好消息是,即使是测量模糊的模糊形状,单独测量本身随着实践变得更容易。困难的部分是养成为每个你绘制的形状都这样做的习惯。这需要真正的努力,但一旦你掌握了它,你将体验到一种显著的释放,一种自由和控制的感觉,这是真正力量的要素。当你意识到你可以画得很好时,没有什么是不可能的-你所要做的就是始终小心地进行测量。这是一种高度警觉的状态,它将让你的画笔像大师的弓弦技术让小提琴歌唱一样舞动。
You can make it easier if you keep doing the simple, obvious things first. In this way you are likely to get them right, and they will help you to make the proper judgments about the more elusive shapes and colors. Resist the urge to do the hard parts first. (Those blurry grays and ambiguous shapes with lost edges.) For a while there back in my intense youth, I had it all backwards! I thought exactly the opposite-that I should get the hard stuff out of the way so I could relax and enjoy the easy things. Sounds familiar doesn't it? (Rather like dessert after the main course-a little reward after the serious nourishing part.) 如果你首先做简单明显的事情,会让事情变得更容易。这样你很可能会做对它们,并且它们会帮助你对更难捉摸的形状和颜色做出正确的判断。抵制先做困难部分的冲动。(那些模糊的灰色和边缘不清晰的模糊形状。)在我年少轻狂的时候,有一段时间我把一切都搞反了!我认为应该先解决困难的事情,这样我就可以放松享受简单的事情。听起来很熟悉,对吧?(有点像主菜后的甜点-在严肃滋养的部分之后的小小奖励。)
It took a few years of experience away from school, on my own out in the real world, before it dawned on me to use the easy things to get the hard things - to use what is easily known to find what is unknown - the same beautiful idea that works so well in logic and mathematics. This idea should work for you too. Select something easy to see in your subject - a straight line, a bright color, any large value mass, something you can't miss-and paint it first! You are bound to get those things right, and you will be on track immediately. Painting from one correct thing to another gives you a powerful control over the process. 在离开学校几年,独自在现实世界中经历之后,我才意识到利用简单的事物来解决困难的事情 - 利用已知的事物来发现未知的事物 - 这个美妙的想法在逻辑和数学中运作得如此出色。这个想法对你也适用。在你的主题中选择一些容易看到的东西 - 一条直线,一个鲜艳的颜色,任何大量值,一些你不会错过的东西 - 并首先将其绘制出来!你肯定会做对这些事情,你会立即上轨道。从一个正确的事物绘制到另一个正确的事物,让你对整个过程有强大的控制。
With correct things on your canvas, mistakes show up clearly because they stick out conspicuously amid the accurate work. You can easily see then where to make corrections, and the "right" stuff already in your picture will tell you how to fix them. Without correct work on your canvas, you can never determine if what you are putting down is right or wrong because there is nothing accurately painted to compare it to. The momentum of this kind of painting is a remarkable experience, and it is within the reach of anyone with the patience to always be very, very careful, and measure everything twice. 在你的画布上放置正确的东西,错误会清晰地显现出来,因为它们在准确的作品中显得格外突出。你可以很容易地看到需要进行修正的地方,而画中已经存在的“正确”元素会告诉你如何修正它们。如果画布上没有正确的作品,你就无法确定你所绘制的是对还是错,因为没有准确的绘制内容可供比较。这种绘画的动力是一种非凡的体验,任何有耐心时刻保持非常、非常仔细并且一切都要量好的人都可以做到。
ZORRO oil on canvas, ZORRO 油彩画,
Zorro began as a series of idle pencil sketches from life. He is an old cat now, set in his ways and pretty much focused on his meals and general comfort. He has no religion, politics, hobbies, money, opinions, or philosophy of life. He used to like the usual cat stuff such as stalking birds and squirrels, but aside from an occasional elderly or lame mouse, his lack of successes has drained his interest. 佐罗最初只是一系列生活中的随意铅笔素描。他现在是一只老猫,固执己见,主要关注自己的饭食和舒适。他没有宗教、政治、爱好、金钱、观点或人生哲学。他过去喜欢普通猫咪的事情,比如追逐鸟类和松鼠,但除了偶尔追到一只老弱的老鼠外,他的失败让他失去了兴趣。
Ninety percent of this painting was done as a transparent rendering as described on page 88 of the painting MAVOURNEEN. Zorro himself and the cushions behind him are almost the only completely opaque parts of the work. The transparent areas owe much of their authentic fabric look to the fact that I was able to bring out the linen texture of my canvas by applying my colors darkly, and then rubbing away the excess paint. 这幅画的 90%是按照《MAVOURNEEN》画册第 88 页描述的透明渲染完成的。左罗本人和他身后的垫子几乎是作品中唯一完全不透明的部分。透明区域之所以看起来像真实的织物,很大程度上归功于我能够通过深色涂抹颜料,然后擦掉多余的油漆来展现画布的亚麻质地。
GREENWICH VILLAGE oil on canvas, th Ave. and 8th St., Manhattan, 2010 格林尼治村 布面油画, 大道和第 8 街,曼哈顿,2010 年
For this painting I was obviously not standing in the middle of the right-hand lane of 6th Avenue in Manhattan's Greenwich Village with taxi cabs and huge trucks missing me by inches as I calmly focused on the problems of perspective. In fact, I dashed gingerly and very quickly in between platoons of racing vehicles to snap a digital shot or two. Fortunately, I have set up many times to paint various locations in Greenwich Village from life so I was more than familiar with the characteristics of my favorite part of the city. 对于这幅画,显然我并不是站在曼哈顿格林威治村第六大道右车道的中间,出租车和巨型卡车在几英寸之外擦肩而过,我却平静地专注于透视问题。事实上,我小心翼翼地迅速穿过一队队飞驰的车辆,拍下了一两张数码照片。幸运的是,我曾多次在格林威治村的各个地点现场作画,所以我对我最喜爱的城市部分的特点非常熟悉。
Here the main concern in drawing is the perspective aspect of the scene. As Nancy invariably points out to me, perspective may be pure geometry, but it can also be Art. She is right of course, especially in an area of the city as old as Manhattan. There are the usual perspective requisites here-the horizon line (at a level just above the roofs of the cars), and the main vanishing point for 6th Avenue (located in the most distant traffic lights, to the left of the black car). Along with these necessities, I made slight but deliberate deviations from the horizontal and vertical lines to give this sketch the authentic look of seasoned maturity I was aiming at. 在这里,绘画的主要关注点是场景的透视方面。正如南希总是向我指出的那样,透视可能是纯几何,但它也可以是艺术。她当然是对的,尤其是在曼哈顿这样一个古老的城市区域。这里有通常的透视要素-地平线(位于汽车车顶正上方的水平线),以及第六大道的主消失点(位于最远处的交通灯,在黑色汽车的左侧)。除了这些必要性,我还故意对水平和垂直线进行了轻微但有意的偏离,以使这幅草图看起来更具有我所追求的经验丰富的成熟感。
If I had created and followed geometrically perfect perspective lines, the painting would have looked like any other boring architectural rendering. Smooth streets and straight sidewalks make for easy driving and walking, but it is the street bumps and patches, and cracks in sidewalks that make them interesting, and speak of the life of the city. I always like my painting to extend the viewer's gaze beyond what is on my canvas to that which is not, but which nevertheless is the overwhelming fact about any city-its people. 如果我创造并遵循几何完美的透视线,这幅画看起来就会像任何其他乏味的建筑渲染一样。平滑的街道和笔直的人行道方便驾驶和步行,但是街道上的颠簸、补丁和人行道上的裂缝才使它们变得有趣,并反映了城市的生活。我总是希望我的画作能够延伸观者的目光,超越我的画布所呈现的内容,去观察那些并非画出来却是关于任何城市的压倒性事实的东西——城市的人们。
THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING 绘画的要素
So far, most of what I have been describing in this chapter has been about developing an ability to see the visible world in a certain way so it may be understood and painted convincingly. There are several other standard components of drawing I need to briefly mention here. 到目前为止,在本章中我描述的大部分内容都是关于培养以某种方式看待可见世界的能力,以便能够理解并逼真地绘画出来。还有几个绘画的标准组成部分我需要在这里简要提一下。
Usually referred to as The Elements of Drawing (including Human Anatomy and figure drawing), they are ordinarily taught as fundamental subjects in traditional (serious) art school and in an increasing number of private classes. I can't explore the various elements in detail here because they are fairly deep studies in themselves, requiring more attention and space than I can provide in this volume. There are, however, some excellent books available which explore the subjects far better than I can here. I do make mention of some of my favorites in the paragraphs below. All of the books related to my comments in the following paragraphs are listed in the Recommend Reading section at the end of this book, and all are well-worn references in my personal library. I hope they will be part of yours too. 通常被称为《素描要素》(包括人体解剖和人物素描),它们通常作为传统(严肃)艺术学校和越来越多的私人课程中的基础科目来教授。我无法在这里详细探讨各种要素,因为它们本身是相当深入的研究,需要比我在本书中提供的更多关注和空间。然而,有一些优秀的书籍可以更好地探讨这些主题,远胜于我在这里所能做到的。在下面的段落中,我提到了一些我喜欢的书籍。在本书末尾的推荐阅读部分列出了与我评论相关的所有书籍,它们都是我个人图书馆中备受翻阅的参考书。希望它们也能成为你的一部分。
HUMAN FORM AND ANATOMY 人体形态与解剖
As I pointed out in Chapter Two, experienced artists who paint the human figure know how valuable it is to understand what the curves and bumps on a model are, and how much such information helps in their work. From a practical standpoint, reliance on a good "eye" alone is clearly not enough when painting people, especially if they have trouble staying in position, or for some reason you have to make changes. A basic understanding of human anatomy and typical proportions is therefore crucial to both nude figure painting and when the subject is fully clothed. 正如我在第二章中指出的那样,有经验的绘画人物的艺术家知道理解模特身上的曲线和凸起是多么宝贵,以及这些信息在他们的工作中有多么有帮助。从实际角度来看,仅仅依靠良好的“眼力”显然不足以绘画人物,特别是如果他们难以保持姿势,或者由于某种原因你不得不进行更改。因此,对人体解剖学和典型比例的基本理解对于裸体人物绘画和主题穿着全套衣服时都至关重要。
In the latter case it is essential to know basic human form and proportions if your rendering of clothing is to be convincing. Along those same lines, it is also a very good idea to have an understanding of the Laws of Folds to make sure you are doing madam's expensive designer dress correctly. My constant companion in life class back in the late 1950s was my copy of the Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist by Stephen Rogers Peck. I mention it here because Peck's book, with his many superb interpretive drawings, plus the figure drawing sections in the Famous Artists Course, which I studied zealously as a teenager, formed the foundation of my understanding when I worked from a live model at the Academy. 在后一种情况下,如果您希望您绘制的服装看起来令人信服,那么了解基本的人体形态和比例是至关重要的。沿着同样的思路,了解褶皱的规律也是一个非常好的主意,以确保您正确地绘制女士昂贵的设计师服装。在 20 世纪 50 年代末的生活课堂中,我的不断伴侣是史蒂芬·罗杰斯·佩克(Stephen Rogers Peck)的《艺术家人体解剖图谱》。我在这里提到它,因为佩克的书,以及他众多出色的解释性绘画,再加上我作为青少年刻苦学习的《著名艺术家课程》中的人物素描部分,构成了我在学院从真人模特身上工作时的理解基础。
PERSPECTIVE 透视
I'll say it again: there is no good substitute for sound drawing when working from life. There are, however, items of knowledge which will complement your efforts the same way a basic knowledge of anatomy works with figure painting. For the artist who does landscapes, interiors, or still life with geometrically shaped objects, basic perspective is a must. There are two kinds of perspective: Linear perspective and Aerial perspective. Both deal with how things change appearance with distance and point of view. Linear perspective is about how they change shape. Aerial perspective explains the color and value changes caused by atmospheric conditions in a landscape as distance from a viewer increases (I deal with this in Chapter Seven on Color). 我再说一遍:在现场作画时,没有比扎实的素描更好的替代品。然而,有些知识可以辅助你的努力,就像对人体解剖的基本了解对人物画作品有帮助一样。对于从事风景、室内或静物绘画的艺术家来说,基本透视是必不可少的。透视有两种类型:线性透视和大气透视。两者都涉及事物随着距离和视角的变化而产生的外观变化。线性透视是关于事物如何改变形状的。大气透视解释了景观中由于距观者距离增加而引起的大气条件造成的颜色和价值变化(我在第七章关于色彩中讨论了这个问题)。
GENERAL ASPECTS OF DRAWING 绘画的一般方面
There are other components in drawing which are just good common sense requisites: Basic Forms (natural and man made), Balance, Unity, Clarity, Simplification, Managing detail, Emphasis, the Design of empty space (often called negative space), and Anomalies and Oddities. This last item will help you spot weird clouds shaped like Donald Duck, or posing a model so it looks like a tree branch is going into one of her ears and out the other. All of the items above are explored and explained in the chapters ahead. They are also covered in many of the books listed in the Recommended Reading section in this book. 在绘画中还有其他组成部分,这些只是良好常识的必备条件:基本形式(自然和人造)、平衡、统一、清晰、简化、处理细节、重点、空白空间的设计(通常称为负空间)以及异常和奇特之处。最后一项将帮助您发现奇怪的云朵形状像唐老鸭,或者摆姿势使模特看起来像一根树枝从一只耳朵进入另一只耳朵。以上所有项目将在接下来的章节中进行探讨和解释。它们也在本书的推荐阅读部分列出的许多书籍中有所涵盖。
PROPORTIONS 比例
Knowing proportions is of course indispensable when painting or drawing anything other than life size. However, it is just as important when working at exactly life size. For example: 当绘制或绘画非实际尺寸的任何物体时,了解比例当然是必不可少的。然而,当以实际尺寸工作时,同样重要。例如:
Do you know how big your hand is compared to your foot, or your face? 你知道你的手相对于你的脚或脸有多大吗?
Do you know the midpoint on your body? 你知道你身体的中点在哪里吗?
Did you know your elbows are on a line with your bellybutton? 你知道你的肘部与肚脐在同一条线上吗?
How tall are you compared to your front door? 你和你家门相比有多高?
How high is your car compared to you? 你的车比你高多少?
How long is your little finger compared to your thumb? 你的小指和拇指相比有多长?
I'm sure you get the point-it is knowing basic proportions and training yourself to see them in whatever you look at, is a great shortcut, not just in painting people, but with all else too. It means you don't have to figure everything out from scratch each time you set out to do a picture. 我相信你明白要点——了解基本比例并训练自己在看到任何事物时都能看到它们,这是一个很好的捷径,不仅适用于绘画人物,也适用于其他所有事物。这意味着你不必每次开始画画时都从头开始推敲一切。
ALIGNMENT 对齐
This is the other big item to add to your skills. It is not a lot of do's and don'ts to memorize. Rather it is simply a discipline or habit which helps you to make very sure everything that needs to be lined up properly is indeed lined up. For example, let's say you're doing a portrait. The sitter is a pretty lady clutching a yappy Chihuahua. Both are facing you straight on. It just won't do to have her nose (the lady's) lined up one way, and her mouth and eyes in two other different ways. You must have, as they say, all your ducks in a row (or milady's nose). Fortunately, I can blame my age and poor eyesight when I mess up. 这是另一个需要添加到你技能中的重要项目。这并不是要记住很多要做和不要做的事情。相反,这只是一种纪律或习惯,帮助你确保所有需要正确对齐的东西确实被正确对齐。例如,假设你正在画一幅肖像。坐着的是一个抱着一只吵闹的吉娃娃的漂亮女士。两者都直面着你。如果她的鼻子(女士的)朝向一边,而她的嘴和眼睛朝向另外两个不同的方向,那就不行。你必须像他们说的那样,让所有事情井然有序(或者说是女士的鼻子)。幸运的是,当我搞砸时,我可以归咎于我的年龄和视力不好。
They say point of view is everything. Well, almost everything, and that includes the following nifty items: Two other requisites for me in checking for drawing accuracy are stepping back constantly to see my entire canvas and my subject together, and using a mirror to see everything in reverse. See page 144 for much more on the importance of these habits. 他们说观点至关重要。嗯,几乎是一切,这包括以下巧妙的项目:在检查绘画准确性时,对我来说另外两个必备条件是不断后退,看整个画布和主题一起,以及使用镜子看到所有事物的反面。更多关于这些习惯的重要性,请参阅第 144 页。
There is one ever true gem of advice regarding drawing I wish to close this chapter with. It is best expressed in the story of a young man of twenty-two years from Kansas who aspired to be a musician. One day he made a very big decision, and so with violin case in hand, traveled to New York to seek out the great teachers. Arriving in the Big Apple, however, he found himself hopelessly lost in midtown Manhattan. Fearless lad that he was, he approached an elderly man he reckoned was a real New Yorker and politely asked, "Sir, can you please tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?" 有一条关于绘画的至理名言,我希望用它来结束这一章节。最好通过堪萨斯州一个 22 岁年轻人的故事来表达。他渴望成为一名音乐家。有一天,他做出了一个非常重要的决定,于是带着小提琴盒前往纽约寻找伟大的老师。然而,当他抵达大苹果时,发现自己在曼哈顿中城迷失了方向。他是一个无畏的年轻人,他走向一个他认为是地道纽约人的老人,礼貌地问道:“先生,请问怎样才能到卡内基音乐厅?”
_Without batting an eye, the old guy said, "Practice son, practice!" 老人毫不犹豫地说道:“练习,孩子,练习!”
SUMMING UP DRAWING 总结素描
Drawing well has always been essential to humanity. Every material thing mankind makes, from underwear and socks, and cell phones, to the great Pyramids, and space stations, require pictures of those things before they can become real. Drawing is a lot like speaking or writing. Unless we are impaired, most of us can acquire language, but nothing we say will matter if we do not speak or write so others can understand. 画得好一直对人类至关重要。人类制造的每件物品,从内衣和袜子,手机,到金字塔和空间站,都需要在它们变得真实之前有这些东西的图片。画画很像说话或写作。除非我们受到损伤,大多数人都可以学会语言,但如果我们不说话或写作让别人理解,我们说的话就毫无意义。
Though the impulse to draw is natural and universal, the skill of drawing expertly is not a divine endowment or inherited. It must be learned, even if it means self-teaching. It helps a great deal if you love to draw. 尽管绘画的冲动是自然和普遍的,但精湛绘画技巧并非神赐或天赋。它必须学习,即使这意味着自学。如果你喜欢绘画,那将大有裨益。
When I use the word "drawing" in the context of painting, I mean the size, shape, and arrangement of all the patches of color which collectively make things look the way they do (and which also constitute a painting). When I render those patches the right size, the right shape, and fit them together with their distinctive edges and colors, my painting will look like my subject. If I fail to do that, it will look different. 当我在绘画的语境中使用“绘画”一词时,我指的是所有颜色块的大小、形状和排列方式,这些颜色块共同使事物看起来如此(也构成一幅画)。当我按照正确的大小、正确的形状呈现这些颜色块,并将它们与其独特的边缘和颜色组合在一起时,我的绘画将看起来像我的主题。如果我未能做到这一点,它将看起来不同。
Drawing is a mental discipline - a state of mind requiring heightened visual perception, observational skill, and analytic ability. (I know you have those for the things you enjoy.) You might say drawing is perpetual learning, because it deals with continual variables rather than a body of memorized data like law or medicine or chemistry. 绘画是一种精神修养 - 一种需要提高视觉感知、观察技巧和分析能力的心境。(我知道你对喜欢的事物具备这些能力。)你可以说绘画是永恒的学习,因为它处理的是持续变量,而不是像法律、医学或化学那样的记忆数据体。
No matter how good or experienced you get, you must practice drawing regularly to sustain and perfect it, the same way serious musicians must do. 无论你变得多么优秀或有经验,你都必须定期练习绘画以保持并完善它,就像认真的音乐家必须做的那样。
When it comes to working from life, there is nothing theoretical about drawing. It really comes down to little more than figuring out the width and height of color shapes, and then fitting them together one at a time, but it's never quite the same from one time to the next. 谈到从生活中工作时,绘画并非理论性的。它实际上只不过是弄清楚色块的宽度和高度,然后一次又一次地将它们拼凑在一起,但每一次都不完全相同。
How do I get my shapes right? I choose one which is easy to identify, one I can use as a yardstick, so to speak, to compare others to so I can't miss. 我如何确保我的形状正确?我选择一个容易识别的形状,一个可以作为标准的形状,这样我就可以拿来与其他形状进行比较,以便不会出错。
Which shapes are easy to identify? The obvious ones. Which ones are obvious? Shapes that have a clear geometry. By clear geometry I mean squares, rectangles, triangles, anything with straight lines or clean edges such as circles or ovals. 哪些形状容易识别?显而易见的那些。哪些是显而易见的?具有明确几何形状的形状。所谓明确的几何形状是指正方形、长方形、三角形,或者任何具有直线或清晰边缘的形状,比如圆形或椭圆形。
A "trick" in measuring shapes and intervals is to select a typical shape, feature, or object in or on a subject as a unit of measure. In doing a head, for example, I use the width of an eye, or the distance between corners of the mouth, or the width of the nose, as my units. A common unit is the head, for example, the average person is between and heads high. 在测量形状和间距时的“技巧”是选择主体内或上的典型形状、特征或物体作为测量单位。例如,在画头部时,我会以眼睛的宽度、嘴角之间的距离或鼻子的宽度作为单位。一个常见的单位是头部,例如,普通人的身高约为 到 个头高。
Try not to exaggerate curves. Show them as a series of straight lines which change direction at points along the curve. It looks stronger that way. 尽量不要夸大曲线。将它们展示为一系列在曲线上的点处改变方向的直线。这样看起来更有力量。
Pick up some of the books on drawing listed in the Recommend Reading section. Learn basic anatomy and figure drawing. Get into a life class if you can. Study the simple principles of perspective; available in many books and on the Internet. 挑选推荐阅读部分列出的一些绘画书籍。学习基本解剖学和人物素描。如果可能的话,参加人体写生课程。学习简单的透视原理;这些原理可以在许多书籍和互联网上找到。
Study drawings and paintings of the Masters you really like, and figure out why you like them. Don't "like" a work just because some art expert with a degree says you should. 研究你真正喜欢的大师的素描和绘画作品,并弄清楚你为什么喜欢它们。不要仅仅因为某位拥有学位的艺术专家说你应该喜欢某件作品而去“喜欢”它。
Step back as much as possible as you work so you can see your picture and subject together. You will then be able to make judgments about accuracy which can (and usually do) go unnoticed when working close to your painting. 尽量后退一些,这样你就能看到画面和主题在一起。然后你就能够对准确性做出判断,这些判断在靠近画作时往往会被忽视。
Practice-Practice-Practice! 练习-练习-练习!
CHAPTER FIVE-VALUES 第五章-价值观
WHAT ARE VALUES? 价值观是什么?
The term Values refers to the range of lightness and darkness within a subject. It also refers to the light and dark tones from white to black in a painting. Titanium White pigment is as light as we can attain in a picture; Ivory Black or its equivalent mixture is the darkest. 价值这个术语指的是主题中的明暗范围。它还指的是绘画中从白色到黑色的明暗色调。钛白颜料是我们在画中能达到的最浅的颜色;象牙黑或其等效混合物是最暗的。
I work with a traditional Flemish value scale for my paintings. It is a grouping of nine tones from pure white to black. The first four values are considered the light values. The last four are the dark values. The one in the middle is the middle-tone. (What else?) This division of the scale into nine increments is practical because more than that seems cumbersome, and less is not quite enough. Value scales for printers, decorators, and industrial use (such as the Munsell color system), use a much greater number of values, but the progressive value differences within them are so slight it usually requires technical aids to detect them. In any case, no matter how many slices are created, the range is still from white to black. 我在绘画中使用传统的佛兰芒价值尺度。它是由纯白到黑色的九个色调组成。前四个色调被视为浅色调。后四个是暗色调。中间的那个是中间色调。(还有什么?)将这个尺度分成九个增量是实用的,因为超过这个数量会显得笨重,而少于这个数量则不够。用于印刷、装饰和工业用途(如蒙赛尔色彩系统)的价值尺度使用更多的色调,但它们之间的渐进价值差异如此微小,通常需要技术辅助才能检测到。无论如何,无论划分多少个部分,范围仍然是从白色到黑色。
Please note: I use the words tone or tones, or sometimes halftones interchangeably with the word values throughout this text as in: the values in the sky are lighter tones than the trees, but the leaves are halftones. Also, I often refer to very light and very dark values as the light and dark accents (of any color) in a painting. 请注意:在本文中,我将“色调”或“色调”,有时与“值”互换使用,例如:天空中的值比树木中的值更轻,但树叶是半色调。此外,我经常将非常浅和非常深的值称为绘画中的浅色和深色重点(任何颜色)。
Below is my version of the traditional value scale in nine segments. I also include a scale with eighteen values because it is probably closer to the actual number of tones in an average full-value painting when blending of color shapes is taken into account. 以下是我对传统价值刻度的九段版本。我还包括一个包含十八个值的刻度,因为这可能更接近实际色调数量,考虑到颜色形状的混合在一幅完整价值的绘画中。
THE FOUR LIGHT VALUES 四个光值
MIDDLE-TONE 中音
THE FOUR DARK VALUES 四个暗色值
THE TRADE-OFF 权衡
Compared to the many values in nature our nine aren't much, but they are all we have to work with, so we must use them thoughtfully. (I discuss the Conservation of Values in detail a little further along in this chapter.) Because we have only a few values to work with compared to the vast range of possible color mixtures, we must often settle for capturing the effect of light rather than drive ourselves bonkers trying to capture mother nature's actual blinding sunlight or stygian blackness. 与自然界中众多的价值相比,我们的九个价值并不多,但它们是我们唯一能够利用的,因此我们必须谨慎使用它们。(我将在本章稍后详细讨论价值的保护。)由于与可能的广泛色彩混合相比,我们只有少数几个价值可供使用,因此我们经常只能捕捉光线的效果,而不是让自己为了捕捉大自然实际的刺眼阳光或黑暗无底的深渊而发狂。
My teacher straightened me out early on about values with jokes about how one day while Van Gogh was out landscape painting he got angry because he couldn't paint the sun as bright as it was. So he cut off his ear (yuck!) and then shot himself in the head out of sheer frustration. The tale wasn't exactly true, but it certainly got my attention. I like having both of my ears. 我的老师早早就用关于价值观的笑话纠正了我,比如有一天梵高在户外写生时,因为画不出太阳的明亮而生气。于是他割掉了自己的耳朵(呸!),然后出于极度沮丧的原因开枪自杀。这个故事并不完全属实,但确实引起了我的注意。我喜欢保留我的两只耳朵。
CONTRAST 对比
Contrast is the difference in lightness and darkness among things. Without it we might as well be blind. Contrast is the main light condition which permits us to see. If there were no such thing as contrast, the world would be as invisible to us as a white rabbit in fresh snow. Whether it's writing your name or painting a picture, it is the only way I know of to depict anything on a two dimensional surface. The degree of contrast within a painting determines how intense or faint the portrayal of light will be. Other influences of light on visibility involve (to a lesser degree) color family and light temperature. See Chapter Seven on Color and Light.) 对比是事物之间明暗的差异。没有对比,我们可能就像盲人一样。对比是让我们看清事物的主要光线条件。如果没有对比这回事,世界对我们来说就像白兔在新雪中一样看不见。无论是写你的名字还是绘画,这是我知道的在二维表面上描绘任何事物的唯一方法。画作中的对比程度决定了光线描绘的强烈程度或淡薄程度。光线对能见度的其他影响包括(程度较小的)颜色系列和光线温度。请参阅第七章关于色彩和光线。
OUR SUN, THE SOURCE OF EVERYTHING (Including us.) 我们的太阳,一切的源泉(包括我们在内)。
Prior to the 19th century we rarely see paintings even come close to depicting sunlight successfully. All of that ended in the early 1800s when painters left the subdued light of their studios in droves to work out of doors and seriously explore sunlight. Before the century ended, outdoor painting was firmly established not only with the Impressionists, but also among painters not usually identified with them. Joaquín Sorolla, for example, and a few others like him probably captured its effects better than anyone because they understood a key fact-that despite its often blinding brightness, and the usual light reflecting into them, bright clear sunlight always produces shadows and warm dark accents of strong contrast. 19 世纪之前,我们很少看到绘画成功地描绘出阳光。一切在 19 世纪初结束了,当时画家们纷纷离开他们工作室中柔和的光线,到户外工作,认真探索阳光。在世纪结束之前,户外绘画不仅在印象派画家中得到了牢固确立,也在通常不被他们所认可的画家中得到了确认。例如,像华金·索罗拉(Joaquín Sorolla)这样的画家,以及其他一些像他一样的画家,可能比任何人都更好地捕捉到了它的效果,因为他们理解了一个关键事实——尽管阳光常常刺眼耀眼,而且通常的光线会反射到他们身上,但明亮清晰的阳光总是会产生阴影和温暖的深色强烈对比的点缀。
Not everyone appreciated this very important bit of information. For example, one of the main problems the French Impressionists faced in getting more vibrant colors was that pigments are simply less colorful as they get darker. One of their favorite solutions was to lighten the values of the dark areas in their paintings, particularly the shadows, to get better color. However, that was not always successful, because while it did enhance the colors, it reduced the natural contrast provided by the shadows, which is the opposite of what normally happens in strong sunlight. Nevertheless, many high-key Impressionistic paintings lacking strong shadows still look bright and sunny when seen in galleries or museums. This is due perhaps to their contrast with the dark paintings in the rest of the museum galleries. In fairness it must be remembered that the Impressionists were creating impressions, not literal renderings. What they achieved was to the world of art what going to the moon was for science and technology. 并非每个人都欣赏这一非常重要的信息。例如,法国印象派画家在追求更加生动的色彩时面临的主要问题之一是,随着颜料变暗,颜色变得不那么丰富。他们最喜欢的解决方案之一是提亮绘画中的暗部数值,特别是阴影部分,以获得更好的色彩。然而,这并不总是成功的,因为虽然它确实增强了色彩,但减少了阴影所提供的自然对比,这与在强烈阳光下通常发生的情况相反。尽管如此,许多高调印象派绘画缺乏强烈的阴影,但在画廊或博物馆中观看时仍然看起来明亮而阳光明媚。这可能是因为它们与博物馆其他画廊中的深色绘画形成了对比。公平地说,必须记住印象派画家创造的是印象,而不是文字的再现。他们所取得的成就对艺术界来说就像登月对科学技术领域一样。
One more reason why the sun produces strong shadows is that its brightness causes the pupils of our eyes to contract, which reduces the amount of light reaching our retinas. That in turn causes us to see fewer values and colors in the mid-tones and the darker range in the shadows. This is why colors are most colorful and values more subtle in high quality light, the kind you see on a day of moderate overcast. Tempered light such as overcast allows our pupils to widen and let in more information. Therefore, contrary to popular belief, we see fewer colors in bright sunlight, and much more in softer cooler light. 太阳产生强烈阴影的另一个原因是它的明亮度导致我们眼睛的瞳孔收缩,从而减少到达视网膜的光线量。这反过来导致我们在中间色调和阴影中看到的价值和颜色更少。这就是为什么在高质量光线下,如在一个适度多云的日子里,颜色最丰富,价值更加微妙。多云的温和光线使我们的瞳孔扩大,接收更多信息。因此,与流行观念相反,我们在明亮阳光下看到的颜色更少,而在柔和凉爽的光线下看到的则更多。
In gradually dimming light, such as when light is slowly fading in the evening or on a late winter afternoon, our ability to see the differences between dark values and colors diminishes as the light gets weaker. This can be a fooler, because as the dark areas in our subject and on our painting slowly get harder to discern, we can still see the lighter colors and values fairly well, and so may not be aware that all of the darks are starting to look the same. 在逐渐变暗的光线下,比如傍晚光线逐渐减弱或在深冬午后,随着光线变弱,我们看到暗色值和颜色之间的差异的能力也在减弱。这可能会让人产生误解,因为随着主体和画作中的暗区域变得难以辨认,我们仍然可以很好地看到较浅的颜色和色值,因此可能没有意识到所有的暗色值开始变得相似。
CAPTAIN JOHN'S HOUSE oil on canvas, 11 x 10, Putney, Vermont, 2007 约翰船长的房子 油画 布面 11 x 10 英寸 佛蒙特州普特尼 2007 年
DARKNESS 黑暗
The Chiaroscuro painters of the late Italian Renaissance went the other way-increasing the contrast in their works. Many of the Dutch painters went even further in their portraits, often painting backgrounds and everything else but the sitter completely black. In much of their art, black constitutes the majority area. To be fair, black backgrounds were probably just fashionable in their time, and still today when a background actually is very dark it's not a bad way to represent empty space. However, when they are rendered as an unrelieved colorless black, I find them boring, and in my opinion a bit of a cop out, particularly when used habitually. There is also a problem with glare in viewing and lighting such canvases, plus a loss of the "emptiness" effect when dust and grime gets on the canvas surface. Some black pigments tend to crack a lot too. So dear friend, I'm not a big fan of vacant blackness. It reminds me too much of death. Besides, I can achieve blackness anytime just by closing my eyes. 意大利文艺复兴晚期的明暗对比画家走了另一条路-增加了作品中的对比度。许多荷兰画家在肖像画中走得更远,经常将背景和除了被摄者之外的一切都涂成完全黑色。在他们的许多艺术作品中,黑色构成了大部分区域。公平地说,黑色背景可能只是在他们的时代很时尚,即使在今天,当背景实际上非常黑暗时,这也是一种不错的表现空间的方式。然而,当它们被呈现为一种毫无变化的无色黑色时,我觉得它们很无聊,而且在我看来,有点投机取巧,特别是习惯性地使用时。在观看和照明这样的画布时,还存在眩光问题,而且当灰尘和污垢附着在画布表面时,会丧失“空旷”效果。一些黑色颜料也很容易开裂。所以亲爱的朋友,我不是黑暗空无的忠实粉丝。它让我太多地想起死亡。此外,我随时可以通过闭上眼睛来实现黑暗。
The use of vacant darkness can also be a tempting way to obscure things which may be difficult to paint. Even Rembrandt was said to have remarked that his biggest challenge was painting emptiness. Indeed it was and still is, especially if the emptiness we are dealing with happens to be a shadow. We know today to achieve authentic color it is vital to understand the principles of light temperature and color temperature. Alas, a look at the paintings done in the 16 th and 17 th centuries shows the concept of light and color temperature was not yet very clear. I suspect more than a few great Masters had some awkward moments with the subtle colors within shadows, which may be why so many resorted to the device of blackness, perhaps as a way out. 利用空无的黑暗也可以是一种诱人的方式,用来掩盖那些可能难以绘制的事物。甚至据说伦勃朗曾经说过,他最大的挑战是绘制空无。确实是这样,尤其是当我们所面对的空无恰好是阴影时。我们今天知道,要实现真实的色彩,理解光温度和色温的原则至关重要。然而,观察 16 和 17 世纪的绘画作品,可以看出光和色温的概念还不是很清晰。我怀疑许多伟大的大师在处理阴影中微妙的颜色时可能会遇到一些尴尬的时刻,这也许是为什么那么多人求助于黑暗这种手法的原因。
Well, we undoubtedly have a lot to learn too. I think of us, of you and I, living in a time when many (not you and I) think of the Art world as a sort of free-for-all, where anyone of any level of mental stability, at the slightest whim and for any reason, can jump in and call himself an artist. We sometimes fail to remember how extremely important high skill, craftsmanship, and passionate dedication were to painters of earlier times. Those attributes were far more than just admirable qualities. Art was a noble vocation and a way of life. Their skills were assumed to be divinely infused. Being an artist was their very identity, their reason for existing. 嗯,毫无疑问,我们也有很多东西要学习。我想到我们,你和我,生活在一个许多人(不包括你和我)认为艺术世界是一种自由竞争的时代,任何人,无论精神稳定水平如何,都可以随心所欲,出于任何原因,跳进来称自己为艺术家。我们有时会忘记早期画家极其重要的高超技艺、工艺和热情奉献。这些品质远不止是令人钦佩的特质。艺术是一种高尚的职业和生活方式。人们认为他们的技能是神赋予的。成为艺术家是他们的身份,他们存在的理由。
To say the least, they were doing their best. And because they painted with such amazing beauty and skill, who could dare to criticize them about things we are fortunate to know in our time, but were not known to them in their day. At any rate, blackness still remains a fashionable and popular haven today, even though the blackness we normally encounter in everyday life really isn't black anyway; it is just a lot of dark colors-but colors nonetheless-and quite beautiful. Therefore, when you see what looks like black in your subject, give it a little jolt. Paint it with mixtures of Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, and Transparent Oxide Red (or other similar pigments). If you are too attached to your black, at least mix a dark red, or blue, or brown, or green, or purple, into it so it has a family identity. We all need a family. 说实话,他们尽力了。因为他们用如此惊人的美感和技巧绘画,谁敢批评他们关于我们这个时代幸运知道的事情,但在他们那个时代却不为人知。无论如何,黑色如今仍然是一个时尚且受欢迎的避风港,即使我们在日常生活中通常遇到的黑色实际上并不是真正的黑色;它只是许多深色-但仍然是颜色-而且相当美丽。因此,当你看到主题中看起来像黑色的部分时,给它一点冲击。用茜素洋红、群青蓝和透明氧化红(或其他类似颜料)的混合物来绘制它。如果你太依恋你的黑色,至少混合一些深红、蓝色、棕色、绿色或紫色进去,这样它就有了一个家族身份。我们都需要一个家族。
DAZZLE 眩目
Even though we cannot paint with light the way nature does, nor the way television, computer monitors, and other electronic toys such as cell phones do, we can still achieve astonishing simulations of light and emotional atmosphere mood by the resourceful choice and formation of values. Nature's complex of lights and darks await us like instruments in a great orchestra. We are free to use them in any fashion we choose. The way to use them most effectively is to have a clear vision of what we seek in a painting. 尽管我们无法像大自然那样用光线绘画,也无法像电视、电脑显示器和其他电子玩具(如手机)那样绘画,但通过巧妙选择和价值形成,我们仍然可以实现惊人的光线模拟和情感氛围。大自然的明暗复杂就像交响乐团中的乐器等待着我们。我们可以自由地以任何方式使用它们。最有效地使用它们的方法是清晰地了解我们在绘画中追求的目标。
Values can be manipulated in several interesting ways. One familiar example concerns the value key of a picture: by working within only a limited portion of the value scale in the overall majority area of a painting, various subtleties of atmosphere or emotion can be created. This is known as working in a value key. To illustrate: A picture which uses mostly the four lighter values of the value scale, is considered a high-key painting. One which uses mostly the four darker tones of the scale, is described as low-keyed. 价值观可以以几种有趣的方式进行操纵。一个熟悉的例子涉及图片的价值键:通过仅在绘画的整体大部分区域内工作于价值范围的有限部分,可以创造出各种氛围或情感的微妙之处。这被称为在一个价值键中工作。举例说明:一个主要使用价值范围中的四个较轻价值的图片被认为是高调绘画。一个主要使用价值范围中的四个较暗色调的图片被描述为低调。
Often the key can be delightfully interrupted somewhere in the painting with a value above or below a key as an attention getting device. A pure white or sudden bright color injected into a low-key painting is a familiar example, as is a dark accent in one or more places in a high-key work. One caution however-when you are creating a painting in a value key, have fun, but try not to go overboard with these little "eye-catchers." There is a very thin line between a perfect note of emphasis and vulgarity. 通常,关键点可以在绘画中愉快地被打断,以高于或低于关键值的价值作为引人注目的装置。在低调绘画中注入纯白色或突然明亮的颜色是一个常见的例子,就像在高调作品中的一个或多个地方加入深色强调一样。然而要注意一点-当您在一个价值关键中创作绘画时,尽情享受,但不要在这些小的“眼球吸引者”上过火。在强调的完美音符和庸俗之间有一条非常微弱的界线。
TANGERINES oil on canvas, 橘子 油彩 画布
Some paintings are just plain fun to do. I began this one as an experiment in colored light by suspending a large sheet of purple cellophane above my set up. The illumination source was my big north window, so I had a well-balanced light coming though the cellophane. The result was this strong harmony, a bit theatrical I admit, but why not? My block-in began with a wash of Cobalt Violet to set the harmonic tone. The rest was like creating a shower of colors using the violet saturated tones of the Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Red, Terra Rosa, and Yellow Ochre color charts. 有些画作只是纯粹好玩。我开始这幅作品是为了尝试彩色光线,通过悬挂一大片紫色玻璃纸在我的布景上方。照明源是我那扇大北窗,所以透过玻璃纸进来的光线非常均衡。结果就是这种强烈的和谐,我承认有点戏剧性,但为什么不呢?我的底稿从涂抹钴紫色开始,以确立和谐的基调。其余的就像是用群青、茜素洋红、钴蓝、镉红、地肤红和黄土色调的紫色饱和色调创造一场色彩的淋浴。
THIS IS WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR 到目前为止,这就是我们所知道的
Contrast, as we know, is what makes things visible. We also know we can't reproduce light itself with our limited reflective pigments. But we can separate light and dark values into nine neat little jumps, and that very dark areas can still be colorful. 对比,正如我们所知,是让事物变得可见的关键。我们也知道,用有限的反射性颜料无法再现光本身。但我们可以将光明和黑暗的价值分为九个整洁的小跃点,即使非常黑暗的区域仍然可以是多彩的。
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ACTUAL BUSINESS OF PAINTING? 但是绘画的实际业务呢?
How do I make sense of the jumble of lights and shadows and other tones in my subject? 我如何理解主题中混杂的光影和其他色调?
How can I see values in a simplified way in my subject? 我怎样能以简化的方式看到我的主题中的价值?
How do I identify values and pick out the "right" ones to use? 我如何确定价值观并挑选出要使用的“正确”价值观?
How can I paint pictures strong and simple in value? 我怎样才能用简单而强烈的色调画出画面?
Questions one and two are really the same; the second more or less answers the first-I sort out the jumble of values in a subject by seeing them in less detail and in only a few essential values. Questions three and four bring into play two other essential concepts as well-Comparison, and Conservation of Values. I have a great deal to say about both of these items in this chapter, especially the purpose and use of COMPARISON because it is critical to every judgment and decision you will make as you work. CONSERVATION OF VALUES is an idea basic to achieving a strong look in your painting, especially its design. 问题一和问题二实际上是相同的;第二个问题或多或少回答了第一个问题-我通过以较少的细节和仅有几个基本价值观来整理主题中的混乱价值观。问题三和问题四还涉及另外两个基本概念-比较和价值观的保留。在本章中,我有很多话要说关于这两个项目,尤其是比较的目的和用途,因为它对你工作中将做出的每个判断和决定至关重要。价值观的保留是实现你绘画中强烈外观的基本理念,尤其是其设计。
Q. SO, HOW CAN VALUES BE SEEN IN A CLEAR AND UNCOMPLICATED WAY?
A. BY STEPPING BACK A FEW FEET FROM YOUR CANVAS, SQUINTING DOWN AT THEM, AND COMPARING THEM TO ONE ANOTHER! 问:那么,价值观如何以清晰简单的方式展现出来呢?答:退后几步,眯起眼睛看着它们,并将它们相互比较!
THE RIGHT WAY TO SQUINT (I know this sounds funny.) 正确的眯眼方式(我知道这听起来很有趣。)
Learn this and you're home free! And, it costs nothing, because not only do you already have the instinct, you have also been using it your entire life. You do it every time the light is too bright, or when you're out zooming around the Riviera in your yellow Ferrari 458 convertible. Developing your squint reflex into a skill is probably the most valuable tool you can have in making sense of what often seems to be a bewildering jumble of details and values in a subject. Why? Because your most fundamental technical problem with painting in "getting it right" is to simplify and thus understand the relationships of values to one another in your subject. The most direct way to do it is to partly close your eyes when you look at your subject. 学会这个技巧,你就事半功倍了!而且,这不花一分钱,因为你不仅已经拥有这种本能,而且你一生都在使用它。每当光线太亮时,或者当你驾驶你的黄色法拉利 458 敞篷车在里维埃拉大道上飞驰时,你都在使用它。将你的眯眼反射发展成一种技能可能是你在理解主题中那些看似令人困惑的细节和价值的最有价值的工具。为什么?因为你在绘画中最基本的技术问题是“做对”,就是简化并理解主题中各个价值之间的关系。最直接的方法是在观察主题时部分闭上眼睛。
Try it now. Wherever you are, stop reading for a moment and glance around at your surroundings. Then start squinting down very gradually until superficial details disappear and only a few coherent shapes remain. That's all there is to it! Well, not quite all, there is lots more ahead, so please read on. What I have just described is the very easy physical part of it. I realize, of course, things just seem to get dark the first few times you try it, but with practice, you will glean valuable information. Color will tend to diminish as you close your eyes slightly, allowing you to sort out values easier. Best of all, you will be on your way to seeing in a more organized way. 立即尝试。无论你在哪里,停下阅读一会儿,环顾四周。然后开始逐渐眯起眼睛,直到表面细节消失,只剩下几个连贯的形状。就是这样!嗯,并不完全是这样,前方还有很多,所以请继续阅读。我刚刚描述的是非常简单的物理部分。我当然意识到,开始尝试时事物似乎只会变暗,但通过练习,你将获得宝贵的信息。当你稍微闭上眼睛时,颜色会趋于减少,让你更容易区分价值。最重要的是,你将开始以更有条理的方式看待事物。
THE TRICK IS KNOWING WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN YOU SQUINT. 窍门在于当你眯起眼睛时知道要寻找什么。
To illustrate: hold this book at arm's length and look at this page. Then slowly close your eyes until the paragraphs form gray rectangles on the white paper-bravo! you have just simplified, and you can now paint a picture of this page without doing all the individual words and letters. When I first look at my subject, I squint down to determine: 1 . Which values are the lightest lights (pure white). 2. Which are the darkest darks (black). 3. Which values make up the three average light values (numbers two, three, and four on the value scale). 4. And finally, which values make up the three average dark values (numbers six, seven, and eight on the value scale). The images on the opposite page and following pages show what I see and learn as I gradually squint down. 为了说明:将这本书举在手臂的长度处,看着这一页。然后慢慢闭上眼睛,直到段落在白纸上形成灰色的矩形-太棒了!你刚刚简化了,现在你可以画出这一页的图片,而不必一个个单词和字母地做。当我第一次看我的主题时,我眯起眼睛来确定:1. 哪些值是最轻的光(纯白)。2. 哪些是最暗的暗(黑色)。3. 哪些值组成了三个平均光值(价值尺度上的第二、第三和第四个数字)。4. 最后,哪些值组成了三个平均暗值(价值尺度上的第六、第七和第八个数字)。对面页和接下来的页面上的图像展示了我逐渐眯起眼睛时看到和学到的内容。
Figure 1. Normal view of page. 图 1. 页面的正常视图。
Figure 2. Squinted view of the same page. 图 2. 同一页的斜视图。
Here are two views of a printed page (opposite). The top one, Figure 1, is a page from an early printing of Alla Prima seen normally with eyes wide open. Figure 2 below, shows the same page with eyes partly closed. 这里是一张印刷页面的两个视图(对比)。顶部的视图,图 1,是从早期印刷的《Alla Prima》中的一页,通常用睁大的眼睛看。下面的图 2 显示了同一页面,眼睛半闭。
Ignore the fact that the overall view is darker. The color is mostly lost as well-but notice instead how simplified the image has become! The details of the text have merged to form more or less solid rectangles of medium gray. If that page was in one of your still life paintings or a picture of someone reading, you could show it very easily with just three values and a small number of brushstrokes. 忽略整体视图较暗的事实。颜色大多也消失了-但请注意图像变得多么简化!文本的细节已经合并成了或多或少的中灰色实心矩形。如果那一页出现在你的静物画中或者是一个正在阅读的人的图片中,你只需用三个值和少量笔触就能轻松展现出来。
Open your eyes normally to see your subject's 正常睁开眼睛看你的主题
true values and colors when you actually get down to painting them, but do so with the understanding of their relationships, and the simplicity you saw when you squinted.
There is a definite limit to how far down you can usefully squint before your image becomes something like what you might see if you were legally blind. It doesn't take a whole lot of trying to find that point. Physically, when you squint, your eyelashes come together to form a tiny diffusion screen. That is what does the trick. Any further closing down does not help. My experience has been that only a little closing of the eyes is necessary, perhaps as little as ten to thirty percent. 在你可以有用地眯起眼睛之前,有一个明确的极限,否则你看到的图像会变得类似于你如果合法失明时可能看到的东西。找到这一点并不需要太多的尝试。从生理上讲,当你眯起眼睛时,你的睫毛会聚在一起形成一个微小的扩散屏幕。这就是起作用的原因。进一步闭合并没有帮助。我的经验是只需要稍微闭上眼睛,也许只需十到三十个百分比。
Onlookers watching you squint might think you are angry, or in pain, or have serious eye trouble, but pay no attention to them. Squinting works, and that is all that counts! Besides, it's better than having them watch you do a bad painting. Your dignity will also be restored as they watch a masterpiece happen before their very eyes! 旁观者看到你眯着眼睛可能会认为你生气了,或者在疼痛,或者眼睛有严重问题,但不要理会他们。眯眼是有效的,这才是最重要的!此外,这比让他们看你画一幅糟糕的画要好。当他们看着杰作在他们眼前发生时,你的尊严也会得到恢复!
Admittedly, trying to see through half-closed eyes might seem confusing at first, but please be patient, this is very important to you. Useful squinting is something that comes with practice, and useful practice means doing it properly. Properly means closing your eyes down far enough to reduce the subject to a few basic shapes-yet not so far that all form is lost. The idea is merely to make things simple, not make them disappear in a blur of fuzzy darks-so don't shut your eyes down too far. Please, please, practice until you really get it. 诚然,试图透过半闭的眼睛看东西起初可能会感到困惑,但请耐心,这对你非常重要。有用的眯眼是需要练习的,而有用的练习意味着要做到正确。正确意味着要闭上眼睛到足够低的程度,将主题简化为几个基本形状,但不要闭得太深以至于失去所有形态。这个想法仅仅是为了简化事物,而不是让它们在模糊的黑暗中消失,所以不要闭得太深。请,请练习直到真正掌握。
USING COMPARISON TO GET THE "RIGHT" VALUES 利用比较获得“正确”的价值
I have been describing squinting as a way of simplifying my subject, but how do I pick out the "right" values once I have squinted at things? Let me first give you my definition of "right values" in a painting - they are any set of darks and lights having the same relationship to one another as the values in my subject. If the values in my painting are the same as in the subject, then I'm on the money. I select the "right" values for a block-in by squinting down until details fade away and I can see not more than about five major values in my subject. Then I use only those five or so values for my block-in. In the subsequent stages of my painting I try not to subdivide those five values too much. If I can, I use appropriate color changes instead of more values as I add detail, refine, and complete my work. 我一直把眯眼看作是简化我的主题的一种方式,但是一旦我眯眼看东西,我如何挑选出“正确”的色调呢?让我先给你我的绘画中“正确色调”的定义 - 它们是任何一组暗部和亮部,彼此之间与我的主题中的色调关系相同。如果我的绘画中的色调与主题中的相同,那么我就做对了。我通过眯眼直至细节消失,只能看到主题中大约五个主要色调,来为画块选择“正确”的色调。然后我只使用这五个左右的色调来画画块。在绘画的后续阶段,我尽量不要过多细分这五个色调。如果可以的话,我会在添加细节、完善和完成作品时使用适当的颜色变化,而不是更多的色调。
Comparison allows me to do this, and I continue to constantly compare things throughout the entire process. Comparison is a vital tool for determining all elements in a painting-edges, values, color, and drawing. Accurate drawing is, after all, simply comparing the dimensions of a given shape to others in a subject, then asking myself if they are the same or different, and if so, what the difference is. You can see from this how very important comparison is when you are working larger or smaller than life size. When comparison is used along with squinting, it tells you when something doesn't belong, and when it does. While comparing is clearly important, it isn't particularly difficult. All of us use it in our daily routines to make judgments about everything from whether our socks are the same color, to which tomatoes we will buy. Naturally, a standard of some kind is always involved. I choose an obvious easy-to-see value in the subject as my standard of comparison. Often it will be a model's white collar or black hair or clothing. It is then relatively easy for me to judge the subtle skin tones (middle values) by comparing the degree of difference to the pure white or black. Extremely light or dark values or pure bright colors are always better to use for making comparisons than grayed values. One reason I love snowy landscapes, and why they are a snap to paint, is I have lots of lovely white stuff as a known standard for comparison. 比较让我能够做到这一点,我在整个过程中继续不断地比较事物。比较是确定绘画中所有元素——边缘、价值、颜色和线条的重要工具。准确的线条绘制实际上就是简单地将给定形状的尺寸与主体中的其他形状进行比较,然后问自己它们是否相同或不同,如果不同,差异在哪里。从中可以看出,在绘制比实际大小大或小的作品时,比较是多么重要。当比较与眯眼结合使用时,它告诉你什么不属于这里,什么属于这里。虽然比较显然很重要,但并不特别困难。我们每个人在日常生活中都会使用它来对一切事物做出判断,从我们的袜子是否颜色相同,到我们将购买哪种番茄。当然,总是涉及某种标准。我选择主体中一个明显易见的价值作为我的比较标准。通常会是模特的白色衣领、黑发或服装。然后,相对容易地通过将微妙的肤色(中间价值)与纯白或黑色的差异程度进行比较来判断。 极轻或极暗的价值或纯净明亮的颜色总是比灰色价值更适合用于进行比较。我喜欢雪景的一个原因,也是它们易于绘画的原因,是因为我有很多可爱的白色物品作为已知的比较标准。
STEPPING BACK 退后
Comparing is most effective when you STEP BACK, SQUINT DOWN, and JUDGE (compare) your entire painting 比较最有效的方法是退后一步,眯起眼睛,审视(比较)整幅画作
against the entire subject. Sargent (among many others) reportedly placed his canvas very close to his subject, making all of his decisions from a stepped-back position (about eight feet). He then returned to his canvas, applied his brushstrokes (without looking at the model), and stepped back again to check and see if they looked "right," which meant whether or not they matched what he saw in his subject. He is said to have stepped back relentlessly for virtually every group of brushstrokes in his paintings. It took exceptional discipline, but judging from his work, it was certainly worth it. When I had the rare privilege of visiting Sargent's London studio I looked at the carpet to see if it was worn from all his stepping back, but alas, the carpet had been replaced. 对整个主题。据说萨金特(以及许多其他人)将画布放得非常靠近主题,所有决定都是从一个后退的位置(大约八英尺)做出的。然后他回到画布前,涂抹画笔(不看模特),再次后退检查是否看起来“正确”,这意味着是否与他在主题中看到的相匹配。据说他为他的每一组画笔涂抹不懈地后退。这需要极大的纪律,但从他的作品来看,这绝对是值得的。当我有幸参观萨金特的伦敦工作室时,我看了地毯,看看它是否因为他的不断后退而磨损,但遗憾的是,地毯已经更换。
I highly recommend standing rather than sitting when painting from life or otherwise. That way the habit of stepping back every two or three minutes comes more easily. To this day I still remember my mentor, Bill Mosby, at the Academy, putting his hands on my shoulders to pull me backwards several feet to see mistakes in my painting which were not apparent up close. I stood to paint, and stepped back habitually from the time I was in art school until my middle age years, when a spine injury forced me to sit. Today I get up and walk back to view my canvas every ten minutes, but it's not quite the same. Seeing from a distance is good for many things in life besides painting, just make sure of what is behind you. 我强烈建议在写生或其他情况下,站着而不是坐着绘画。这样,每两三分钟退后一步的习惯就更容易养成。直到今天,我仍然记得我的导师比尔·莫斯比在学院时,他会把手放在我的肩膀上,把我向后拉几英尺,看到绘画中近距离看不出的错误。我站着画画,从艺术学校时起就养成了习惯,直到中年时因脊柱受伤被迫坐下。今天,我每十分钟起身走回去看画布,但感觉不太一样。远处观察对于生活中的许多事情都很有好处,只要确保你身后的情况。
Another big help, whether I stand or sit, is the use of a mirror so I can see my work in reverse. I have a large plate glass mirror, about twenty inches square for studio use. (Avoid cheap mirrors from drugstores or discount outlets. They are usually distorted.) Mine is mounted on a tripod so I can place it a short distance behind me according to the size of my painting. Outside the studio I use a high quality hand held cosmetic mirror. Seeing a painting in reverse is amazing. I always spot one or more mistakes, invariably with proportions or alignment, often embarrassingly obvious errors I was quite blind to before I saw them in my mirror. Mirrors are also nice for checking to see if I have paint on my face. 另一个很大的帮助,无论我站着还是坐着,都是使用镜子,这样我可以看到我的作品的反面。我有一个大的平板玻璃镜子,大约二十英寸见方,用于工作室。 (避免从药店或折扣店购买廉价镜子。它们通常会扭曲。)我的镜子安装在三脚架上,这样我就可以根据绘画的大小将其放在我身后的短距离处。在工作室外,我使用高质量的手持化妆镜。看到一幅画的反面是令人惊讶的。我总是会发现一个或多个错误,通常是比例或对齐方面的错误,这些错误在我看到镜子中的画面之前我完全看不到,这些错误通常是非常明显的。镜子还可以用来检查我脸上是否沾有油漆。
SERENADE oil on panel, 油画《小夜曲》,
Few paintings I have ever done were as simple in values as this. Earlier in the day he had posed for a portrait. Afterward as he was relaxing with his guitar, I asked him not to move for about twenty minutes. The result is the spontaneous quick sketch above. 我所做的画中很少有像这幅作品一样简单的价值观。那天早些时候,他为一幅肖像画摆姿势。之后,当他拿着吉他放松时,我请他保持静止约二十分钟。以上是这幅自发的快速素描的结果。
ALL THE TINY STUFF 所有微小的事物
Imagine the countless details in a field of tall grass, a head of hair, falling snow, a lace dress, or the branches on a line of trees against the sky, and so on. My experience has taught me there are just too many color changes, value transitions, complex edges, and odd shapes in such things to attempt to render them literally. Before Direct Painting was widely practiced, many painters simply replicated intricate details. It was tedious work and in my view unnecessary. I prefer the more interesting solutions which capture the visual effect of detail rather than a literal rendering. Ingenious examples of superb painting of minutiae can be seen in Antonio Mancini's Il Saltimbanco (1879), and William Merritt Chase's painting, A Friendly Call (1895). 想象一片高草地、一头头发、落雪、一条蕾丝裙、或是天空中一排树枝等等中无数细节。我的经验告诉我,这些事物中有太多的色彩变化、价值过渡、复杂的边缘和奇怪的形状,试图以文字形式呈现它们是不现实的。在直接绘画被广泛采用之前,许多画家简单地复制复杂的细节。这是繁琐的工作,在我看来是不必要的。我更喜欢捕捉细节的视觉效果而不是文字形式的更有趣的解决方案。在安东尼奥·曼奇尼的《杂耍演员》(1879 年)和威廉·梅里特·蔡斯的绘画《友好的拜访》(1895 年)中,可以看到精湛细微细节绘画的巧妙例子。
Occasionally a subject will be strong and uncomplicated, as it was when I did the sketch from life of We Three seen on the page opposite. It is exceptional when a subject does not require some reduction of its visual essentials, at least to the extent they can be depicted with a practical number of brushstrokes. Smart squinting at the subject allows me to do that, because it distills small details as well as color shapes close in value down to patterns I can more easily manage. 偶尔,一个主题会是强大而简单的,就像我在对面页面上看到的《我们三人》的素描一样。当一个主题不需要对其视觉要点进行一定程度的简化时,这是非常特殊的,至少可以用实用数量的笔触来描绘。通过聚精会神地盯着主题,我可以做到这一点,因为它将小细节和色彩形状近似价值降低到我更容易处理的图案。
A NOTE ON EDGES 关于边缘的注解
Besides the seeming infinity of detail nature presents to us, complication in a subject also requires the edges of color shapes be sorted out according to their relative hardness or softness. (See Edges, Chapter Six.) When one shape blends gradually into another it can be hard to pinpoint where one ends and the other begins. When transitions are that indefinite, they must be painted the way they appear. It is as simple as that. If you paint a fuzzy shape clearly and distinctly, it won't look like the shape on your subject. Resist the impulse to open your eyes to see more clearly when dealing with indistinct areas, because doing that defeats the purpose of squinting. You must rely on the simplified version of what you see when you squint down. If edges do remain strong when you squint, paint them the way you see them. If they are not, don't make them clear unless there is a good reason to clarify them, and the change doesn't significantly alter the way a subject as a whole looks. 除了自然呈现给我们的看似无限细节之外,主题的复杂性还要求根据它们的相对硬度或柔软度来整理色彩形状的边缘。(见《边缘》第六章。)当一个形状逐渐融入另一个形状时,很难准确地确定一个形状的结束和另一个形状的开始。当过渡如此不确定时,必须按照它们的实际表现来绘制。就是这么简单。如果你清晰明了地绘制一个模糊的形状,它就不会看起来像你主题上的形状。在处理不明显的区域时,抵制睁大眼睛以便更清晰地看见的冲动,因为这样做违背了眯眼的初衷。当你眯眼时,必须依赖于你眯眼时看到的简化版本。如果边缘在你眯眼时仍然清晰,就按照你看到的方式绘制它们。如果不清晰,除非有充分的理由澄清它们且这种改变不会显著改变整体主题的外观,否则不要使它们清晰。
ONE BIG NO-NO: DO NOT SQUINT AT YOUR PAINTING. IT'S POINTLESS. 一个大忌:不要眯着眼看你的画。这毫无意义。
OTHER SQUINTING DON'TS 其他不要眯眼的注意事项
It is important to be aware of what not to look for when squinting. Here are some things to keep in mind: 重要的是要意识到在眯着眼睛时不要寻找什么。以下是一些需要记住的事项:
DO NOT SQUINT FOR COLOR! Colors darken when you do it, and you can't identify them properly. Open your eyes for color. (See Color, Chapter Seven.) 不要眯着眼睛看颜色!当你这样做时,颜色会变暗,你无法正确识别它们。睁大眼睛看颜色。(见《色彩》,第七章。)
It is also not meant to be a way of seeing the true values in a subject. Obviously, the actual values will be lighter when you view your subject normally with open eyes (the darkest darks, however, will remain as they appear when you squint). Keep in mind the purpose of squinting is to make judgments about the relationships among and between values, not to paint the shades you see during squinting. In other words you squint down not to see how light or dark things really are, but rather which values are lightest, which are darkest, and which fall into the middle tones-compared to one another. Those are the important relationships. 它也不是一种看清主题真实价值的方式。显然,当您用睁开的眼睛正常观察主题时,实际价值会更轻(然而,当您眯起眼睛时,最暗的部分将保持原样)。请记住,眯眼的目的是为了判断价值之间的关系,而不是描绘眯眼时看到的阴影。换句话说,您眯起眼睛不是为了看清事物到底有多明亮或多暗,而是为了确定哪些价值最轻,哪些最暗,哪些属于中间色调-相互之间的比较。这些是重要的关系。
Some common sense is needed. Many of the things we paint consist of complicated tangles of small irregular contrasting values which should not be interpreted as a single shape with only one predominant value. You cannot, after all, average out the black and white stripes on a zebra and paint him flat gray. It won't look like a zebra! In such cases, try to divide your subject into as major value shapes as possible. And do so without ignoring those which are clearly important to describe your subject, even if they are small shapes. If the shapes are very tiny and numerous, view them from the greatest distance practicable, and use your experience and the good old common sense I mentioned above. 需要一些常识。我们绘制的许多事物都由复杂的小不规则对比值纠缠而成,不应被解释为只有一个主导值的单一形状。毕竟,你不能将斑马身上的黑白条纹平均处理,然后涂成灰色。这样看起来不像斑马!在这种情况下,尽量将你的主题划分为尽可能多的主要值形状。即使是小形状,也不要忽视那些明显重要以描述你的主题的形状。如果形状非常微小且众多,尽可能从最大距离观察它们,并运用你的经验和我上面提到的那种老练的常识。
WE THREE oil on panel, 我们三个 油画 画板上
This small painting illustrates every point I made in the first paragraph on the page opposite, about simplifying complicated elements into plain value areas. The doll in the center had actual human hair, and I could see each one distinctly if I looked with my eyes wide open. With a bit of squinting her entire hairdo resolved into one value with one interesting shape and a variety of edges, and guess what, it looks exactly like hair! In the context of this painting I gave the same treatment to the way I rendered the doll's dresses and the blue-purple bow on the red headed doll. 这幅小画展示了我在对面页面第一段中所提到的每一点,即将复杂的元素简化为简单的价值区域。中间的玩偶有真人头发,如果我睁大眼睛看,我可以清楚地看到每根头发。稍微眯起眼睛,她整个发型就变成了一个价值,有一个有趣的形状和各种边缘,猜猜看,它看起来确实像头发!在这幅画中,我对玩偶的衣服和红发玩偶头上的蓝紫色蝴蝶结采用了同样的处理方式。
What I enjoyed most of all in doing this painting was giving imaginative personalities to the trio above. Having raised three girls myself, I have abundant experience in dealing with multiple unique mentalities. 在这幅画中,我最喜欢的是赋予上方三人以富有想象力的个性。我自己养育了三个女儿,对应对多种独特心态有丰富经验。
I sometimes have a tendency to simply forget to squint, and instead open my eyes wide to see a vague area in my subject more clearly. We all do it, but it is not a good idea. Why? Because looking wide-eyed at my subject, I will always see more values than I want or need. Also, the longer I stare at a single spot, such as a cloud in a landscape for example, the more values will appear. This happens because the pupils of my eyes contract to accommodate the brightness, consequently I see additional value changes in that one particular spot (as you might see in an underexposed photo). Likewise and inversely, when looking into a dark area with wide open eyes, my pupils enlarge, and I see many more value changes (like an overexposed photo). It is always a matter of judgment about whether or not to include those values. I always make a decision by shifting my gaze away from the light or dark areas, and instead squint at my subject as a whole. If the values in question are still visible, I paint them. 有时候,我会倾向于忘记眯起眼睛,而是睁大眼睛,以更清晰地看到主题中的模糊区域。我们都会这样做,但这并不是一个好主意。为什么呢?因为睁大眼睛看主题,我总是会看到比我想要或需要的更多价值。此外,我盯着一个地方看得越久,比如风景中的一朵云,就会出现更多的价值。这是因为我的瞳孔会收缩以适应亮度,因此我会看到那个特定位置的额外价值变化(就像在曝光不足的照片中看到的那样)。同样地,当用睁大的眼睛看向黑暗区域时,我的瞳孔会扩大,我会看到更多的价值变化(就像在曝光过度的照片中看到的那样)。是否包含这些价值总是一个判断问题。我总是通过把目光从光亮或黑暗区域移开,而是眯起眼睛看整体主题来做出决定。如果有问题的价值仍然可见,我就会把它们画出来。
In my art school days, some of my fellow students tried various ways to get around the darkening problem associated with squinting. Incredibly, they first tried simply throwing their eyes out of focus. When they failed, they went to a drugstore and bought strong eyeglasses meant for the nearsighted, which they then wore to make things look fuzzy. They all got headaches from eyestrain and never did succeed in sorting out values. (I tried their gimmicks once too, so I know.) The reason such tricks can't work has something to do with the eye's automatic focusing response and the disorientation which follows when it is frustrated. Working from poorly focused photos has the same unsettling effect. Avoid them. Just squint and use your intelligence to sort things out. 在我上艺术学校的日子里,一些同学尝试了各种方法来解决因眯眼而导致的变暗问题。令人难以置信的是,他们首先尝试简单地让眼睛失焦。当他们失败时,他们去了药店买了专门给近视者用的强度眼镜,然后戴上让事物看起来模糊。他们都因眼部疲劳而头痛,从未成功地搞清楚价值观。 (我也曾尝试过他们的把戏,所以我知道。)这样的把戏不能奏效的原因与眼睛的自动聚焦反应以及受挫时随之而来的迷失有关。从聚焦不好的照片工作也会产生同样令人不安的效果。要避免这种情况。只需眯着眼睛,利用智慧来搞清楚事情。
Be careful of reflected lights within shadows. They are rarely as light or as colorful as they seem at a casual glance. Squint down at them, and you will see they are almost always only slightly lighter in value as the overall shadow area. 小心阴影中的反射光。它们很少像在随意一瞥时看起来那样明亮或丰富多彩。眯起眼睛看它们,你会发现它们几乎总是比整体阴影区域稍微亮一点。
To underscore what I said at the beginning of this section: please do not squint at the image on your canvas. Artists do this all the time because it seems to eliminate mistakes by making everything in their picture look soft and "arty." It is the same device Hollywood uses to film aging movie stars when cameramen use a soft focus lens to obscure wrinkles and freckles. They only kid themselves and so will you. So to repeat again-squint at your subject, but open your eyes to look at your painting! Don't get this backwards! And don't squint at yourself in the mirror. Accept your wrinkles proudly. 强调我在本节开头所说的:请不要在画布上的图像上眯起眼睛。艺术家经常这样做,因为这似乎可以通过使画面中的一切看起来柔和和“艺术化”来消除错误。这与好莱坞用来拍摄老化电影明星的方法相同,摄影师使用柔焦镜头来遮盖皱纹和雀斑。他们只是自欺欺人,你也会如此。所以再重复一遍 - 眯起眼睛看你的主题,但睁开眼睛看你的画作!不要搞反了!不要在镜子里眯起眼睛看自己。自豪地接受你的皱纹。
CONSERVATION OF VALUES 价值观的保护
The Masters who maintained simple value patterns in their paintings seldom used more than five values (except in the transition zones and soft edges between shapes). You can see this dramatically in black and white reproductions of works by Howard Pyle, Serov, Vandyke, Rembrandt, and others, including the best of the great American illustrators. They were stingy with the number of tones they used and never employed more than were necessary. In many of his portraits, Sargent usually employed only three values in the light, two in the darks, and then added only some of the more necessary highlights and dark accents. 在他们的绘画中保持简单价值模式的大师们很少使用超过五个价值(除了在形状之间的过渡区域和柔和边缘)。您可以在霍华德·派尔、谢罗夫、范戴克、伦勃朗等人的作品的黑白复制品中明显看到这一点,包括伟大的美国插画家中的佼佼者。他们在使用色调的数量上很吝啬,从不使用超过必要的数量。在萨金特的许多肖像中,他通常只使用三个明亮的价值,两个暗色调,然后只添加一些更必要的亮点和暗调。
This economy or conservation of values is based on two ideas. The first is about design-a few clear-cut values in a painting will yield a more powerful visual effect than a profusion of small values (overmodeling). This is why Impressionistic painting, which as a rule pays little attention to strong value patterns, is not as effective in monochrome reproduction as it is in full color. (Impressionism by its nature is concerned with other effects.) 这种经济或价值的保守是基于两个观念。第一个观念是关于设计-绘画中少数清晰明确的价值会产生比大量小价值(过度建模)更强大的视觉效果。这就是为什么印象派绘画通常不太关注强烈的价值模式,所以在单色复制中效果不如在全彩色中那么有效。(印象派本质上关注其他效果。)
The second idea is that more often than not it is simply unnecessary to use all values in a subject. Color temperature changes can frequently be used instead. This substitution of color for value is usually not only more pleasing, but also makes better sense. Why? Because we have many more colors (many thousands) than values (nine) at our disposal, so using a color instead saves a value. Superb examples of this use of color are found in the paintings of Mary Cassatt. She had the uncanny ability to portray form with a bare minimum of darkening-a feat impossible without color. 第二个想法是,通常情况下,在主题中使用所有值是完全不必要的。颜色温度变化经常可以代替。用颜色代替价值的这种替换通常不仅更令人愉悦,而且更有意义。为什么?因为我们有更多的颜色(成千上万种)可供选择,而不是值(九种),所以使用颜色而不是值可以节省价值。玛丽·卡萨特(Mary Cassatt)的绘画中发现了这种对颜色的运用的绝佳例子。她有一种神奇的能力,可以用最少的加深来描绘形式-这是不可能没有颜色的。
PORTRAIT SKETCH (Detail), oil on canvas, 肖像速写(细节),油彩画布,
The painting above of a beautiful young lady who posed for our painting group in Chicago, was one of the most difficult portraits I have ever dealt with. Not only did she have a dark complexion, but there was strong cold light on her right side, and a warmer light on her left side. So her facial features were defined as much by the shapes created by the lighting, as by the natural anatomical structure of her face. 上面的一幅美丽年轻女士的画是芝加哥画组中为我们摆姿势的,是我处理过的最困难的肖像之一。她不仅皮肤较深,而且右侧有强烈的冷光,左侧有温暖的光线。因此,她的面部特征不仅由光线创造的形状定义,还受到自然解剖结构的影响。
Édouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, Degas and others were also good at managing values. They understood the weakness in overmodeling - the use of too many values to indicate form. All were careful to keep their designs strong by maintaining only a few simple values, clearly establishing their major areas as belonging in either the light or dark patterns, and not invading those areas with needless or inappropriate values. They almost always used a color change instead. (Much more on this is ahead in the chapter on Color.) 埃杜瓦·马奈、贝尔特·莫里索、德加等人也擅长处理价值观。他们了解过度建模的弱点 - 使用过多的价值来指示形式。所有人都小心保持他们的设计强大,只保留几个简单的价值观,清楚地将主要区域确定为属于光明或黑暗模式,并不用不必要或不合适的价值触及这些区域。他们几乎总是使用颜色变化代替。(关于这一点,在颜色章节中会更详细介绍。)
Fortunately, we have an unlimited supply of colors and ways to use them. For example, in certain light situations a turn in the form on a subject of as much as 40 degrees can be shown with color temperature changes alone before a change in value becomes necessary. This treatment is mostly an option where the ambient light is very soft, such as north daylight. My personal guideline is to always check if changing the color temperatures of my mixtures will do the job before I change the value. 幸运的是,我们有无限的颜色供应和使用方式。例如,在某些光线情况下,主体形式的转向可以通过仅仅改变色温来展示高达 40 度,而无需改变价值。这种处理大多是在环境光线非常柔和的情况下才会考虑,比如北向日光。我的个人指导原则是在改变价值之前,始终检查改变混合物的色温是否能达到效果。
Value relationships are certainly not all this cut and dried, and there is clearly room to make choices about emphasizing or restraining them to meet your artistic intentions, but keeping your values uncomplicated and few in number is a sound idea no matter what creative changes you do or do not make. It allows you to simplify the way you look at a subject and render it. I also believe from my own experience and seeing the Master's works that it is the primary basis of strong color and design. 价值关系当然不是一成不变的,显然有空间可以选择强调或限制它们以满足您的艺术意图,但无论您做出还是不做出创意改变,保持您的价值观简单且数量不多是一个明智的主意。这样做可以简化您看待主题并呈现它的方式。根据我的经验以及观察大师的作品,我相信这是强烈色彩和设计的主要基础。
TIPS ON VALUES 价值观建议
Watch out for highlights! They are rarely as bright as you think they are. Choose not to paint them at all unless you think they are necessary. (This is especially true in portraits.) If you must paint them, find out what color they are, don't just use white alone. Also, look for one highlight to dominate all others in a painting. This is especially true in painting eyes. The highlight in one eye (usually the nearest to you) always predominates over the other, and neither are as bright as they first appear. Don't just make them white, make them a color (usually it is cool). Squint at them and see! 注意高光!它们很少像你想象的那么明亮。除非你认为有必要,否则选择不去描绘它们。(尤其是在肖像画中。)如果你必须描绘它们,找出它们的颜色,不要只用白色。此外,在一幅画中,寻找一个高光主导其他所有高光。这在画眼睛时尤为重要。一个眼睛中的高光(通常是最靠近你的那只)总是比另一个更显眼,而且它们都不像最初看起来那么明亮。不要只是让它们变白,让它们成为一种颜色(通常是冷色调)。眯起眼睛看看它们!
The same is true for the whites of eyes. They are never white! Usually they are similar in color to surrounding flesh tones, but slightly lighter and less warm (and quite cooler in children's eyes). Also the whites of both eyes in a subject, or the whites on either side of a pupil, are rarely equal in value, and their edges, as all edges in eyes, are always soft. Painting things too light or too dark always happens when you fail to accept what you see when you squint, or when you open your eyes to see more clearly. Isn't all of this great to know? 眼白也是如此。它们从来不是白色!通常它们的颜色与周围肤色相似,但稍微较浅、较冷(儿童眼睛中则相当冷)。另外,主体双眼的眼白,或者瞳孔两侧的眼白,很少具有相同的明度,而且它们的边缘,就像眼睛中的所有边缘一样,总是柔和的。当你无法接受眯眼时所看到的东西,或者当你睁开眼睛看得更清楚时,画物太亮或太暗总是会发生。这一切都是不是很有趣吗?
Dark accents, where they are appropriate, are always more effective than highlights. Look for them! Almost always they will be relatively warm in temperature-warmer than any nearby color regardless of the temperature of the light source on the subject. I don't know why this is so, they just are. Usually they will be mixtures of Transparent Oxide Red plus Alizarin Crimson and a mere touch of Ultramarine Blue Deep. Cool colors as dark accents usually produce a "dirty" look. Exceptions where the dark accents actually are cool (relative to surrounding colors) usually involve local color changes at the point of the accent, such as an abrupt pattern change in the folds of fabrics, or more frequently, in landscape painting when many different substances are intermingled (soil, grass, rocks, water, snow, branches, etc.). Transparent substances such as water, ice, snow, clouds, etc., also can have cool dark accents along with warm ones. 深色强调,如果适当的话,总是比亮点更有效。寻找它们!几乎总是相对温暖的温度-无论主体上的光源温度如何,它们都会比任何附近的颜色更温暖。我不知道为什么会这样,它们就是。通常它们会是透明氧化红加茜素红再加一点点群青。凉色作为深色强调通常会产生“脏乱”看起来。实际上深色强调是凉色的例外情况(相对于周围颜色)通常涉及强调点的局部颜色变化,比如在织物褶皱的突然图案变化,或更频繁地在风景画中,当许多不同物质相互混合时(土壤、草地、岩石、水、雪、树枝等)。透明物质如水、冰、雪、云等,也可以有凉色深色强调以及温暖的。
Choose to be bold rather than timid with values. Don't hold back when you clearly see strong lights and darks. For example, the most common error I see when students do portraits or figures, is a reluctance to paint dark enough in shadow areas. The main reason this happens is they are afraid the color will not look like "flesh," or it will look "muddy." Neither of these things will happen if the appropriate color temperature is maintained. Flesh tones, after all, can be any color-even pitch black when the lights go out! 选择大胆而不是胆怯的价值观。当你清晰地看到强烈的明暗对比时,不要犹豫。例如,我在学生画肖像或人物时经常看到的一个常见错误是他们在阴影区域不敢涂得够深。这种情况发生的主要原因是他们担心颜色看起来不像“肤色”,或者会显得“浑浊”。只要保持适当的色温,这两种情况都不会发生。毕竟,肤色可以是任何颜色-甚至在灯灭的时候也可以是漆黑的!
The other more common reason for painting darks too light is that painters tend to open their eyes to see into the shadows (that natural reflex again). Wide open eyes are great for seeing color, but don't do it for values-squint and compare the shadow to other correctly painted darks. 绘画中将暗部画得太亮的另一个更常见的原因是画家倾向于睁大眼睛看进阴影中(这又是一种自然的反射)。睁大眼睛对于看到颜色很有帮助,但对于价值观来说不够准确 - 眯起眼睛,将阴影与其他正确绘制的暗部进行比较。
KILCHURN CASTLE oil on canvas, 8 x 16, Loch Awe, Scotland, 1997 基尔克恩城堡 油画,8 x 16,奥湖,苏格兰,1997
Kilchurn Castle was the very first castle I ever painted. For many years this magnificent 13 th century structure stood shrouded behind a dense growth of trees on a small rise on a rocky island on Loch Awe in south central Scotland. In recent years many of the trees had been cleared away and restoration made to the castle. Of course it was a dream come true for me. I was so nervous I was surprised I did as well as I did. 基尔霍恩城堡是我第一次绘制的城堡。多年来,这座宏伟的 13 世纪建筑物一直被茂密的树木掩映,矗立在苏格兰中南部洛赫奥湖的一座岩石小岛上。近年来,许多树木已被清理,城堡得以修复。当然,这对我来说是梦想成真。我当时非常紧张,惊讶自己的表现如此出色。
I set up my easel and paints at the edge of the Loch (lake) where I had an unobstructed view of Kilchurn barely fifty yards away. My canvas was quite small, only inches, and the pattern of lights and darks in the scene was amazingly simple as you can see above. With a minimum of detail to contend with, I was able to concentrate on the six or so major value areas, each with its own fascinating and defining edges. 我在洛赫(湖)边设置了画架和颜料,从那里我可以清晰地看到凯尔楚恩堡只有五十码远。我的画布相当小,只有 英寸,场景中的明暗色彩模式惊人地简单,就像你上面所看到的那样。由于细节很少,我能够专注于六个左右的主要价值区域,每个区域都有其迷人和定义性的边缘。
Later, while showing the picture to some local Scots, they told me about an old lady who lived alone in the castle's Keep (the large open central court within the walls of the castle). She lived there not very long ago when it was still a deserted ruin. The lady raised herbs which she sold in the village. As time went by it was noticed she was not appearing at market with her herbs. An extensive search for her revealed not a trace of her whereabouts, or even if she had ever lived in the castle. Today, however, her ghost is regularly seen at the window of the main tower. Now I do not believe any of that for a minute. I never once saw her during several hours of looking at the castle intensely while I was painting, but it doesn't mean she wasn't there-watching me . . 后来,当我向一些当地苏格兰人展示这幅画时,他们告诉我一个住在城堡主楼(城堡墙内的大型开放中庭)里的老太太的故事。不久之前,当这里仍然是一片废墟时,她就住在那里。这位老太太种植草药,然后在村庄里出售。随着时间的推移,人们发现她不再带着草药出现在市场上。对她进行了广泛搜索,但没有发现她的踪迹,甚至不确定她是否曾经住在城堡里。然而,如今,她的鬼魂经常被看到出现在主塔的窗户边。我一分钟也不相信这些。在我专心作画几个小时的时候,我从未看到过她,但这并不意味着她不在那里——看着我。
We only have nine values to work with from white to black. Even if we divided the value scale into a hundred values, the range would still only be from Titanium White to Ivory Black or Lamp Black. 我们只有从白色到黑色的九个色值可供使用。即使我们将色值划分为一百个,范围仍然只能是从钛白到象牙黑或灯黑。
It is impossible to duplicate the full range of nature's lights and darks because nature creates colors (and consequently values) with light itself, while our palette pigments create color only by reflection. 无法复制自然光与暗的全部范围,因为自然是通过光本身创造颜色(因而产生价值),而我们的调色板颜料只能通过反射创造颜色。
We can, however, create the effect of light by seeking out and using the relationships among values and colors in our pictures. 然而,我们可以通过寻找并利用图片中价值和颜色之间的关系来营造光的效果。
You can easily see those relationships by squinting down at a subject to simplify it until you can see which areas and shapes are lightest, darkest, and which fall into a limited range of middle tones. 您可以通过眯起眼睛看主题来轻松地看到这些关系,简化主题直到您可以看到哪些区域和形状是最亮的,最暗的,以及哪些落入有限范围的中间色调。
Constantly compare values in a subject to one another to make judgments (while squinting) about which values in a subject are lightest, darkest, etc. To make things easier, use a standard of comparison such as a pure white or black in the subject to make those calls. I'm told Sorolla kept a clean white handkerchief with him when he painted, which he would toss into or onto his subject to remind himself of what white really looks like. 不断地将主体中的价值相互比较,以判断主体中哪些价值是最轻、最暗等(同时眯着眼睛)。为了简化事情,可以使用一个比较标准,比如在主体中使用纯白色或黑色来做出这些判断。据说索罗拉在绘画时身边总带着一块干净的白手帕,他会把它扔进或放在主体上,以提醒自己白色真正的样子。
Overmodeling and running out of values can be avoided by substituting color changes for value changes whenever possible. 通过尽可能用颜色变化替代数值变化,可以避免过度建模和数值用尽的情况。
If you wish, you can create a stronger design structure in a painting by restricting the number of values in the major areas. 如果你愿意的话,你可以通过限制主要区域的色值数量来在绘画中创造更强大的设计结构。
Paint standing up if you can and step back frequently to view your entire painting and compare it to the entire subject. Sitting for too long and too close to a painting almost guarantees mistakes. 如果可以的话,站着作画,并经常退后一步,观察整幅画作并将其与整个主题进行比较。长时间坐着且离画作太近几乎肯定会导致错误。
Abstract 摘要
PRACTICE THE SKILL OF SQUINTING AND COMPARING UNTIL THEY BECOME A HABIT SECOND NATURE TO YOU, LIKE LOOKING BOTH WAYS BEFORE YOU CROSS A BUSY STREET. 练习眯着眼睛和比较的技巧,直到它们成为你的第二天性,就像在穿过繁忙的街道之前两边看一样。
BELIEVE AND ACCEPT THE RELATIONSHIPS YOU OBSERVE WHEN YOU SQUINT, AND NEVER DOUBT THEM. 相信并接受你眯着眼看到的关系,永远不要怀疑它们。
Abstract 摘要
AFTER YOU HAVE THE INFORMATION ABOUT VALUES YOU NEED FROM SQUINTING-WHICH ARE THE LIGHTEST LIGHTS, DARKEST DARKS, MIDDLE TONES, ETC.-OPEN YOUR EYES NORMALLY THEN TO SEE THE TRUE VALUES AND COLORS IN ORDER TO PAINT THEM. 在你通过眯着眼睛获得了关于价值观的信息之后,即最轻的光,最暗的暗色,中间色调等,然后正常睁开眼睛,以便看到真实的价值观和颜色,从而加以描绘。
IMAGE ONE 图像一
IMAGE THREE 图像三
IMAGE TWO 图像二
These photos are one example of what to look for when you squint at a subject. Image one shows what the subject normally looks like. Notice how much detail there is throughout the photo and the number of value changes everywhere except the sky, which is very simple in value. 这些照片是在你眯起眼睛观察一个主题时要寻找的一个例子。第一张图片展示了主题通常的样子。请注意照片中的细节有多丰富,以及除了天空之外,各处价值变化的数量。在价值上,天空非常简单。
Image two is what you would probably see squinting down halfway. What you should look for here is the way some values have merged and become simplified. Notice how the church, the foreground and some of the background trees have joined to form a single value shape. Notice as well all superfluous detail is simply no longer there. 图像二是您可能会看到的半闭眼的样子。您应该注意的是一些值的融合和简化方式。请注意教堂、前景和一些背景树是如何合并成一个单一值形状的。同样请注意所有多余的细节都已经不复存在。
Image three is what you will see when you squint down a lot more. Notice how the scene as a whole has been reduced to three major values. The sky, two headstones and the little dots for flowers are now easily seen as the lightest lights in the whole scene. The roof of the church and the slash of sunlight on the grass are the middle tone. And the trees and foreground and shadow side of the church are the darkest dark. Knowing the lightest lights, the middle tones, the darkest darks, and which values are equal-all of this is invaluable information. 图像三是当您眯起眼睛更多时会看到的。请注意整个场景已经被简化为三个主要值。天空、两块墓碑和小花点现在很容易被看作是整个场景中最轻的光。教堂的屋顶和草地上的一道阳光是中间色调。树木、前景和教堂的阴影侧是最暗的暗色。了解最轻的光、中间色调、最暗的暗色,以及哪些值是相等的-所有这些都是宝贵的信息。
SHANNON ONE SHANNON ONE
香农一
Here are more examples of what to discover about your subject (SHANNON ONE, above) when you squint down at it gradually. Remember, squinting is not meant to be a way of seeing the true values in a subject. The true values are the ones you see when you view your subject without squinting. The purpose of squinting is to make judgments about the relationships among and between values. In other words you squint down not to see how light or dark things really are, but rather which values are lightest compared to all the others, which are darkest, and which fall into the middle tones. 以下是更多关于您主题(上面的 SHANNON ONE)的发现的示例。请记住,眯眼并不意味着要看清主题的真实价值。真实价值是您在不眯眼时看到的价值。眯眼的目的是对价值之间的关系做出判断。换句话说,您眯眼并不是为了看清事物的明暗程度,而是为了看出哪些价值相对于其他所有价值最轻,哪些最暗,哪些属于中间色调。
The lightest lights, darkest darks, and clear middle tones are the important relationships to recognize in any subject, because they help make judgments about the lightness or darkness of the other more subtle values, and they help in creating a more powerful design. 最轻的光,最暗的暗,以及清晰的中间色调是任何主题中重要的关系,因为它们有助于判断其他更微妙价值的明暗,并有助于创造更有力的设计。
SHANNON TWO 香农二
SHANNON TWO shows how squinting down, even just a little, eliminates smaller details so the values in the couch, the darks in Shannon's hair and blouse, her robe, and the dark values in Nancy's painting behind the model, are all coming together to form a single value shape-imagine how just this small amount of squinting makes a block-in so much easier! SHANNON TWO 展示了如何微微闭眼,甚至只是一点点,就会消除较小的细节,使沙发上的价值,Shannon 头发和衬衫上的黑色,她的长袍,以及模特身后南希画作中的暗色值,都汇聚在一起形成一个单一的价值形状-想象一下,仅仅这么小的闭眼动作会让一个大块的描绘变得如此容易!
At this degree of squinting, you will also begin to notice how almost every other area of the subject has become simplified. The pattern in the robe is still apparent, but the pattern and the shadows together have been slightly joined and reduced to two values rather than the original five or six values (yet another help in blocking-in). 在这种程度的斜视下,您还会开始注意到主题的几乎每个其他区域都变得简化了。长袍上的图案仍然明显,但图案和阴影一起已经略微合并并减少到两个值,而不是最初的五到六个值(这是另一种帮助进行初步画面构图的方法)。
Always remember: open your eyes to see the true colors, and squint down to see the relationships between values and edges. 永远记住:睁开眼睛看到真实的色彩,眯起眼睛看到价值和边缘之间的关系。
SHANNON THREE 香农三
SHANNON THREE demonstrates clearly the value of how skillful squinting makes almost every subject instantly understandable! How clear it is now! If you observe carefully there are only two values in the light parts and pretty much only one value in all of the dark areas. SHANNON THREE 清晰地展示了瞬间让几乎每个主题变得易于理解的技巧性眯眼的价值!现在它是多么清晰!如果你仔细观察,光部分只有两个值,而所有暗区几乎只有一个值。
Now the painting becomes pure enjoyment to finish, because reducing the subject to its essentials has gotten all the hard stuff out of the way. You can see now that squinting down to see the larger value relationships is basically a process of elimination - as you squint down bit by bit, more and more of the nonessentials vanish into larger, more understandable and masterful value shapes, and are thus greatly helpful in doing a well drawn block-in, and a well drawn block-in is almost a finished painting! 现在,绘画变成了纯粹的享受,因为将主题简化到其基本要素已经解决了所有困难。现在你可以看到,眯起眼睛看更大价值关系基本上是一个排除的过程 - 当你逐渐眯起眼睛时,越来越多的非必要元素消失在更大、更易理解和娴熟的价值形状中,因此在进行良好的画块描绘时非常有帮助,而良好的画块描绘几乎就是一幅完成的画!
SHANNON FOUR 香农四
SHANNON FOUR—If there is the slightest doubt about which values are the lightest lights in any subject, squint down until you have reduced your subject to two values as shown above. This is about as simple as things can get while squinting. If you should squint any further until all you see is black, it could mean you have fallen asleep. 香农四——如果对任何主题中哪些价值是最轻的光有丝毫疑问,请眯起眼睛,直到你将主题简化为上面所示的两个价值。这是在眯眼的情况下事情可以变得多么简单。如果你继续眯眼直到看到的全是黑色,那可能意味着你已经睡着了。
Quite seriously now, I must tell you this section was not easy to write. This is mainly because the intent is to see relationships rather than true values. But then, when it comes to doing the painting you must switch your thinking back to what the actual values are. It takes practice but once you learn to use this simple technique with your eyes it will be a part of every solution you employ in creating a painting. In many ways, these two pages are the most important in this book. 相当认真地说,我必须告诉你,这一部分写起来并不容易。这主要是因为意图是看到关系而不是真实价值。但是,当涉及绘画时,你必须将思维转回到实际价值。这需要练习,但一旦你学会用你的眼睛使用这种简单的技巧,它将成为你在创作绘画中使用的每个解决方案的一部分。在许多方面,这两页是本书中最重要的部分。
This small sketch of a couple in a park in Madrid was painted on a fairly rough textured, white lead Masonite panel. I mention the texture because it was the key to achieving many of the loose edges you see above. I doubt a more refined and detailed rendering on a smooth ground could equal the painterly strength of this work. 这幅描绘马德里公园一对情侣的小速写是在一块相当粗糙质地的白色铅马赛地板上绘制的。我提到质地是因为它是实现你在上面看到的许多松散边缘的关键。我怀疑在光滑地面上更精致和详细的渲染是否能够与这幅作品的绘画力量相匹敌。
Speculation has it this is actually a painting of Nancy and myself. By chance we did happen to be in Retiro Park in Madrid on that very day, and so it is altogether possible I painted us with my right hand, which you will note—is not visible. 有传言称这实际上是一幅描绘南希和我自己的画作。碰巧的是,那一天我们确实在马德里的雷蒂罗公园,所以完全有可能是我用右手画了我们,你会注意到——右手并不可见。
CHAPTER SIX—EDGES 第六章-边缘
Think about edges the way you would think about kissing someone. How many are the ways-and what can you impart in the process? Think of edges as the most exquisite of subtleties, as the means to open the secret recesses of the heart. Edges are ways to make your dabs of paint whisper, or shout, and reach nuances which can amplify your palette of colors. Think of them as visual poetry oozing from your brush—but especially think of edges as you would the agents of expression in music. 想象边缘就像想象亲吻某人一样。有多少种方式,你能在这个过程中传达什么?把边缘看作是最精致的微妙之处,是打开心灵秘密隐匿处的手段。边缘是让你的涂抹轻声细语或高声呐喊,并达到可以增强你的色彩调色板的细微差别的方式。把它们看作是从你的画笔中渗出的视觉诗歌,但尤其要把边缘看作是音乐中表达的媒介。
It is surprising how many parallels there are between music and painting. We artists speak of harmony, tones, rhythm, notes, form, composition, and so on-words which are also common musical terms. I think of edges as pianissimo (very soft), andante (flowing), allegro vivace (fast and lively), maestoso (majestic), fortissimo con sforzando (whamo!). These beautiful adjectives are used in musical phrasing to designate the physical manner in which keys, valves, strings, or drums, are touched (legato, staccato, etc.), as well as the way they are strung together (phrasing). While there is certainly no exact correlation between music and painting, certain comparisons are valid about the various ways we "touch" a painting with our "notes" of color. A wide variation of touch and speed gives music its richness of expression, and a lavish variety of edges does the same thing in painting. 令人惊讶的是音乐和绘画之间存在着许多相似之处。我们艺术家谈论和谐、音调、节奏、音符、形式、构图等等词汇,这些词汇也是常见的音乐术语。我把边缘想象为 pianissimo(非常柔和)、andante(流畅)、 allegro vivace(快速活泼)、maestoso(庄严)、fortissimo con sforzando(强烈突然)。这些美丽的形容词用于音乐乐句中,用以指定按键、阀门、琴弦或鼓面的物理接触方式(连贯、断奏等),以及它们如何串联在一起(乐句)。虽然音乐和绘画之间肯定没有确切的对应关系,但关于我们如何用色彩的“音符”“触摸”绘画的各种方式,某些比较是有效的。广泛的触感和速度变化赋予音乐丰富的表现力,而丰富多样的边缘在绘画中也起到同样的作用。
Each time we touch a brush to canvas we create edges. It is the character of those edges--the gradual or abrupt way with which they merge with other strokes-that makes all the difference. 每当我们用画笔触及画布时,我们就创造了边缘。边缘的特性——它们与其他笔触融合的逐渐或突然的方式——造就了一切不同。
This difference is not only about the lyrical quality of our painting, it is also crucial to whether or not our work appears convincing. Why? Because you and I focus our eyes in a uniquely selective way when we look at things in the course of our daily routines. Only a small area at the center of our gaze is in perfect focus; all the rest is relatively indistinct. Because of our binocular vision we also see slightly around the edges of objects (an effect which diminishes with the square of its distance from us). Edges are the only visual tools I am aware of which can replicate that special way of focusing. We see in ways no cameras or recording devices can quite duplicate (not yet anyway). So far, only a certain type of highly skilled painting can come close to the way we humans actually see things (because the seeing painter is the recording device). If we are sensitive to the wide variety of edges in our subject, and we can translate them into appropriately hard or soft transitions between color shapes, there will be magic in our painting. If we ignore edges, our work will be flat and unconvincing, rather like computer generated voices. Remember, I am referring here only to painting which attempts to create an illusion of a person's ordinary visual reality. All other ways of realistic painting, while unquestionably valid in terms of artistic license, are deviations from, or changed versions, of nature. Obviously non-representational art is playing an entirely different game, and is not relevant here. 这种差异不仅仅体现在我们绘画的抒情质量上,它对于我们的作品是否令人信服也至关重要。为什么呢?因为在日常生活中,你和我在观察事物时会以独特的选择性方式聚焦眼光。只有视线中心的一个小区域处于完美聚焦状态;其他所有部分相对模糊。由于我们的双眼视觉,我们也会稍微看到物体边缘的周围(这种效果随着距离的平方而减弱)。边缘是我所知道的唯一可以复制那种特殊聚焦方式的视觉工具。我们以一种相机或录像设备无法完全复制的方式观察事物(至少目前还无法)。到目前为止,只有某种类型的高技能绘画可以接近我们人类实际看到事物的方式(因为观察的画家就是记录设备)。如果我们对主题中各种边缘敏感,并且能够将它们转化为颜色形状之间适当的硬或软过渡,我们的绘画将会有魔力。如果我们忽视边缘,我们的作品将会平淡无力,有点像计算机生成的声音。 请记住,我在这里只是指试图创造一个人普通视觉现实的绘画。所有其他形式的写实绘画,虽然在艺术许可的范围内无疑是有效的,但都是对自然的偏离或改变版本。显然,非表现性艺术正在玩一个完全不同的游戏,与此无关。
Superb displays of edges are present in most of the masterpieces of representational painting beginning about the time of Velasquez and Hals and continuing through the beginning of the 20th century. Virtuosos of edges were keenly aware of them and made full use of their potential. Today, however, edges are probably the least understood of our tools. Since the 1930s, except for the teachings of people like Bill Mosby, and the work of some distinguished illustrators, the skills attending edges appear to have gradually declined in painting. To my knowledge, not much has been written at length about them in the past. However, I have noticed an increase of interest in the subject since Alla Prima was published in 1998. My hope is that instruction on the use of edges will soon be presented on an equal basis with drawing, values, and color in realistic painting classes. It won't be easy or happen overnight because there is something uncomfortably elusive about them. Their very nature makes them difficult to measure or define, and much in our perception of edges, as well as our judgment in rendering them, is purely subjective. The good news is there are things about edges which are not arbitrary. Nevertheless, if violin or piano, or vocal technique can be taught, so can expressive edges. Let us explore them together here. 绝妙的边缘展示出现在大部分代表性绘画杰作中,始于韦拉斯奎兹和哈尔斯的时代,并延续至 20 世纪初。边缘的大师们对其敏锐地意识到,并充分利用了它们的潜力。然而,如今,边缘可能是我们最不理解的工具之一。自 20 世纪 30 年代以来,除了像比尔·莫斯比这样的人的教导以及一些杰出插画家的作品外,绘画中与边缘相关的技能似乎逐渐减弱。据我所知,过去对此并没有太多长篇大论。然而,自 1998 年《Alla Prima》出版以来,我注意到人们对这一主题的兴趣增加了。我希望边缘的使用指导很快能够与绘画课程中的素描、价值和色彩平起平坐。这并不容易,也不会一蹴而就,因为边缘有一种令人难以捉摸的特性。它们的本质使其难以衡量或定义,我们对边缘的感知以及在呈现它们时的判断很大程度上是主观的。 好消息是边缘的一些特性并非随意的。然而,如果小提琴、钢琴或声乐技巧可以被教授,那么表现性的边缘也是可以的。让我们在这里一起探索它们。
LILIES oil on canvas, 百合 布面油画
DAFFODIL AND ROSES (Detail), oil on panel, 水仙和玫瑰(细节),油彩画板,
EXACTLY WHAT ARE EDGES ANYWAY? 到底边缘是什么?
Edges are the borderlines between the shapes of color we see on our subjects, and the corresponding color shapes we create on our paintings. Each color shape has at least three sides, and they fit together like nations on a map, or pieces in a puzzle. Those boundaries (edges) are designated as either relatively "hard" or "soft" in varying degrees. The hardness or softness of the edges describes the transitions between those shapes - the degree to which they are blended, or not blended at all. They can be extremely abrupt (hard or sharp edge), or very gradual (soft edge), or somewhere in-between. For those "in-between" edges, let's call them "moderate" or "intermediate." When a shape of color blends into another so gradually it is impossible to tell where one begins and the other ends, it is called a lost edge. 边缘是我们在主体上看到的颜色形状与我们在绘画上创造的相应颜色形状之间的边界线。每个颜色形状至少有三条边,它们像地图上的国家或拼图中的拼块一样拼合在一起。这些边界(边缘)被指定为在不同程度上相对“硬”或“软”。边缘的硬度或柔软度描述了这些形状之间的过渡程度 - 它们混合的程度,或者根本不混合。它们可以是极端突然的(硬或锐利的边缘),也可以是非常渐进的(软边缘),或者介于两者之间。对于那些“介于两者之间”的边缘,让我们称之为“中等”或“中间”。当一种颜色形状逐渐融入另一种颜色形状,以至于不可能分辨哪里开始哪里结束时,这被称为失去的边缘。
Unfortunately, we lack the rich vocabulary to describe edges any better. Unlike our musician friends, we labor without the technical expressions which could specify exactly how soft or hard an edge might be. All we have are a few adjectives: soft, moderate, hard (or sharp), and lost. That's about it except for words like fuzzy, hazy, blurred, firm, razor sharp, or modifiers such as very, medium, extremely, and so on - not much to choose from. Nevertheless, we shall carry on and examine three important aspects of edges: 不幸的是,我们缺乏丰富的词汇来更好地描述边缘。与我们的音乐家朋友不同,我们在没有技术术语的情况下劳作,这些术语可以准确地指定边缘有多柔软或坚硬。我们只有一些形容词:柔软、适中、坚硬(或锋利)和丢失。除了模糊、朦胧、模糊、坚实、剃刀般锋利或非常、中等、极端等修饰语之外,我们几乎没有其他选择。尽管如此,我们将继续并检查边缘的三个重要方面:
1. HOW AND WHY THEY OCCUR IN A SUBJECT. 1. 主题中它们是如何以及为什么发生的。
2. HOW TO IDENTIFY THEIR VISIBLE CHARACTERISTICS. 2. 如何识别它们的可见特征。
3. HOW TO TRANSLATE THEM INTO BRUSHSTROKES. 3. 如何将它们翻译成笔触。
THE CAUSES OF EDGES IN A SUBJECT 主题中边缘的原因
If you are new to the use of edges, or have trouble seeing them, it may help to begin by understanding how they occur. Start by looking carefully at something-anything. Look around the room where you sit reading this, look out the window, or just glance at yourself in a mirror, and you will see edges wherever any two or more visible shapes meet. Here are the main reasons they appear the way they do: 如果您对边缘的使用还不熟悉,或者难以看清它们,了解它们产生的方式可能会有所帮助。首先仔细观察某物-任何东西。看看您坐在阅读这篇文章的房间周围,看看窗外,或者只是瞥一眼镜子里的自己,您会看到任何两个或更多可见形状相遇的地方都有边缘。以下是它们呈现出现在这种方式的主要原因:
A. The inherent shape of things. Often you can expect to see soft edges on rounded objects such as anatomical features, the folds in fabrics, or a field of grass curving slowly away. Anything angular or sheared, like a sheet of paper or a stiff collar, or architectural forms, may seem sharply edged. A. 事物固有的形状。通常你会看到圆润物体上的柔和边缘,比如解剖特征、织物的褶皱,或者一片缓缓弯曲的草地。任何有角度或削平的东西,比如一张纸、一顶硬领子,或者建筑形式,可能看起来边缘分明。
B. The intrinsic ("local") value and color of things (like a yellow dress or black hat). Elements or shapes which are similar in value or color will appear to have a softer transition between them than elements which contrast, even though the real (physical) edge is hard. For example: If you place a dark blue against a dark green, their boundary will look softer than if the colors are dark blue against bright orange. B. 事物的内在(“本地”)价值和颜色(如黄色连衣裙或黑色帽子)。在价值或颜色相似的元素或形状之间,它们之间的过渡会显得比对比明显的元素更柔和,即使实际(物理)边缘是硬的。例如:如果你将深蓝色放在深绿色旁边,它们的边界看起来会比深蓝色放在明亮橙色旁边时更柔和。
C. The nature of things - what they are made of - clouds, curly blond hair, and the rear ends of ducks are likely to have softer edges than bricks or door frames. The substances of things, however, are not always a reliable guide in determining an edge. C. 事物的本质 - 它们由什么构成 - 云朵、卷曲的金发和鸭子的尾部可能比砖块或门框具有更柔和的边缘。然而,事物的物质并不总是确定边缘的可靠指南。
D. The light-how strong, or weak, or diffused it is, and the angle it is striking the subject. A single powerful light source such as the sun or a spotlight striking a subject at right angles to you will likely produce sharp edges, usually as cast shadows. On the other hand, north daylight or overcast light will yield softly diffused edges. Hard edges in diffuse light are mainly the result of something other than the light, such as the edge of a white collar against a dark suit. D. 光线的强度,弱度或扩散程度,以及照射主体的角度。像太阳或聚光灯这样的单一强光源以与您垂直的角度照射主体,通常会产生锐利的边缘,通常是作为投射的阴影。另一方面,北方的白天光线或阴天光线会产生柔和扩散的边缘。在扩散光中的硬边缘主要是光线以外的其他因素造成的,比如白色衣领与深色西装的边缘。
MOUNT MORAN (Detail), oil on canvas, 24 x 36, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1968 莫兰山(细节),布面油画,24 x 36,怀俄明州杰克逊霍尔,1968 年
ATLANTIC SEAS (Detail), oil on canvas, 24 x 36, Monhegan Island, Maine, 1976 大西洋海域(细节),帆布油画,24 x 36,缅因州蒙黑根岛,1976
The importance of appropriate edges in painting is clearly demonstrated in the two works above. In MOUNT MORAN (top) the bright sunlight, crisp shadows and rock formations call for an entirely different and harder set of edges than in the painting of ATLANTIC SEAS (bottom). In this the atmosphere and character of the breaking waves demands an abundant variety of soft and almost completely lost edges. One could almost imagine the artistic disaster if I had gotten the two works mixed up regarding edges. 绘画中适当的边缘的重要性在上述两幅作品中得到了清晰展示。在《莫兰山》(顶部)中,明亮的阳光、清晰的阴影和岩石构成需要一组完全不同且更加坚硬的边缘,而在《大西洋海域》(底部)的绘画中则需要丰富多样且几乎完全丢失的柔和边缘。如果我在处理边缘时把这两幅作品搞混,几乎可以想象出艺术上的灾难。
E. The atmosphere-how clear or murky it is. This is a familiar concern in landscape and marine painting, though it occasionally happens indoors as well. The clarity of the air, a clear day for example, or the lack of it, as on a foggy morning, is a strong influence on the quality of the light, and that, in turn, affects edges. Most edges in a landscape tend to soften with distance. Fog and haze, for example, dramatically subdue edges with distance, while clear air can often maintain somewhat sharper edges at long distances. This is a problem I am familiar with having lived at a high altitude in the unusually clear air in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Very often distant mountains and other landscape features appeared almost as close as nearby ranges. The clear thin air at the high altitude prevailed over the familiar effect of aerial perspective by greatly subduing the value changes which normally occur with distance-very annoying. John Singer Sargent complained about it too when he painted in the Canadian Rocky Mountains because he was more accustomed to the atmospheric effects of the European Alps, which receive vast amounts of humid air from the Mediterranean. I noted the same increase in values and color when I did Alpine studies in the Südtirol of Northern Italy. E. 大气氛-清晰或浑浊。这是风景和海洋绘画中常见的关注点,尽管偶尔也会发生在室内。空气的清晰度,例如晴朗的一天,或者缺乏它,如在雾蒙蒙的早晨,对光线的质量有很大影响,进而影响边缘。风景中的大多数边缘在远处往往会变得柔和。例如,雾和烟雾会大大减弱远处的边缘,而清澈的空气通常可以在远处保持较为清晰的边缘。这是我熟悉的问题,因为我生活在科罗拉多州落基山脉清澈的高海拔地区。经常看到远处的山脉和其他景观特征几乎和附近的山脉一样近。高海拔处清澈的稀薄空气大大压倒了通常随着距离发生的价值变化,这非常令人恼火。约翰·辛格·萨金特在加拿大落基山绘画时也抱怨过这一点,因为他更习惯于欧洲阿尔卑斯山的大气效应,那里接收来自地中海的大量湿润空气。 我在意大利北部的南蒂罗尔进行阿尔卑斯山研究时,也注意到数值和颜色的增加。
F. Motion. To our eyes, things blur when they move. If you paint moving things with hard edges it will look as if you copied a high-speed photograph. Ocean waves, flying birds, waterfalls, trees in the wind, and everything else that moves must be carefully studied as edge problems. I believe the subject ought to be movement itself, rather than the thing in motion - the flight of a flying bird, for example, not how pretty or authentically rendered its feathers are. Nearly all movement in nature occurs as repetitive flow. Even when things appear to change randomly and unpredictably (like cloud shapes), their movements have a pattern which can be understood. Take the time necessary to see such patterns-notice shapes which happen with predictable frequency, as in waves breaking on a shore, or streaming into rocks in a brook. Then paint them with a variety of appropriately soft and hard edges (a certain amount of experimenting is usually necessary). The result will be surprisingly convincing. F. 运动。在我们的眼中,物体在移动时会变得模糊。如果你用硬边来描绘移动的事物,它看起来就像是你复制了一张高速照片。海浪、飞鸟、瀑布、风中的树木,以及其他一切移动的事物都必须仔细研究其边缘问题。我认为主题应该是运动本身,而不是运动中的事物 - 例如飞鸟的飞行,而不是其羽毛有多漂亮或逼真。自然界几乎所有的运动都是重复的流动。即使事物看起来变化随机和不可预测(比如云朵的形状),它们的运动也有一种可以理解的模式。花时间去看这些模式-注意那些以可预测频率发生的形状,比如海浪拍打在海岸上,或是流入小溪中的岩石。然后用各种适当的软硬边来描绘它们(通常需要一定程度的尝试)。结果将会令人惊讶地令人信服。
A note of caution - there is rarely a single cause for the appearance of an edge. The way it looks in a subject is usually a combination of some factors described above. Atmosphere, light, values, colors, motion, textures and form, can intermingle in bewildering ways. It is interesting to figure out what you are looking at, but don't worry if you can't explain it. It is more important to simply recognize edges. I recognize countless everyday things and deal with them successfully without understanding them in the slightest-for example, my tax returns and the computer on which I am typing this. Seriously, as a general policy, it is a good idea to try and place the very sharpest edges in your painting within or near the focal point of a painting, because we see that way naturally. Glance around and you will see that it is impossible to focus on any one thing and still have sharp edges in your peripheral vision. 一点小心——边缘出现很少是由单一原因造成的。它在主体中的外观通常是上述一些因素的组合。气氛、光线、价值、颜色、运动、质地和形式可以以令人困惑的方式交织在一起。弄清楚你在看什么是很有趣的,但如果你解释不清楚也不要担心。更重要的是简单地认识边缘。我认识到无数日常事物并成功处理它们,而且完全不理解它们——例如,我的税单和我正在打字的电脑。严肃地说,作为一项一般政策,将绘画中最锐利的边缘放在绘画的焦点内或附近是一个好主意,因为我们自然而然地看到那样。四处看看,你会发现无法专注于任何一件事物,同时在你的周边视野中仍然有清晰的边缘。
AWARENESS OF EDGES 边缘意识
Using the information from the five points I have just described, look again at something near and familiar. The kitchen with its pots and pans is a good place (vegetables and fruits always have great edges too). The bedroom is ideal too-you can take your clothes off and check out your own edges in the mirror-or go out where you can see land and trees and a sky full of clouds (but put your clothes back on first). 利用我刚刚描述的五个要点的信息,再次看看附近熟悉的东西。厨房里的锅碗瓢盆是一个好地方(蔬菜和水果也总是有很棒的边缘)。卧室也很理想-你可以脱掉衣服,在镜子里检查自己的边缘,或者出去看看陆地、树木和满天的云(但先把衣服穿回去)。
Select some individual things, then ask yourself these questions to help you understand what you are seeing: 选择一些个别的事物,然后问自己以下问题,以帮助你理解你所看到的东西:
Is the edge of the shape you are looking at curving away from you or toward you? 你正在看的形状的边缘是朝向你弯曲还是远离你?
Is the curve, if there is one, smooth and gradual or abrupt? Is the color shape you are looking at the same color or value as adjacent shapes, or is it a different color and value? 曲线(如果有的话)是平滑渐变的还是突然的?您正在观察的颜色形状与相邻形状的颜色或价值相同,还是不同的颜色和价值?
Are you looking at something hard to simplify, things unclear or complex, like clouds, hair, or myriad tree branches and tall grass in the wind - or is it something geometric with sharp angles such as buildings or rock formations? 你是在看一些难以简化的东西吗?是一些模糊或复杂的事物,像云、头发,或是风中无数的树枝和高草?还是一些有着锐利角度的几何图形,比如建筑物或岩石构造?
Are your shapes in snappy bright sunlight, or are they back in the dim shadows? 你的形状是在明亮的阳光下,还是回到昏暗的阴影中?
Are you in subdued north daylight or overcast with no cast shadows? 你是在昏暗的北方白昼还是阴天没有投影?
In the landscape, is it foggy out or clear? Does the clarity of the air decrease or increase with distance? 在景观中,是雾蒙蒙还是清晰明朗?空气的透明度随着距离的增加而减少还是增加?
Answering questions like these will go a long way toward identifying the edges on the things you wish to paint, but don't go overboard with analysis. All you really need is the ability to spot edges as hard or soft or something in between. Figuring out the cause of an edge does come in handy when you find yourself in the occasional predicament of not being able to make up your mind about an edge. However, it is not essential to have a rational explanation to paint it convincingly. For example, if you recognize a soft edge, that's really all the information you need! It isn't necessary to know why it is soft. Just paint it the way it looks! Besides (and this is important), understanding the causes of edges is not enough. You must also be able to determine their relationships - how hard or soft they are compared to one another. 回答这类问题将有助于识别您希望绘制的物体边缘,但不要过度分析。您真正需要的是能够发现边缘是硬的、软的还是介于两者之间的能力。当您发现自己偶尔无法确定边缘时,弄清楚边缘的原因确实会派上用场。然而,为了能够有说服力地绘制,并不一定需要有一个理性的解释。例如,如果您认识到一个软边缘,那么这已经是您所需要的所有信息了!并不需要知道为什么它是软的。只需按照它的样子绘制!此外(这一点很重要),了解边缘的原因还不够。您还必须能够确定它们之间的关系 - 它们相互之间的硬度或软度如何。
SEEING EDGES SELECTIVELY-LEARNING TO STEP BACK, SQUINT, AND COMPARE 有选择性地看边缘-学会退后一步,眯起眼睛,比较
Seeing edges requires the same two important aids-squinting and comparison-which I described in the previous chapter on Values. They are essential in working with edges, and I find it is best to do them together. Let me dwell on squinting first. Read what follows next very carefully. This is hard stuff to write about. 看到边缘需要相同的两个重要辅助手段——眯眼和比较——这两个我在前一章关于价值观中描述过的。它们在处理边缘时至关重要,我发现最好一起进行。让我先详细谈谈眯眼。非常仔细地阅读接下来的内容。这是很难写的东西。
Squinting applies to seeing both edges and values in a remarkably similar way, though it does tend to work a little better with values. Closing your eyes slightly when looking at your subject to simplify will give you equivalent information about both. Just as you half-closed your eyes to determine the lightest light, the darkest darks, and the ranking of middle values, so too will squinting help you to see which edges are sharpest, which are softest, and which fall into a middle range. It allows you to see where things blend the most, where they stand out distinctly, and the pecking order of all the remaining edges. It is an amazingly simple and effective technique. The aim is to obtain an orderly grasp of the edges in your subject. That means you will get practical information - the evaluations you need to paint your picture-rather than just seeing a dark fuzzy image of your subject. 眯眼的方法适用于以非常相似的方式看到边缘和价值,尽管它在价值方面的效果稍微更好。在看待主题时稍微闭上眼睛以简化,将为您提供有关两者的等效信息。就像您半闭眼睛来确定最轻的光,最暗的暗色和中间值的排名一样,眯眼也将帮助您看到哪些边缘最锐利,哪些最柔和,哪些属于中间范围。它让您看到事物混合最多的地方,哪些地方显著突出,以及所有其他边缘的排序。这是一种非常简单而有效的技术。目标是有序地掌握主题的边缘。这意味着您将获得实用信息 - 您绘制图片所需的评估,而不仅仅是看到主题的模糊暗影像。
Doing it proficiently takes concentration, but it's worth any effort to get good at it. Try practicing it at first with a typical subject, something with lots of high contrast elements. It's easier too when you're just starting out with this to get the hang of it with a well-lit subject instead of practicing on something low-keyed and subtle. Outdoors on a sunny day in your backyard or looking down your street is a good place for starters. It isn't necessary to paint. Just pour yourself a glass of iced tea (nothing stronger, if you please), sit down, and notice some specific things. 熟练地做这件事需要专注,但努力学习是值得的。首先尝试用一个典型的主题练习,选择一些具有高对比元素的东西。刚开始时,选择一个光线充足的主题练习会更容易些,而不是在一些低调和微妙的东西上练习。在户外的阳光明媚的日子里,可以在后院或街道上练习是一个不错的开始。不一定要绘画。只需倒一杯冰茶(请不要喝更烈的酒精饮料),坐下来,留意一些具体的事物。
Begin with your eyes wide open. See how sharply focused everything is, and how much detail there is. Notice how the longer you look at one particular spot, more and more details emerge. Notice too how you see many color and value changes, and how all edges appear clear and crisp the more you look directly at them. If your eyesight is good, you probably can now see more sharp edges and itsy-bitsy detail than you would ever want to paint. 从睁大眼睛开始。看看一切是多么清晰,有多少细节。注意越久盯着一个特定的地方看,越会发现更多细节。也注意到你看到许多颜色和价值的变化,以及所有边缘在你直视时显得清晰而锐利。如果你的视力很好,你现在可能能看到比你想要绘画的更多锐利的边缘和微小的细节。
Now close your eyes just a tiny fraction. Note that some detail diminishes, some values and colors merge, and some edges begin to lose a bit of clarity. (The first edges to disappear completely will be the soft transitions in the subject.) You are now beginning to simplify your subject. 现在请将眼睛闭上一点点。注意到一些细节减弱了,一些价值和颜色融合在一起,一些边缘开始失去一点清晰度。(首先完全消失的边缘将是主题中的柔和过渡。)您现在开始简化您的主题。
At this point you need to be particularly alert. Notice exactly which details diminish and which values and colors blend into larger shapes. See how many of the tiny clear edges you could see with your eyes wide open now begin to join to form larger softer edges. Make note too of the things which do NOT change very much as you squint. See which shapes and edges retain their integrity. Those will be your stronger sharper-edged elements. 此刻,您需要格外警觉。准确注意哪些细节减弱,哪些价值和颜色融入更大的形状中。看看有多少微小清晰的边缘您现在睁大眼睛可以看到开始汇聚形成更大更柔和的边缘。还要注意当您眯起眼睛时哪些东西变化不大。看看哪些形状和边缘保持其完整性。那些将是您更强烈、更锐利边缘的元素。
YORKSHIRE CHURCHYARD 约克郡教堂墓地
oil on panel, 油彩画板,
This is the only painting of mine I have ever copied. It was promised for a one-man show, but I was so fond of it, I did a larger version for the exhibition-slightly cooler and minus the iron gate. I felt the differences would avoid any future confusion. 这是我唯一一幅复制过的画作。它原本是为一场个展而准备的,但我太喜欢它了,于是为展览做了一个更大的版本,略微冷静一些,去掉了铁门。我觉得这些差异可以避免以后的混淆。
I kept this original version because it touched me in a way few other of my paintings ever do, primarily because Nancy is the main subject, and secondly, I caught the hushed English light, which I also love. 我保留了这个原始版本,因为它以一种少有的方式触动了我,主要是因为南希是主题,其次,我捕捉到了那种我也喜爱的安静的英国光线。
I also managed to capture, after many tries, the elusive green color of the grass peculiar to the British Isles and other places, such as our Pacific Northwest and Alaska. In this case, the mixture turned out to be mainly Viridian, Yellow Ochre light, and White, with a bit of Cadmium Yellow in places. 我经过多次尝试,终于成功捕捉到了英国群岛和其他地方独特的草地绿色,比如我们太平洋西北地区和阿拉斯加。在这种情况下,混合物主要是翠绿色、黄土轻和白色,有些地方还加入了少量的镉黄色。
This little sketch may bring to mind some of the works of the 19th Century Naturalist painters, such as Bastien-Lepage, Jean Dagnan-Bouveret and others. I'm not a fan of the storytelling so characteristic of their output, but I felt I had matched something of their technical effects, and perhaps taken them a step further regarding edges. 这幅小速写可能让人联想到 19 世纪自然主义画家的一些作品,比如巴斯蒂安-勒帕日(Bastien-Lepage)、让·达尼昂-布韦雷(Jean Dagnan-Bouveret)等人。我并不喜欢他们作品中那种充满特色的叙事,但我觉得我已经达到了他们的一些技术效果,并且也许在边缘方面更进了一步。
It is possible the Naturalists' often heavy reliance on photographs accounts for their more conservative renderings when it came down to ways of putting paint on canvas. I have long felt the beauty of paint itself should be an important part of a work, which is why I was pleased to capture what I feel is a more painterly effect, especially in the trees and sky. 自然主义者经常过分依赖照片,这可能解释了当涉及在画布上涂抹颜料时,他们更保守的表现方式。我长期以来一直觉得颜料本身的美丽应该是作品的重要组成部分,这就是为什么我很高兴能捕捉到我认为更具绘画效果的部分,尤其是在树木和天空中。
The interplay of hard and soft transitions, along with the rich (middle-toned) color harmony, also added a mood so dreamlike I almost thought Nancy might slowly vanish before my eyes. 硬和软过渡的相互作用,以及丰富的(中调)色彩和谐,也增添了一种如梦幻般的情绪,我几乎以为南希可能会在我眼前慢慢消失。
Good! Close your eyes a bit more and see how things simplify even more. (Sounds like the last chapter, doesn't it?) Note how the strong shapes now tend to dominate and absorb smaller shapes. See how edges within dark value areas tend to be much softer than edges in the higher contrast light areas, and how detail tends to disappear altogether in the darkest darks. The very last discernible edge you see before your eyes shut will probably be the sharpest edge of all. It will also be the lightest light. (See where I'm going here?) 好!再闭上你的眼睛,看看事物如何变得更简单。(听起来像最后一章,是吧?)注意到强烈的形状现在往往会主导并吸收较小的形状。看看在暗色值区域内的边缘往往比高对比度的明亮区域中的边缘要柔和得多,以及细节在最黑暗的地方往往会完全消失。在你闭上眼睛之前看到的最后一个可辨认的边缘可能会是所有边缘中最锐利的。它也将是最轻的光。(看出我在这里的意思了吗?)
What I have described is an orderly and effective way of simplifying. It is orderly because you can close your eyes down just a bit at a time, noting how edges appear at each stage. It is effective because you learn something you can express as brushstrokes, and that is precisely what you are after. So, here is a little myth you can shatter at cocktail parties-when we painters look at things, we do not see more than other people, we see less. We do not see beauty where others cannot, but we do have the ability to stop the stream of time, to eliminate trivia, and thus understand why things look the way they do. In doing so we can concentrate a viewer's attention on the fascination of the purely visual. We can simplify things and arrest them at any moment of their happening. 我所描述的是一种有序且有效的简化方式。它是有序的,因为你可以逐渐闭上眼睛,注意每个阶段边缘的出现。它是有效的,因为你学会了可以用笔触表达的东西,这正是你追求的。所以,在这里有一个小神话,你可以在鸡尾酒会上打破——当我们画家看东西时,我们并不比其他人看得更多,我们看得更少。我们并不是在别人看不到美的地方看到美,而是我们有能力停止时间的流动,消除琐事,从而理解事物看起来为什么这样。这样做,我们可以集中观众的注意力在纯粹视觉的魅力上。我们可以简化事物,并在它们发生的任何时刻停止它们。
Let me repeat-squinting is not helpful in determining color, but it works like magic in seeing edges. Once you get the hang of it, you will use it to see edges and values simultaneously. Just don't squint down to the point where your image is so dark and blurred it is useless. 让我重申-眯眼并不能帮助确定颜色,但在看到边缘时却像魔法一样有效。一旦掌握了这种技巧,你将会用它来同时观察边缘和价值。只是不要眯眼到让图像变得太暗和模糊而毫无用处的地步。
Lastly, it only works marginally when working with photographs. Squinting at a photo is about the same as squinting at a painting. Everything gets fuzzy. Squinting for values in a photo is sometimes useful, but because of the limited data caught by the camera, the information you can obtain is inadequate compared to the real thing. 最后,当处理照片时,它的效果仅有限。盯着照片看与盯着一幅画看差不多。一切都变得模糊。在照片中寻找价值有时是有用的,但由于相机捕捉到的数据有限,你能获取的信息与实物相比是不足的。
COMPARISON 比较
Some edges in every subject will stand out conspicuously as either extremely sharp or completely lost even with your eyes wide open. You can't miss them (clouds, for example). Use those edges as your standards of comparison. Let us say you are looking at what you think is a hard edge, but you don't know how hard. Well, if you have already selected a razor-sharp edge in the subject as your hardest, you only need to compare the edge in question to that edge to see the difference. The same holds true, of course, for soft edges. Pick one you are sure of to be your standard of comparison, and use it to judge the relative softness of others. 每个主题中都会有一些边缘明显突出,要么极其锐利,要么完全消失,即使你睁大眼睛也看不到。你不会错过它们(比如云)。将这些边缘作为你的比较标准。假设你正在看一个你认为是硬边缘的东西,但你不知道有多硬。如果你已经选定了主题中一个剃刀般锋利的边缘作为最硬的,你只需要将问题中的边缘与那个边缘进行比较,就能看出差异。当然,对于柔和的边缘也是如此。选择一个你确信是标准的柔和边缘,用它来判断其他边缘的相对柔软程度。
As you become aware of edges, you will discover their close tie to values. Their interrelationship stems from the fact that they arise mutually. They often happen together from the same circumstances and operate as a sort of feedback system. Values and edges reciprocate in the ways they influence each other, just as values and colors do. 当您意识到边缘时,您会发现它们与价值观之间的密切联系。它们的相互关系源于它们相互产生的事实。它们经常在相同的情况下同时发生,并作为一种反馈系统运作。价值观和边缘在它们相互影响的方式上相互回应,就像价值观和颜色一样。
It is amazing and beautiful how this works-how all elements in the visual field are unavoidably interconnected like the Net of Indra so well described by Joseph Campbell in The Power of Myth (Doubleday 1988). The Net is an infinite mythical web with precious stones at every intersection of its threads so each gem reflects all the others, symbolizing the universal connection of everything. In the same way, everything visible looks the way it does because of everything else visible acting upon it. 这是令人惊叹和美丽的,这是如何运作的-视觉领域中的所有元素不可避免地相互联系,就像约瑟夫·坎贝尔在《神话的力量》(Doubleday 1988)中所描述的因陀罗网一样。这个网是一个无限的神话般的网络,在其线索的每个交汇点都有珍贵的宝石,因此每颗宝石都反映出其他所有宝石,象征着一切事物的普遍联系。同样,所有可见的事物之所以呈现出其样貌,是因为其他所有可见的事物对其产生影响。
Shapes with similarities in color or value will appear to have soft edges connecting them, and shapes with dissimilar properties will seem to have harder edges-even when the actual (physical) edge is the same. For example, two adjacent shapes (or brushstrokes) of similar value will appear to have a soft edge between them because the value difference is small. Conversely, the illusion of a hard edge is likely when you bring together shapes which contrast sharply in value or color-as when you join a deep blue-purple shape with a very light yellow-orange shape. Intrinsically soft things like clouds at sunset can often appear to have less than soft edges because of the bright sky behind them. So we now see that a very soft or lost edge between contrasting values and colors can tend to diminish the value difference between them, while a hard edge between similar values and colors can exaggerate their difference. Thus, edges can make values look the way they do-and values can make edges look the way they do. I like that. 颜色或价值相似的形状会呈现出连接它们的软边,而具有不同特性的形状则会呈现出硬边,即使实际(物理)边缘相同。例如,两个相邻的价值相似的形状(或笔触)之间会出现软边,因为价值差异很小。相反,当你将价值或颜色明显对比的形状放在一起时,例如将深蓝紫色形状与非常浅的黄橙色形状相连接时,硬边的错觉很可能会出现。像日落时的云这样固有柔软的东西通常会因为背后的明亮天空而呈现出不太柔软的边缘。因此,我们现在看到,对比价值和颜色之间非常柔软或模糊的边缘可能会减弱它们之间的价值差异,而对比相似价值和颜色之间的硬边可能会夸大它们之间的差异。因此,边缘可以使价值看起来如何,而价值可以使边缘看起来如何。我喜欢这一点。
The size of a shape in itself can determine how light or dark things will look even if they are the same intrinsic value-a large black mass of trees is blacker than a little black bush, and so on. The same is true of color. A whole wall painted red is "redder" than a small drop of the same paint. In my painting Study in Red (opposite), the red on the model's lower lip is identical to the red on her blouse, yet the blouse seems far more red. This saturation effect of large value or color areas is partly a psychological anomaly. I would add the smaller shape will also have softer edges, and the smaller things get, the more their edges soften. 形状的大小本身可以决定事物看起来是如何轻或暗,即使它们具有相同的内在价值-一大片黑色的树比一小丛黑灌木更黑,依此类推。颜色也是如此。整面涂成红色的墙比同样颜料的一小滴“更红”。在我的绘画《红色研究》(对面),模特下唇上的红色与她衬衫上的红色完全相同,然而衬衫看起来更红。这种大面积价值或颜色的饱和效应在一定程度上是一种心理异常。我想补充说,较小的形状也会有较柔和的边缘,而且物体越小,边缘就越柔和。
While these observations are obviously valid and good to know, in practice other factors can often intervene. Things like the angle of the light, reflected light, the material composition of the subject and its three-dimensional configuration, to name just a few. (There are many others.) Nature is so full of tricks, there is no reliable way to contrive a formula which applies in all circumstances. In the end, only your own well-trained eye is reliable. 尽管这些观察显然是有效的并且值得知道,但在实践中,其他因素经常会介入。诸如光线的角度、反射光、主体的材料组成以及其三维配置等因素,仅举几例(还有许多其他因素)。大自然充满了各种技巧,没有可靠的方法可以设计出适用于所有情况的公式。最终,只有您自己训练有素的眼睛是可靠的。
Natural phenomena will also affect both values and edges (and color as well). Fog or mist or light intensity will influence values, edges, and color simultaneously, or even a single change in one will change the others. For example, a change in value will always mean a consequent change in color (because you must use another color to lighten or darken something), and that will create a change in the edge. You have to be ready for anything! 自然现象也会影响价值和边缘(以及颜色)。 雾气、薄雾或光强度会同时影响价值、边缘和颜色,甚至一个方面的变化都会改变其他方面。 例如,价值的变化总是意味着颜色的相应变化(因为您必须使用另一种颜色来使某物变亮或变暗),这将导致边缘的变化。 你必须随时做好准备!
Unfortunately, there are no set rules about edges. Like naughty little boys, they behave as they wish and enjoy teasing. What appears in one situation may not occur in another. There are too many variables (including your own eyesight) to allow for solid predictability. However, it is extremely helpful to know how these natural illusions (that's what they are) do happen. So be on the lookout and just accept them. After all, your job is to create a picture of the way things look to you. If you try to clarify things for your viewer based solely upon what the rules say ought to be there, your painting will not look like your subject does. I strongly recommend painting an edge as it APPEARS, regardless of anything else you know about it. 不幸的是,边缘没有固定的规则。就像调皮的小男孩一样,它们随心所欲,喜欢戏弄。在一个情况中出现的东西可能在另一个情况中不会发生。有太多的变量(包括你自己的视力)不允许有确定的可预测性。然而,了解这些自然幻觉(就是它们的本质)是非常有帮助的。所以保持警惕,接受它们。毕竟,你的工作是根据你的看法创造一个图像。如果你试图仅仅根据规则应该存在的东西来为观众澄清事物,你的绘画看起来就不会像你的主题那样。我强烈建议根据边缘的外观来绘画,而不管你对它了解多少。
One school of thought in the early part of the 20th century was definitely not in favor of softening edges. One well-known spokesmen warned against softening anything-edges in particular. I'm not sure why such an idea happened. It certainly wasn't ignorance, or lack of experience in painting from life. Most likely the practice of painting clear-cut edges no-matter-what arose because of the perceived importance in those days (as it is often today) of being recognized for having a strong style. Consequently, natural effects were often altered to fit an artist's misplaced need for stylistic technique. 20 世纪早期的一派思潮绝对不赞成软化边缘。一位著名的代言人警告说不要软化任何东西,尤其是边缘。我不确定为什么会有这样的想法。这肯定不是因为无知,或者缺乏从生活中绘画的经验。很可能,无论如何都要绘制清晰边缘的做法是因为在那个时代(就像今天一样)被认为具有强烈风格的重要性。因此,自然效果经常被改变以适应艺术家对风格技巧的错误需求。
The rejection of obviously varied edges could also have arisen from the brief popularity of palette knife painting at the time-a technique which almost naturally produced hard edges. Knife painting in general was rather heavy-handed and usually applied thickly, like stucco, unlike the more sophisticated and subtle technique of the contemporaneous Russian school. The Russians viewed the knife as a tool of great expressive potential, instead of a kind of small trowel to plaster pigments on canvas. Nicolai Fechin's early work contains many examples of virtuoso knife painting. 显然变化边缘的拒绝也可能源自当时铲刀绘画的短暂流行,这种技术几乎自然地产生了硬边缘。总的来说,铲刀绘画相当粗犷,通常涂抹得很厚,像灰泥一样,不像同时代俄罗斯学派更加复杂和微妙的技术。俄罗斯人将铲刀视为具有极大表现潜力的工具,而不是一种在画布上涂抹颜料的小泥刀。尼古拉·费钦的早期作品中有许多精湛的铲刀绘画示例。
A more widespread reason for not blending was probably the trend to use incremental color transitions at edges-several small color changes applied side by side to show a change of form. No doubt that was the influence of Impressionism, because it was the practice then to favor small, distinct, color graduations over blending. The influence of the Impressionists continued full-tilt long after the charter group disappeared. (The original French movement lasted a mere 20 years or so.) 不混合的一个更普遍的原因可能是倾向于在边缘使用渐变颜色过渡的趋势 - 将几种小颜色变化并排应用以显示形式的变化。毫无疑问,这受到印象派的影响,因为当时的惯例是偏爱小而明显的颜色渐变而非混合。印象派的影响在创始团体消失后仍然持续不减。 (原始的法国运动仅持续了短短 20 年左右。)
Others might have been reacting to what they considered to be the misuse of blending-the feathering or fusing of colors to achieve more softly graduated edges. Some regarded blending as leading to superficial overblending. (The word feathering, or to feather, presumably originated from the old practice of using the large wing feathers of geese as blending tools.) At any rate, and for whatever reason, there arose simultaneously one school, the "brush men," such as Boldini, Zorn, and Sargent, with their very long, fluidly sexy brushing techniques, and a separate group, the "colorists," who would not dream of applying more than a half-inch of paint without changing the color-your basic broken color enthusiasts. The most uptight of them was Georges Seurat. 其他人可能对他们认为的混合使用不当做出了反应 - 羽化或融合颜色以实现更柔和的渐变边缘。一些人认为混合会导致表面过度混合。 (“羽化”一词,或者说“羽化”,据推测源自使用大雁的大翅膀羽毛作为混合工具的古老做法。)无论出于何种原因,同时出现了一派“画笔大师”,如博尔迪尼、佐恩和萨金特,他们采用非常长、流畅而性感的刷涂技术;以及一个独立的群体,“色彩派”,他们梦想着在不改变颜色的情况下涂抹超过半英寸的油漆 - 你基本的破碎色彩爱好者。其中最拘谨的是乔治·修拉。
So we now see once again how a very soft or lost edge between contrasting values and colors can tend to diminish the value difference between them, while a hard edge between similar values and colors can exaggerate their difference. Thus, edges can make values look the way they do - and values can make edges look the way they do. I like that, but it's not always easy to see. 因此,我们现在再次看到,对比值和颜色之间非常柔和或模糊的边缘可能会减弱它们之间的价值差异,而相似值和颜色之间的硬边缘可能会夸大它们之间的差异。因此,边缘可以使值看起来如其所为 - 值也可以使边缘看起来如其所为。我喜欢这一点,但并不总是容易看到。
No doubt it is good to intellectually analyze and understand what we see, but I have found that squinting down and using comparison is still the easiest and best way to make decisions about edges both in my subjects and my paintings. I realize I must seem to go on endlessly about stepping back, squinting, and comparing, but those three little practices are essential to seeing, and they always lead to simple, elegant results. 毫无疑问,对所见进行理性分析和理解是很好的,但我发现眯起眼睛并进行比较仍然是在我的主题和绘画中做决定的最简单和最好的方法。我意识到我似乎总是在不断地强调后退、眯眼和比较,但这三种小习惯对于观察是至关重要的,它们总是会带来简单、优雅的结果。
It is not difficult to develop an awareness of the light conditions around you. For me, mornings have a completely different mood than evenings. They even smell different. Dark rainy days are dramatically different than bright sunny days. Those are obvious examples of extremes. As painters we must cultivate a sensitivity to those days, as well as the less extreme conditions we will find ourselves working under. 发展对周围光线条件的意识并不困难。对我来说,早晨与晚上有完全不同的情绪。它们甚至有不同的气味。阴暗多雨的日子与明亮晴朗的日子截然不同。这些都是极端的明显例子。作为画家,我们必须培养对这些日子的敏感度,以及我们将在其中工作的不那么极端的条件。
I recommend painting an edge as it looks on a subject, regardless of anything else you know about it, unless of course you have a good reason to do things differently. To me, a very good reason for any change in a painting is that I just like it better that way. 我建议按照主题上的样子绘制边缘,不管你对它了解多少,除非你有充分的理由做出不同的处理。对我来说,对画面进行任何改变的一个非常好的理由就是我更喜欢那种方式。
OTHER "WHYS" OF MANY TYPES OF EDGES AND VALUES 许多类型的边缘和价值的其他“为什么”
As landscape painting developed, many painters became aware of the effect of light diffraction on edges and values. What is diffraction? It is the fact that light can bend slightly at an object's edge. If you take two objects of the same value (let's say black), one rounded, like a vase, and the other angular, like a piece of cardboard, and look at them against a light source (such as the sky or a window), the rounded one will have softer edges, and the angular one will be hard edged. 随着风景画的发展,许多画家开始意识到光的衍射对边缘和价值的影响。什么是衍射?这是光线在物体边缘可以轻微弯曲的事实。如果你拿两个价值相同的物体(比如黑色),一个是圆形的,比如花瓶,另一个是角形的,比如一块硬纸板,然后将它们放在光源(比如天空或窗户)的背景下观察,圆形的物体会有柔和的边缘,而角形的则会有硬边缘。
Likewise, if you do the same test with two more shapes, but of the same value, and one very much larger than the other, the smaller one will look lighter. In both instances this happens because of diffraction - light bending and spilling around the edges of shapes - in this case much more light spilling around in ratio to an object's size and curvature in the smaller one than in the larger one. For example, a pointed church steeple will appear progressively lighter as you gaze from its wide base to its narrowing peak. 同样,如果您用两种价值相同但大小差异很大的形状进行相同的测试,较小的形状看起来会更轻。在这两种情况下都是因为衍射现象发生 - 光线弯曲并在形状的边缘周围溢出 - 在这种情况下,相比较较大的形状,较小的形状周围会有更多的光线溢出。例如,一个尖顶的教堂尖塔会在您从宽阔的基座向狭窄的顶峰凝视时逐渐显得更轻。
This phenomenon is perfectly shown on the page opposite-notice how light is spilling around the vase from the window behind it. It also strikes the model's left shoulder and neck, highlighting the anatomy. 这种现象在对面的页面上表现得淋漓尽致 - 注意窗后的光线如何洒落在花瓶周围。它还照射到模特的左肩和颈部,突出了解剖结构。
STANDING FIGURE oil on panel, 立体图油画作品,
STANDING FIGURE (Detail) 站立人物(细节)
This painting shows a variety of light effects. My model is standing close to the corner of a room in which there are two windows providing natural daylight (cool light-warm shadows). The window behind her has caused the model's upper torso to appear almost in silhouette, while the area of her hips is mostly illuminated by the side window. The bottom half of the painting is softly shaded. With such a setup, diffraction of light and diffusion of light throughout the painting are mixing, resulting in a fascinating play of soft color, light, and edges. Trying to figure out, much less analyze, the situation is quite hopeless for me. Instead, I rely solely upon painting what I see, whether or not I understand it intellectually. 这幅画展示了各种光影效果。我的模特站在房间的角落附近,房间里有两扇窗户提供自然光(凉爽的光线-温暖的阴影)。她身后的窗户使模特的上半身几乎呈现剪影,而臀部区域大部分被侧面的窗户照亮。画作的下半部分被柔和地遮蔽着。在这样的布景下,光的衍射和扩散贯穿整幅画,混合出迷人的柔和色彩、光线和边缘。试图理解这种情况,更不用说分析,对我来说是相当绝望的。相反,我完全依靠绘画我所看到的,无论我是否在智力上理解。
To smoosh the paint around or not to smoosh-that is the question! (Forgive me, Dear Bard.) Whether 'tis nobler in the mind or better in a painting to blend edges, ah! To soften them as a sparrow's touchdown, or to paint small increments of color changes? It comes down to a matter of personal taste. Monet lived and breathed color changes; Zorn preferred the broad brush style with voluptuous edges on equally voluptuous ladies. Both created marvelous paintings. We all have our ways, thank God. In the end, what really matters is achieving our intended effects. How we get there is of no importance. Only the result counts. Personally I like to have as many options as possible, and I would not rule out anything if it works. What follows here is some of what works. 将颜料涂抹或不涂抹-这是个问题!(原谅我,亲爱的巴德。)在头脑中更高尚还是在画作中更好地混合边缘,啊!是像麻雀轻轻着陆那样软化它们,还是绘制颜色变化的小部分?这取决于个人口味。莫奈生活在色彩变化中;宗恩更喜欢宽刷风格,画出同样丰腴的女士们。两位都创作了奇妙的画作。感谢上帝,我们都有自己的方式。最重要的是实现我们想要的效果。我们如何达到目标并不重要。只有结果才重要。就我个人而言,我喜欢尽可能多的选择,并且如果有效,我不会排除任何可能性。以下是一些有效的方法。
CREATING EDGES IN A PAINTING 在绘画中创造边缘
How can paint be manipulated so it duplicates the look of the edges you see in your subject? Physically, there are really only three ways I know of. 如何才能操控颜料,使其复制出你所看到的主体边缘的外观?从物理上讲,我只知道三种方法。
By degrees of blending (soft edges), or refraining from blending (hard). 逐渐混合(软边缘),或者避免混合(硬边缘)。
By mixing and applying intermediate colors instead of blending. 通过混合和应用中间色而不是混合。
Applying intermediate colors and blending them (carefully). 应用中间色调并进行混合(小心翼翼地)。
BLENDING 混合
This is familiar to everyone who works with oil paint. (Watercolorists blend too, of course, but in entirely different ways.) You find out how easy it is to do right away. It is one of the most appealing characteristics of the medium. Usually it is done by mixing edges together with a clean dry brush while the paint is still wet. These wet-into-wet edges can be produced with your brush, your fingers, a rag, a palette knife, or anything else that does the job. The best way to learn is to experiment until you get a "feel" for how paint behaves and what your tools can do. There is no right way or wrong way to do it; there is only the method that works the way you want it to. Just avoid overly thick paint until you get the hang of it. 这对每个使用油画的人来说都很熟悉。(当然,水彩画家也会混合颜色,但方式完全不同。)你会立刻发现这是多么容易做到。这是这种媒介最吸引人的特点之一。通常是在颜料还湿的时候,用干净的干刷子混合边缘。这些湿入湿的边缘可以用刷子、手指、抹布、调色刀或其他任何能完成工作的工具来制作。学习的最佳方式是不断尝试,直到你对颜料的行为以及你的工具能做什么有了“感觉”。没有正确或错误的方法;只有按照你想要的方式运作的方法。在掌握之前,尽量避免使用过厚的颜料。
CREATING EDGES WITH INTERMEDIATE COLORS 使用中间色创建边缘
The few strict colorists among the Impressionists, such as Mary Cassatt and Renoir, were not the first to recognize that boundaries (edges) between shapes of color also had color changes within those edges, but they certainly latched on to it. In particular they showed us how much color there really is in reality to take advantage of. They used distinct graduations of color to soften edges, rather than merging shapes with the swipe of a brush as brushmen like Sargent and Zorn did. This is certainly no criticism here of their blending technique. 印象派画家中少数严格的色彩主义者,如玛丽·卡萨特和雷诺阿,并不是第一个意识到形状之间的边界(边缘)也有颜色变化的人,但他们确实抓住了这一点。特别是他们向我们展示了现实中有多少颜色可以利用。他们使用明显的颜色渐变来软化边缘,而不是像萨金特和佐恩这样的画家用刷子一划就将形状融合在一起。这绝对不是对他们混合技术的批评。
Blending after all involves changes of color as well. They are much smaller and more gradual changes. (Besides, the brush enthusiasts were pursuing something else). The Impressionists realized that by adding the element of color changes to the qualities of hardness and softness in edges, it enhanced the overall brilliance of their paintings. Edges can be rich in color changes, no doubt about it. If you want a dramatic demonstration, stand outside during a sunset and witness the color changes occurring as the sun goes over the horizon and the edge of the earth's shadow overtakes you. In twenty minutes or so colors in the landscape around you can change from bright yellow orange, to red, to deep blue and violet. This same transition of colors can happen on a smaller scale as light moves into shadow on the edges of your subjects. 混合毕竟也涉及到颜色的变化。这些变化要小得多,更加渐进。(此外,画笔爱好者们追求的是另一种东西)。印象派画家意识到,通过将颜色变化的元素添加到边缘硬度和柔软度的特质中,可以增强他们画作的整体光彩。边缘可以富含颜色变化,毫无疑问。如果你想要一个引人注目的演示,站在日落时分的户外,目睹太阳越过地平线,地球阴影的边缘笼罩你时发生的颜色变化。大约二十分钟左右,你周围的景色颜色可以从明亮的橙黄色变成红色,再到深蓝色和紫罗兰色。当光线进入主体的阴影边缘时,同样的颜色过渡也会发生在较小的尺度上。
SUSAN LYON 苏珊·里昂
oil on canvas, 帆布油画,
Palette & Chisel, Chicago, 1989 调色板与凿刀,芝加哥,1989
I remember every moment of painting Sue Lyon. At the time we were all much younger and Sue had not yet developed into the fine painter she is today. Painting this along with Nancy, Rose Frantzen, and Scott Burdick (later Susan's husband), was an extraordinary experience. I was in my third term as President of The Palette and Chisel. 我记得每一个画苏·里昂的时刻。那时我们都年轻得多,苏还没有成为今天这样优秀的画家。和南希、罗斯·弗兰岑、斯科特·伯迪克(后来成为苏珊的丈夫)一起画这幅画是一次非凡的经历。那时我是调色板和凿刀协会的第三任会长。
Nancy, Rose, and Scott were becoming very accomplished, not to mention impassioned in their work. They were all so very determined and dedicated, and I loved working with them. 南希、罗斯和斯科特在工作中变得非常有造诣,更不用说他们的热情了。他们都非常坚定和专注,我很喜欢和他们一起工作。
When Sue posed for us with her flowing blonde hair and soft features, she was a perfect study in edges, which the group was most interested in at the time (except perhaps for Scotty, who had a slightly different interest in her edges than the rest of us). 当苏与我们摆姿势时,她那飘逸的金发和柔和的面容,成为了我们研究边缘的完美对象,当时大家对此格外感兴趣(也许除了斯科蒂,他对她的边缘有着与我们其他人略有不同的兴趣)。
I realized I had to capture the quality of her hair as simply and directly as possible in my block-in. If you could see the original (which is in my collection), you would notice her hair is entirely rendered in the transparent paint of my block-in. The rest of the painting is almost a library of possible edges executed in both opaque and transparent paint. In those days each study I did with my friends Nancy, Rose, and Scott were experiments. This work of Sue has always been my favorite. 我意识到我必须尽可能简单直接地捕捉她头发的质感在我的布局中。如果你能看到原作品(在我的收藏中),你会注意到她的头发完全是用我布局中透明的油漆呈现的。绘画的其余部分几乎是一个可能边缘的图书馆,用不透明和透明的油漆执行。在那些日子里,我和我的朋友南希、罗斯和斯科特一起做的每一次研究都是实验。苏的这幅作品一直是我最喜欢的。
Please bear in mind the amount of color in edges does depend on the values and the character of the things you are painting. For example, two brightly colored shapes meeting to form an edge will probably have a more colorful edge than two dull colored shapes. Only paint the color changes you actually see for yourself, and even then try not to overdo it. I know these ideas and observations can seem complicated, but we are talking about painting the real world. 请记住,边缘的颜色量确实取决于您绘画的事物的价值和特性。例如,两个明亮的形状相遇形成边缘时,边缘可能比两个暗淡的形状更丰富多彩。只绘制您自己真正看到的颜色变化,即使这样,也尽量不要过火。我知道这些想法和观察可能看起来复杂,但我们谈论的是绘画真实世界。
I like color changes in edges, but I don't restrict myself to any one method to make edges. It doesn't make sense to avoid using other means that might suit my purpose better. Just remaining within a consistent technique is not enough reason. Instead, I look to my subject and how I wish to render it for clues about how to deal with an edge. I find it expedient to choose either gradations of color or blending, according to the effect I'm after. Often I'm able to combine both methods (as Sorolla did so well) by doing an edge first as tiny color changes, then merging them delicately with a single slow careful stroke with a clean brush. (Soft as a whisper, if you please), and I use a pliable sable or badger brush. The trick is to lay in the color changes with a minimum of paint (but never thinned) and resist the temptation to over-blend-one slow careful sleek brushstroke can do the job nicely. 我喜欢边缘的色彩变化,但我不局限于任何一种方法来处理边缘。避免使用其他更适合我的目的的手段是没有意义的。仅仅坚持一种一贯的技术并不足够。相反,我会根据主题以及我希望如何呈现它来处理边缘。根据我想要的效果,我发现选择颜色渐变或混合是方便的。通常我能够结合这两种方法(就像 Sorolla 做得那么好),先将边缘处理为微小的色彩变化,然后用干净的刷子轻柔地将它们融合在一起,以一种缓慢而细致的笔触(如同轻声细语一般),我使用柔软的貂毛或獾毛刷。诀窍在于用尽量少的颜料涂抹颜色变化(但不要稀释),抵制过度混合的诱惑——一次缓慢而细致的笔触可以很好地完成工作。
Portraits and figure studies are especially rich in color changes on edges. They present splendid opportunities for combining broken color with blending. The pigmentation and semitransparent nature of human skin combine with light to create delicate (and surprising) tonalities when local colors change at the same point where anatomical forms turn. For example, there is often a sudden warming of color on the bridge of a nose as the form plunges into shadow. Often, a modest change in form alone will produce a color change. In north daylight, an edge can abruptly take on a blue tinge as it turns into the direction of the light. Such pearls are not to be wasted by ignoring them. I look for those opportunities and use them whenever I feel they are important to my painting. Unfortunately, the time restrictions inherent in Direct Painting seldom allow me to develop all the colors I see. However, the other effects that arise are well worth it. 肖像和人物研究在边缘的色彩变化方面尤为丰富。它们提供了绝佳的机会,将破碎的色彩与渐变相结合。人类皮肤的颜料和半透明特性与光线相结合,当局部颜色在解剖形态转折的同一点发生变化时,创造出精致(和令人惊讶的)色调。例如,当形态陷入阴影时,鼻梁上的颜色常常会突然变暖。通常,仅仅对形态进行适度的改变就会产生颜色变化。在北方的白昼中,边缘在转向光线方向时可能会突然呈现蓝色的色调。这些珍珠不应被忽视而浪费。我寻找这些机会,并在我觉得对我的绘画重要时利用它们。不幸的是,直接绘画固有的时间限制很少让我展现出所有我看到的颜色。然而,产生的其他效果是非常值得的。
BE SENSIBLE 理性一点
Regardless of your medium or technique, don't get carried away with blended edges. Few things weaken a work more than indiscriminate blending. I am sure you have seen those dainty fan-shaped brushes called "blenders," usually made from sable, badger, or squirrel hair. They were used widely in the 19th century when blending was carried to absurd extremes in the fashionable Salon paintings. Blender brushes are not intended to be used as other brushes - to apply paint in a normal brushing motion. Rather, a blender is meant to be held perpendicular over adjacent areas of wet paint, and then lightly tapped up and down with a slight side to side motion. In this way tiny bits of paint are picked up on the delicate ends of the hairs and redeposited, creating a feathery soft edge as smooth as glass. 无论您使用的媒介或技术如何,都不要过分迷恋混合边缘。很少有什么东西比不加选择地混合更能削弱作品。我相信您一定见过那些被称为“搅拌器”的精致扇形刷子,通常由貂、獾或松鼠毛制成。它们在 19 世纪被广泛使用,当时在时尚的沙龙绘画中,混合被推向荒谬的极端。搅拌器刷子并不打算像其他刷子一样使用 - 以正常的刷涂动作涂抹颜料。相反,搅拌器应该垂直地放在湿漆相邻区域上,然后轻轻地上下轻拍,并带有轻微的左右移动。通过这种方式,颜料的微小颗粒会被吸附在毛发的细端上,然后重新沉积,形成一种如玻璃般柔软的羽毛状边缘。
The use of a blender brush is handy to know, but I don't recommend it as a regular practice. My personal preference is to deliberately brandish the richness of paint by maintaining the bold freshness of my brushstrokes rather than peck at them with the blender. I like to do a "painterly" painting instead of something resembling a big glossy photograph. 使用搅拌刷是一个方便的技巧,但我不建议经常使用。我个人更喜欢通过保持刷触的大胆新鲜感来有意识地展示油漆的丰富度,而不是用搅拌刷来点缀它们。我喜欢做一幅“画家式”的画,而不是类似于一张光滑的大照片。
YUKON WATERFALL 育空瀑布
oil on canvas, 帆布油画,
Alaska, 1992 阿拉斯加,1992 年
It is difficult, if not impossible, to paint a waterfall successfully without an understanding of edges. A waterfall is movement, and movement means change, which, in turn, means an interplay of a range of hard and soft edges. 要成功地描绘瀑布,如果没有对边缘的理解,那将是困难的,甚至是不可能的。瀑布是运动,而运动意味着变化,而变化又意味着一系列硬边和软边的相互作用。
The way a high-speed camera freezes action might be nice for catching the agony in a football halfback's face on impact, or a bullet shattering a melon, but it isn't the way we see things and it is definitely not a good way to follow if you wish to paint moving water convincingly. 高速相机冻结动作的方式可能适合捕捉橄榄球后卫脸上受伤的痛苦表情,或子弹击碎西瓜的场景,但这并不是我们看事物的方式,也绝对不是希望逼真地描绘流动水的好方法。
We humans cannot stop things that are flying in mid-air, and see them in perfect detail. Nor will it do to simply paint moving things as just a lot of fuzziness. If I had done that here, the waterfall would look like fog or cotton fluff or downy feathers going over a cliff. 我们人类无法停止在半空中飞行的事物,并以完美细节看待它们。简单地将移动的事物描绘成一团模糊是不够的。如果我在这里这样做了,瀑布看起来会像雾气、棉絮或绒毛羽毛从悬崖上飘落。
It is none of those things; it is falling water, bouncing off rocks, and strewing into a variety of recurring patterns as it descends. It was up to me to study those various shapes and patterns with their characteristic edges, and then replicate them with paint. 它不是那些东西之一;它是落水,弹跳着石头,随着下降而散落成各种重复的图案。由我来研究那些不同的形状和图案,带有它们特有的边缘,然后用颜料复制它们。
In striking contrast to the movement of the water, is the powerful non-movement of the massive rock formations. These called for a variety of harder edges and a sort of medley of edges where the rocks and water met. The trunks of the trees above called for harder edges as well, but not all of them. Trees disappearing into the forest required softer and darker edges as they joined together into the background. 与水的流动形成鲜明对比的是巨大岩石的强大静止。这些需要更多硬边缘和岩石与水相遇处的边缘混合。树木的主干也需要更硬的边缘,但并非所有。消失在森林中的树木需要更柔和和更深的边缘,因为它们融入背景。
EDGES IN OTHER MEDIUMS 其他媒介中的边缘
A well-executed watercolor is a genuine tour de force. I have nothing but humble admiration for anyone who can do it consistently and without compromising the subject to accommodate the demands of the medium. Controlling edges in watercolor can be tricky, even maddening (for me). Oil paint is duck soup by comparison. My nerves will stand up to doing only a few watercolors each year. (And they invariably end up looking like my oil paintings!) 一幅精湛的水彩画是一种真正的技艺展示。我对那些能够始终如一地做到这一点,而不为了迎合媒介的要求而牺牲主题的人,只能怀着谦卑的敬意。在水彩画中控制边缘可能会很棘手,甚至令人发狂(对我来说)。相比之下,油画简直易如反掌。我的神经只能承受每年做几幅水彩画。 (而它们最终总是看起来像我的油画!)
In watercolor, the physical working surface of the paper is constantly fluctuating due to water absorption and evaporation. Consequently, the probability of accident is very high. A skillful watercolorist is one who knows how wet the paper is, which way the color is running, and how fast it will dry so it will stop in just the right spot. Nerves of steel and some luck are helpful. 在水彩画中,纸张的物理工作表面由于吸水和蒸发而不断波动。因此,意外发生的可能性非常高。 一个熟练的水彩画家是那种知道纸张有多湿,颜色流动的方向以及它会多快干燥,以便在恰到好处的位置停下来的人。 钢铁般的神经和一些运气是有帮助的。
I believe the real skill involved in watercolor painting lies in deliberately producing authentic edges while retaining the delicate transparent character of the medium. My experience with watercolor has taught me the right paper is one of the essential factors, because everything depends upon keeping the paint in a manipulative state for as long as possible. I recommend working with a paper that retains moisture and resists staining-one which allows for removal of colors without damaging its surface. "Hot or Hard Pressed" papers are best if you make many corrections. 我相信水彩画中真正的技巧在于刻意产生真实的边缘,同时保留媒介的细腻透明特性。我的水彩经验告诉我,选择正确的纸张是其中一个关键因素,因为一切都取决于尽可能长时间地保持颜料处于可操控状态。我建议使用保持湿润且抗渗透的纸张,这种纸张可以让你在不损坏表面的情况下去除颜色。如果你需要进行多次更正,最好选择“热压”或“硬压”纸张。
Pastel offers no real impediments to creating edges. If anything, soft edges can happen too easily. Try to resist the impulse to habitually blend with your fingers. It can quickly lead to muddy color and a loss of the pastel "look." Once you have lost it, the only course is to start over with a fresh sheet of paper. The very nature of pastel allows for only a very limited amount of application before your paper loses its "tooth," and the crispness of the medium is lost. When it happens, the usual result is a downhill slide into a tediously overworked appearance. Like watercolor, the quality of the working surface is critical. If any one medium cries for the broken color approach, this is it. Get it right on the first try and leave it alone. 粉彩不会对创造边缘造成真正的障碍。如果有的话,软边缘可能会太容易出现。尽量抵制用手指习惯性地混合的冲动。这很快会导致颜色浑浊,失去粉彩的“外观”。一旦失去了它,唯一的选择就是用一张新纸重新开始。粉彩的特性使得在纸张失去“齿”之前只能进行非常有限的涂抹,媒介的清晰度也会丧失。当这种情况发生时,通常的结果是逐渐过度劳累,呈现出令人厌烦的外观。像水彩一样,工作表面的质量至关重要。如果有任何一种媒介需要打破色彩的方法,那就是粉彩。第一次就做对,然后不要再动它。
CREATING FRESH LOOKING EDGES IN A DRIED PAINTING 在干燥的绘画中创造出焕然一新的边缘
If it is necessary to work with edges (or anything else) on a painting already dry, and only minor touch-up work is needed, the easiest options to try first are dry brush or scumbling applications. Dry brush is very lightly dragging a loaded brush held at a low angle across your canvas. The idea is to deposit paint on the painting's textured surface creating a ragged effect, without covering it entirely. Scumbling is using a lightly loaded brush to gently scrub paint thinly across a surface, also without covering it entirely. If you are matching the color of any existing dried paint, remember, pigments darken slightly as they dry. This is most noticeable in lighter values where white is used, so mix your new paint slightly lighter. 如果需要在已经干燥的画作上处理边缘(或其他部分),并且只需要进行轻微修补工作,最简单的尝试选项是先尝试干刷或拂晕的应用。干刷是轻轻地拖动一个负载的刷子,以较低的角度横跨你的画布。其目的是在画作的纹理表面上沉积颜料,创造出一种凌乱的效果,而不是完全覆盖它。拂晕是使用轻轻负载的刷子轻轻地在表面上薄薄涂抹颜料,同样也不完全覆盖它。如果要匹配任何现有干燥颜料的颜色,请记住,颜料在干燥时会略微变暗。这在使用白色的较浅色值中最为明显,因此请将新颜料稍微调浅。
GIVING A FLUID WET-INTO-WET LOOK TO LARGE WORKS 赋予大型作品流动湿入湿的外观
When doing work that needs a lot more than just touch-up, creating edges with the appearance of wet-in-wet on a dried or partially dried painting calls for special, but not particularly unusual, measures. Not all works can be completed in one unbroken session. Large works can take weeks or months, and most paintings (alla prima or not) can usually do with a bit of correction or fine tuning anyway, especially after you have shown your portrait of Aunt Tilly to the relatives and they pointed out that Tilly was never quite that cross-eyed. 在进行需要远不止简单修饰的工作时,在干燥或部分干燥的画作上创造出湿中湿的外观边缘需要特殊的,但并不是特别不寻常的措施。并非所有作品都能在一个不间断的会话中完成。大型作品可能需要数周甚至数月的时间,而大多数绘画(无论是一次成形还是不是)通常都需要一些修正或微调,尤其是在您向亲戚展示了您对 Tilly 阿姨的肖像后,他们指出 Tilly 从未那么斜视。
When it is necessary to work into a dry picture and the target area is small, I like the shortcut of a light spray of retouch varnish, and then painting into the sprayed area while the varnish is still wet. If I am working on something larger that might take several days of working with the probability of drying in between, I do my finishing work as I go along and then use a palette knife to carefully and slowly scrape the edges of areas I wish to continue later (wiping my knife clean with each short stroke of the knife), leaving only a very thin paint layer where I leave off. Then I apply fresh paint to those scraped areas at the beginning of the next working session. That way I am always working into wet paint. Scraping also lets me avoid a troublesome buildup of paint. 在需要在干燥的画面上工作且目标区域较小时,我喜欢使用轻轻喷洒修复清漆的捷径,然后在清漆仍然湿润时绘画到喷洒区域。如果我正在处理较大的作品,可能需要几天的工作时间,有可能在中间会干燥,我会在进行工作的同时完成最后的工作,然后使用调色刀仔细慢慢地刮去我希望稍后继续的区域的边缘(每次刮刀的短划都要用干净的抹布擦拭刀刃),只留下非常薄的油漆层。然后在下一个工作阶段开始时在这些刮过的区域上涂上新油漆。这样我总是在湿油漆上工作。刮除也让我避免了油漆的麻烦积聚。
I'm convinced this was how Sorolla, Zorn, and others were able to do their large works while still having them look as if they were done wet-into-wet. Many unfinished works (such as those I examined in Sorolla's Madrid studio) show this clearly. However, they all had occasion to repaint areas in pictures that had been finished for some time and thoroughly dried. For example, in Sargent's Madame X, Sorolla's La Siesta, and many landscapes by Monet, whole areas of their initially dried brushwork are still quite evident (revealing what they were trying to conceal), even where they have used thick overpainting. If you ever have a problem with dried, thickly textured brushstrokes you wish to overpaint, try scraping them flat with a canvas scraper (also called a doctor blade), or just use sandpaper (carefully). Learn from the Masters' mistakes! Get it right the first time! 我相信这就是 Sorolla、Zorn 和其他画家能够完成他们的大作品,同时看起来像是湿湿地完成的方式。许多未完成的作品(比如我在 Sorolla 的马德里工作室里看到的那些)清楚地展示了这一点。然而,他们都有机会重新涂抹一些已经完成并彻底干燥了一段时间的画作中的区域。例如,在 Sargent 的《Madame X》、Sorolla 的《午睡》以及 Monet 的许多风景画中,他们最初干燥的画笔作品的整个区域仍然非常明显(揭示了他们试图掩盖的东西),即使他们使用了厚重的上色。如果你遇到想要重新涂抹的干燥、厚重质感的画笔笔触问题,可以尝试用画布刮刀(也称为医生刀)将其刮平,或者小心使用砂纸。向大师们的错误学习!第一次就做对!
FINAL TIPS 最后建议
The vast majority of edges in any subject will fall into an intermediate range between razor hard and blurry softness. Keep this in mind as you work. In our ordinary everyday seeing we are not usually conscious of super-hard edges in our peripheral vision, which is why they seem unreal when simply scattered throughout a painting. We are aware of hard edges at or near the point we focus on. Paint the hard edges located at the borders of your subject less conspicuously. One safe way is to hold your strongest edge in reserve until you are dead sure you know where you want it. It's always comforting to have one final emergency shot for just the right moment. 任何主题中绝大多数的边缘都会落在剃刀般锐利和模糊柔和之间的中间范围。在工作时请记住这一点。在我们日常的视觉中,我们通常不会意识到我们周围视野中的超硬边缘,这就是为什么当它们简单地散布在绘画中时,它们看起来不真实。我们意识到我们专注的焦点附近或附近的硬边缘。绘制位于主题边缘的硬边缘时要尽量不显眼。一个安全的方法是将最强的边缘保留,直到你确信自己知道它应该在哪里。在恰当的时刻拥有一次最后的紧急射击总是令人安心的。
However, if you do see the hard edge you want, and you need it in the early stages of a work, go for it and get it over with. When you do paint it, don't be shy. I like to lay it on with a palette knife or "loaded" brush (plenty of paint), and I do it with a very slow deliberate no-nonsense stroke. If it looks right, I don't go back and fool with it. If I fail to apply it the way I intended, I scrape it off and do it again. In any case, I do it in one stroke-but I do it very carefully. If I mess with it using additional strokes, I will weaken it. 然而,如果你看到你想要的硬边,并且你需要它在作品的早期阶段,那就去做吧,一次性完成。当你涂抹时,不要害羞。我喜欢用调色刀或“沾满颜料”的刷子(颜料多)涂抹,我会用缓慢而有目的的笔触。如果看起来正确,我就不会再回头去摆弄它。如果我没有按照预期的方式涂抹,我会刮掉重新涂。无论如何,我会一笔完成,但我会非常小心。如果我用额外的笔触摆弄它,我会削弱它。
Another safe tip-avoid painting thickly while you are manipulating edges. Paint is much easier to control in moderate to thin (but not thinned with medium) layers. Save the heavy stuff for later stages-after you have finished correcting and dealt with your difficult problems. 另一个安全的技巧是,在处理边缘时避免涂抹过厚。在适度到薄(但不要用介质稀释)的涂层中,油漆更容易控制。将较厚的涂料留到后期阶段,等你完成校正并处理了困难问题之后再使用。
The optical and psychological effects of edges are fascinating. As your skill with them increases, your grasp of their elegance will become more sophisticated and demanding (in a good way because you will be seeing more possibilities). One of my more intriguing pursuits is to achieve an integration of edges throughout an entire painting-composing them in such a way they cooperate not only with the color harmony and value system, but also with my compositional motif to form an overall symmetry. It certainly can be done, and it occurs in painting more often than you might think. (Certain 19th- and 20th-century American painters such as Frank Duveneck, Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones, Thomas Dewing, Howard Pyle, Bernard Fuchs, and Sherrie McGraw among others, all elevated it to a high art in the maturity of their careers. About the same time in Europe, superb edge techniques were also developed by Mancini in Italy, Degas in France, and Serov in Russia.) 边缘的光学和心理效应令人着迷。随着你对它们的技巧增长,你对它们的优雅理解将变得更加复杂和苛刻(这是一种好的方式,因为你会看到更多可能性)。我更加有趣的追求之一是在整幅画中实现边缘的整合 - 将它们组合在一起,不仅与色彩和价值体系协调,还与我的构图主题合作,形成整体对称。这当然是可以做到的,而且在绘画中发生的频率比你想象的要高。(19 世纪和 20 世纪的美国画家,如弗兰克·杜文内克、伊丽莎白·斯帕霍克-琼斯、托马斯·杜因、霍华德·派尔、伯纳德·富克斯和雪莉·麦格劳等人,在他们职业生涯的成熟阶段将其提升为一种高尚的艺术。在同一时期的欧洲,意大利的曼奇尼、法国的德加和俄罗斯的谢罗夫也发展出了出色的边缘技术。)
This symmetry I seek is a hierarchy of edges working with the design elements within a painting. The aim is to generate dominant and subordinate edges that act to reinforce my compositional intent-forcing a viewer's concentration on a single focal point (without being vulgar of course). Mozart would certainly have tried for this if he had been a painter. Such an integration is the way we naturally see things anyway, yet it is anything but easy in painting. I have reached this goal in a few of my recent paintings, and come close in others. I mention this merely to whet your appetite should you become as captivated as I am by edges as expressive devices. However, I cannot expand on the idea here beyond simply mentioning it as something to be pursued, because I am still exploring the feasibility of it myself. Writing more will have to wait for a future book. Besides, what we have examined together here should keep you in good cheer. 我追求的对称性是边缘的等级体系,与绘画中的设计元素相互配合。目的是产生主导和次要的边缘,以加强我的构图意图 - 强迫观众集中注意力在一个单一的焦点上(当然不能粗俗)。莫扎特肯定会尝试这样做,如果他是一位画家的话。这样的整合是我们自然看待事物的方式,但在绘画中却一点也不容易。我在最近的一些作品中达到了这个目标,并在其他作品中也接近了。我提到这一点只是为了激起你的兴趣,如果你像我一样被边缘作为表现手段所吸引。然而,我无法在这里进一步展开这个想法,只能简单提及它作为一个值得追求的东西,因为我仍在探索它的可行性。更多的文字将等待未来的一本书。此外,我们在这里一起探讨的内容应该让你感到愉快。
THE ALTAR watercolor on paper, 18 x 25, St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, 1967 祭坛 水彩纸上,18 x 25,罗马圣彼得大教堂,1967
Achieving edges in watercolor, or more specifically, controlling edges, is quite different in watercolor than it is in oil painting. There are two factors: the paper surface, and the degree of moisture in it. When I do a watercolor I use a very fine atomizer, similar to those used for perfume, to keep the areas on the paper I am working on fairly damp so the colors I apply will spread slightly to give the soft effects you see in the picture above. The caution here was not to overdo the soft edges too much and retain a nice balance between hard and soft edges. 在水彩画中实现边缘,或更具体地说,控制边缘,与油画中的情况大不相同。有两个因素:纸面和其中的湿度程度。在我做水彩画时,我使用一个非常精细的喷雾器,类似于香水使用的那种,以保持我正在工作的纸面上的区域相当潮湿,这样我涂抹的颜色会稍微扩散,从而产生您在上面看到的柔和效果。这里需要注意的是不要过度强调柔和的边缘,并保持硬边缘和柔软边缘之间的良好平衡。
"I am black but comely...Behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves eyes...let me see thy countenance... Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet... 我虽黑,却俊美…看哪,你美丽;你有鸽子的眼睛…让我看看你的容颜… 你的嘴唇好像红线…
Thou art beautiful O my love...Thine head upon thee is Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple...Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee." 你是美丽的,我的爱人...你的头如迦密,头发如紫色...你全然美丽,我的爱人;在你身上毫无瑕疵。
-from The Song of Solomon -来自《雅歌》
Apart from their metaphorical intent, these few excerpted words (forgive me) from the Bible demonstrate the remarkable power of color even used only as words. What images in our minds they create! Imagine the eloquent voice you have with a full, rich, palette, and your ability to use actual color! 除了它们隐喻的意图外,这几句从《圣经》中摘录的话展示了色彩即使仅仅作为文字也具有非凡的力量。它们在我们脑海中创造了怎样的形象!想象一下,如果你拥有一个丰富多彩的调色板,以及运用实际颜色的能力,你会拥有多么雄辩的声音!
Nature is the supreme colorist. She loves to play with it in every possible way, which is a good thing for us. Just imagine what it would be like if we were all the same color. What a dreary bore! (And what would all the bigots and racists do for their warped fun?) How splendid that Mother Nature has given us, her creatures, such extraordinary and diverse pigmentation. We should rejoice that we are each different. Each of us is one of her little color masterpieces. 大自然是至高无上的调色师。她喜欢以各种可能的方式玩弄颜色,这对我们来说是件好事。想象一下,如果我们都是同一种颜色会是什么样子。多么沉闷无趣啊!(那些偏执狭隘的人会如何寻找他们扭曲的乐趣呢?)多么辉煌,母亲大自然赋予我们这些生物如此非凡而多样化的色素。我们应该为我们的不同而欢欣鼓舞。我们每个人都是她的一个小色彩杰作。
How lucky we are as painters to have the tools to portray another soul... "fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and (beautiful) as an army with banners." 作为画家,我们有幸拥有描绘另一个灵魂的工具...“皎洁如月亮,明亮如太阳,(美丽)如戴旗帜的军队。”
NANETTE oil on canvas, NANETTE 油彩画布,
CHAPTER SEVEN-COLOR AND LIGHT 第七章-色彩与光线
Color is to seeing what flavor is to eating. It is by far the most sensuous element of the visual field, and for many artists, its allure is the sole reason to paint. Yet as remarkable as color is, many art students and accomplished painters alike claim it as their number one problem in working from life. (In my years of teaching and working with painters at all skill levels, however, I found drawing to be the greatest problem.) Whatever the case, "Getting the color right" is probably the source of more concern to artists than anything else in painting. Color, moreover, is more difficult to teach than all other technical aspects of painting. Why should this be so? What is it that makes working with color sometimes seem to be such an effort? (It needn't be, but let's assume for the moment that it is.) One answer is its behavior is not well enough understood even by experts to resolve it into a coherent and predictable system with a lot of rules and recipes for success. Some of the confusion stems from its very nature, especially its vast complexity, and the way we experience it. Other problems we may have with color are more or less self-inflicted, or to put it more accurately, were inflicted upon us as the result of various simplistic ideas about it we received as we were growing up (the socialization process). 颜色对于视觉的意义,就如同风味对于进食的意义一样。它是视觉领域中最具感官魅力的元素,对许多艺术家来说,它的吸引力是绘画的唯一原因。然而,尽管颜色如此引人注目,许多艺术学生和成就卓著的画家都声称在现实生活中工作时,颜色是他们的头号难题。(然而,在我多年的教学和与各种技能水平的画家合作中,我发现绘画中最大的问题是绘画。)无论如何,“把颜色搞对”可能是艺术家们比绘画中的任何其他事情更关心的问题。此外,颜色比绘画的所有其他技术方面更难教授。为什么会这样呢?是什么让与颜色一起工作有时看起来如此费力呢?(虽然不必如此,但让我们暂时假设是这样。)一个答案是,即使是专家也没有足够了解其行为,无法将其解决为一个连贯且可预测的系统,其中包含许多成功的规则和配方。一些混乱源于其本质,尤其是其巨大的复杂性以及我们体验它的方式。 我们可能在颜色方面遇到的其他问题多少是自找的,或者更准确地说,是由于我们在成长过程中接受到的关于颜色的各种简单化观念而强加给我们的(社会化过程的结果)。
GOOD NEWS 好消息
Smile now! The actuality of color is not about theoretical optics. It is an everyday real human experience! It is present in our dreams and waking hours. We are immersed in it the moment our eyes pop open each morning. Short of death, we cannot escape it, but even then no one knows for sure. Color is omnipresent, so much so most people probably take it for granted most of the time and fail to feel gratitude. Perhaps only those who have known color and suffered blindness understand what a loss a world devoid of color is. So, as you are squeezing out paint on your palette, pause for a moment and give thanks. Remember, even though it may sometimes be puzzling, more than enough is known about color to grasp it in a lucid way and use it to make beautiful paintings. 现在微笑!颜色的实际并不是关于理论光学。它是日常真实的人类体验!它存在于我们的梦境和清醒时刻。我们每天早晨睁开眼睛的那一刻就沉浸其中。除非死亡,否则我们无法逃脱,但即使如此,也没有人确切知道。颜色是无处不在的,大多数人可能大部分时间都认为它理所当然,并未感恩。也许只有那些了解颜色并遭受失明之苦的人才明白一个没有颜色的世界是多么的损失。所以,当你在调色板上挤出颜料时,停下来片刻,感恩吧。记住,尽管有时可能令人困惑,但关于颜色的了解已经足够清晰,可以用它来创作出美丽的画作。
In this discussion, I outline what I know about the general characteristics of color, some underlying challenges, and then ways to enjoy it and make it sparkle in your paintings. Please read what I have to say in this first section carefully because it is extremely important to know, but don't be intimidated. What comes after is fascinating information along with some useful instruction. 在这个讨论中,我概述了我对颜色的一般特征的了解,一些潜在的挑战,以及如何享受它并使其在您的绘画中闪耀。请仔细阅读我在这个第一部分中要说的内容,因为了解这一点非常重要,但不要感到害怕。接下来是一些迷人的信息以及一些有用的指导。
THE COMPLEXITY OF COLOR 颜色的复杂性
Consider the awesome number of colors and color combinations around us. Researchers claim the human eye can detect at least ten million hues. (I wonder who counted them.) And that is only a fraction of the spectrum! Who knows, if we humans continue to evolve, our human eyes may someday see in the infrared and ultraviolet ranges. God was indeed lavish when She created light and color. Fortunately, most of our paintings involve surprisingly few of those millions of colors, perhaps a few hundred at most, but that is still a lot-more than enough to contend with when the goal is to get each one "right." 考虑一下我们周围令人惊叹的颜色和颜色组合的数量。研究人员声称人类眼睛可以检测至少一千万种色调。(我想知道是谁数过它们。)而这只是光谱的一小部分!谁知道,如果我们人类继续进化,我们的眼睛也许有一天可以看到红外线和紫外线范围。当她创造光和颜色时,上帝确实是慷慨的。幸运的是,我们大多数的绘画作品只涉及那些数以百万计的颜色中的惊人少部分,最多可能只有几百种,但这仍然是很多——当目标是使每一种颜色“正确”时,这已经足够了。
LOCAL COLORS 本地色彩
Local color is the term for the color references used in ordinary conversation. We speak of the red of red roses, the greens in green grass, blue eyes, yellow wheat, purple dress, black hat, orange pumpkin, and so on. These are the colors of things caused by their Pigmentation. Pigment particles are microscopic size substances that absorb certain wavelengths of light and reflect others. Also, there is a certain lack of pigmentation to contend with in various transparent substances such as glass, water, clouds, and the earth's atmosphere, causing them to take on the colors of other sources. Transparent matter acts optically, often behaving as a prism, a lens, a mirror, a filter, or a combination of those things, in producing color effects. 本地色是指日常对话中使用的颜色参考。我们谈论红玫瑰的红色,绿草地中的绿色,蓝眼睛,黄小麦,紫色连衣裙,黑色帽子,橙色南瓜等等。这些是由它们的色素引起的事物的颜色。色素颗粒是一种微观尺寸的物质,吸收某些波长的光并反射其他波长的光。此外,透明物质中存在一定程度的缺乏色素,如玻璃、水、云和地球大气层,导致它们呈现出其他来源的颜色。透明物质在光学上起作用,通常表现为棱镜、透镜、镜子、滤光片或这些物体的组合,产生颜色效果。
The six squares of color combinations above demonstrate clearly the influence of surrounding colors on any given color. The given color in the small squares is a mixture of Cadmium Orange and Cadmium Yellow Deep. That color is exactly the same for all the center patches in the squares. Not only do the small orange squares appear different in value from one image to the next, but some also seem to be different hues of orange, particularly in the bottom row. Note that the stronger the surrounding color, the more it influences the center orange color. If these six examples were to be seen under a significantly warmer or cooler light, all the colors would look different than they do now. 上面的六个颜色组合方块清楚地展示了周围颜色对任何给定颜色的影响。小方块中的给定颜色是氧化镉橙和氧化镉深黄的混合物。所有方块中心区域的颜色都完全相同。不仅小橙色方块在不同图像中的色值看起来不同,而且有些在底部一排中似乎是不同色调的橙色。请注意,周围颜色越浓烈,就越影响中心橙色。如果这六个示例在明显更温暖或更凉爽的光线下被观察,所有颜色看起来都会与现在不同。
THE RELATIVITY OF COLOR 色彩的相对性
A more enchanting and most profound property of color is its RELATIVITY, the fact that a color can appear different under different circumstances. The color of something looks the way it does because of variables, each influencing the other like a very complex but interesting ménage à trois. They are: 颜色更迷人和更深刻的特性是它的相对性,即颜色在不同情况下可能呈现不同的外观。某物的颜色之所以呈现特定的样子,是因为 个变量的影响,彼此相互影响,就像一个非常复杂但有趣的三人关系。它们包括:
(1) THE INFLUENCE OF SURROUNDING COLORS: For example, the color of your face appears different when you wear a green shirt than when you wear a red one. White surrounded by black looks brighter than white surrounded by light gray. Gray looks cooler against a red background than against a dark blue one, and so on. No color can exist alone. It is always seen on a surrounding background of one or more colors, and those colors make the color in question look the way it does. (1) 周围颜色的影响:例如,当您穿绿色衬衫时,您的脸部颜色看起来与穿红色衬衫时不同。白色被黑色包围时比被浅灰色包围时看起来更亮。灰色在红色背景下看起来比在深蓝色背景下更凉爽,依此类推。没有颜色可以独立存在。它总是出现在一个或多个颜色的周围背景上,而这些颜色使所讨论的颜色看起来如此。
(2) THE AMBIENT LIGHT ILLUMINATING A SUBJECT: You look different in sunlight than in artificial light, or overcast light, or firelight. (Under Mercury or Sodium Vapor street lighting you'll look like you're dead.) (2) 照亮主体的环境光:在阳光下,你看起来与在人工光、阴天光或火光下看起来不同。(在汞灯或钠蒸汽街灯下,你看起来就像死了一样。)
PLEASE REMEMBER THIS—THE COLOR OF ANYTHING CHANGES ITS APPEARANCE (WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE) WHEN EITHER THE CHANGES, OR ITS SURROUNDING COLORS CHANGE. (See facing page.) 请记住这一点 - 任何东西的颜色在光线改变或周围颜色改变时都会改变外观(看起来是什么样)。 (见对面页。)
In this way, colors seem to behave as mischievously as those impish particles in Quantum Physics - even the way you look at them seems to make them change. Colors are slippery devils indeed, with a logic all their own and a definite reluctance to be pinned down or precisely systematized. (Ah yes, but they're not smarter than we are!) 以这种方式,颜色似乎像量子物理学中的顽皮粒子一样调皮 - 甚至你看待它们的方式似乎会让它们改变。颜色确实是难以捉摸的恶魔,有着自己的逻辑,明显不愿被固定或精确系统化。(啊是的,但它们并不比我们聪明!)
THE LIMITATIONS OF LANGUAGE IN DESCRIBING COLOR 描述颜色时语言的局限性
Our color perception is a very intricate mix of pure sensation and emotional response, which is why trying to describe our individual (subjective) experience of it using only words is difficult (but not impossibly so). Color technicians don't even bother with words anymore. They use numbers instead. Nice for them I guess, but calling Cadmium Orange ED872d-R93-G53-B18 is more than I can deal with at my stage in life. Also I'm not about to tell my Nancy when I kiss her in the morning that her lips are very R100-G41-B71 today. So you see, talking or writing about color can sometimes be as risky as trying to pin down other sensations, such as flavors, smells, lyrical sounds, or being in love. Art can often be the only way to express such things, but learning it isn't always easy. The subtlety and range of our senses and feelings are so great that when we speak or write about them we soon run out of nouns and adjectives. Our visual experiences often far exceed the descriptive capacity of verbal language. Imagine trying to describe or differentiate those ten million hues I mentioned! So bear with me as I occasionally grope for words in this examination of color. 我们对颜色的感知是纯粹感觉和情感反应的复杂混合,这就是为什么仅用文字来描述我们个人(主观)的体验是困难的(但并非不可能)。颜色技术人员甚至不再费心用文字。他们改用数字。对他们来说很好,但对我来说,在我生命中的这个阶段,称氧化镉橙 ED872d-R93-G53-B18 远远超出了我的能力范围。而且我不打算在早晨亲吻南希时告诉她,她的嘴唇今天是 R100-G41-B71。因此,你看,谈论或写作关于颜色有时可能像试图确定其他感觉(如口味、气味、抒情声音或恋爱)一样危险。艺术往往是表达这些事物的唯一方式,但学习它并不总是容易的。我们的感官和情感的微妙性和范围是如此之大,以至于当我们谈论或写下它们时,我们很快就用尽了名词和形容词。我们的视觉体验往往远远超出了语言的描述能力。想象一下试图描述或区分我提到的那一千万种色调!所以请原谅我在这次对颜色的探讨中偶尔为措辞而苦苦摸索。
THE SUBJECTIVE NATURE OF COLOR PERCEPTION 颜色感知的主观性
Because we experience colors as mental perceptions, they can often trigger elaborate memory associations, causing us to respond to them in curiously subjective ways. Some of our color affinities are so deeply internalized, they emerge as strong emotions. In this respect colors often resemble smells. The same color (or fragrance) can stimulate different things in different people. Blue might be scary to me but pleasantly exciting to you. White may mean purity and cleanliness to some, but it might evoke the desolation of winter in others. Colors do not in themselves cause specific psychological associations. We do. We create those feelings in our minds because we experience color through the filter of our individual life experiences. Perfect sanity does not exist, at least not in everyone else. 由于我们将颜色视为心理感知,它们常常会触发复杂的记忆联想,导致我们以奇特的主观方式对其做出反应。我们对某些颜色的亲近是如此深入内心,它们会表现为强烈的情感。在这方面,颜色经常类似于气味。同一种颜色(或香味)可能会在不同的人身上激发不同的感受。蓝色对我来说可能是可怕的,但对你来说可能是令人愉快的刺激。白色可能意味着纯洁和清洁,但对一些人来说,它可能唤起冬季的荒凉之感。颜色本身并不会引起特定的心理联想。我们会。我们在心中创造这些感受,因为我们通过个人生活经历的滤镜体验颜色。完美的理智并不存在,至少不是在每个人身上。
Cultural notions also influence our color preferences. Red, for example, is quite nice on a lady's lips but not on her nose (at least not in today's society). In Victorian times it was fashionable for ladies to put Rouge on their ears, not their cheeks, which is one reason why Madam Gautreau's ear looks so pink in Sargent's painting, Madame X. I can't imagine a woman like her actually blushing, but then who knows? She also powdered the rest of her skin a whitish color, which exaggerated the effect of her scarlet ears. We prefer our milk white, not black, and our blood red instead of green-unless of course you happen to be a Martian or a highly privileged person, which in the latter case having blue blood is OK. We like our majestic mountains to be purple, our waves of grain amber, and our cowards yellow. Many other twisted color notions, as we know, take on stupidly horrible dimensions in the form of racism and racial profiling. 文化观念也影响着我们对颜色的偏好。例如,红色在女士的嘴唇上看起来很好,但在她的鼻子上就不那么好(至少在当今社会不好)。在维多利亚时代,女士们流行在耳朵上擦胭脂,而不是在脸颊上,这也是为什么高特罗夫人在萨金特的画作《X 夫人》中的耳朵看起来那么粉红的原因之一。我无法想象像她这样的女人会真的脸红,但谁又知道呢?她还把皮肤的其他部分打成白色,这加重了她耳朵的绯红效果。我们喜欢我们的牛奶是白色的,而不是黑色的,我们喜欢我们的血是红色的,而不是绿色的——除非你碰巧是火星人或者是一个极其特权的人,在后一种情况下,有蓝色的血是可以接受的。我们喜欢我们威严的山峰是紫色的,我们的麦浪是琥珀色的,我们的懦夫是黄色的。正如我们所知,许多其他扭曲的颜色观念在种族主义和种族歧视的形式中呈现出愚蠢可怕的维度。
The colors of things and the biases we bring to those colors have much to do with even our artistic choices. Often I have heard painters say they saw the right color but didn't use it because they didn't like it. More commonly, painters have a favorite color on their palette that they use throughout a painting whether or not the color is present in the subject. Still others have preferred combinations of colors they repeatedly use simply because they "worked" well in past paintings. 事物的颜色以及我们对这些颜色的偏见在我们的艺术选择中起着很大作用。我经常听到画家说他们看到了正确的颜色,但却没有使用它,因为他们不喜欢它。更常见的是,画家在调色板上有一个喜欢的颜色,无论主题中是否存在这种颜色,他们都会在整幅画中使用它。还有一些画家有一些喜欢的颜色组合,他们反复使用,只是因为这些颜色在过去的作品中“运作”得很好。
There is also some evidence that perception of color among people with "normal" vision varies somewhat. (I do not mean actual color blindness.) Some individuals, for instance, seem to see their visual field as being overall greener or more blue than others. You can see this color shift clearly in the works of competent painters when they paint the same subject under the same light at the same time. Four well-known examples are identical subjects painted by Renoir and Monet: La Grenouillère (1869), and Sailboats at Argenteuil (1873). Monet's works were more blue-violet than Renoir's. Both, however, are "true" within their respective harmonies. Their paintings seem "correct" compared to one another because their color temperature relationships are identical, even though they are not precisely alike in actual color. Whether this is a physiological curiosity or a simple predilection for certain colors, I do not know, but it is certainly nothing to worry about. If you happen to be of the blue persuasion, just don't get into an argument with someone who sees everything greener. Monet and Renoir managed very well and remained friends. 有证据表明,即使是那些视力“正常”的人对颜色的感知也有所不同。(我并不是指实际的色盲。)例如,有些人似乎会认为他们的视野整体更绿或更蓝。当有能力的画家在同一时间、同一光线下绘制相同主题时,你可以清楚地看到这种颜色转变。著名的四个例子是雷诺阿和莫奈绘制的相同主题:《格勒努耶尔》(1869 年)和《阿让特伊的帆船》(1873 年)。莫奈的作品比雷诺阿的更蓝紫色。然而,两者在各自的和谐中都是“真实”的。他们的画作相互比较看起来“正确”,因为它们的色温关系是相同的,即使实际颜色并不完全相同。我不知道这是生理上的奇特现象还是对某些颜色的简单偏爱,但这绝对不值得担心。如果你偏爱蓝色,只需不要与那些看到一切更绿的人争论。莫奈和雷诺阿相处得非常好,一直是朋友。
It is clear how our personal attraction-aversion response to certain colors can sometimes frustrate accurate perception. Imagine trying to paint snow if white gives you the creeps, or if the subtle colors in snow are ignored because snow carries a white only label! More familiar is the complaint about painting summer landscapes that "everything is too green," or everything is the same green. This of course is not true. It's ridiculous. Summer landscapes, as all other landscapes, contain every color in the rainbow. Painters who make such an objection are either not noticing the wealth of colors, or simply revealing their aversion to green. 我们对某些颜色的个人吸引力和厌恶反应如何影响准确感知是显而易见的。想象一下,如果白色让你毛骨悚然,那么尝试画雪会是怎样一种体验,或者如果忽略了雪中微妙的色彩,因为雪被简单地标记为白色!更为熟悉的是对夏季风景画的抱怨:“一切都太绿了”,或者一切都是同一种绿色。当然,这是不正确的。这是荒谬的。夏季风景,像其他所有风景一样,包含了彩虹中的每一种颜色。提出这种异议的画家要么没有注意到丰富的色彩,要么只是暴露了他们对绿色的厌恶。
Much more untidy though is our acquired notion about hot and cold (or warm and cool) colors. These terms describe the technical temperature relationships between colors. It is a mistaken notion that a specific color has an intrinsic temperature-such as blue always being cold and orange always warm. Compared to one another they are, but not in themselves. It is not always easy to make such a distinction. Try comparing orange, red, and yellow to one another-which is warmer? Which is cooler? And by how much? See the problem? (As you read further, the subtleties of color temperature will be examined much more thoroughly.) 我们对热色和冷色(或暖色和凉色)的概念更加混乱。这些术语描述了颜色之间的技术温度关系。一个错误的观念是特定颜色具有固有的温度,比如蓝色总是冷色,橙色总是暖色。相对于彼此来说是这样,但它们本身并非如此。要做出这样的区分并不总是容易。试着将橙色、红色和黄色相互比较——哪个更暖?哪个更凉?差距有多大?看到问题了吗?(随着您继续阅读,颜色温度的微妙之处将被更加彻底地探讨。)
The point of all we have been discussing about perception is this: as painters we must get past our common preconceptions about color and realize when we paint we are working in an arena of relativity where the appearance of colors (their identity, and how they look), changes from one situation to the next. The change happens mainly when the light source changes from one situation to another, such as going from bright sunshine to a cloudy day (as an extreme example). The "look"of a color also changes when other colors in a subject change. For example, the ear on Sargent's Madame would look quite different if Madame Gautreau had worn a white dress with a hot pink background instead of the sexy black dress and the drab background. 我们讨论感知的重点是:作为画家,我们必须超越对颜色的常见先入为主,意识到在绘画时,我们是在相对性的领域中工作,颜色的外观(它们的身份以及它们的外观)会随着情况的变化而变化。当光源从一个情况变化到另一个情况时,颜色的外观(它们的身份以及它们的外观)会发生变化。当主体中的其他颜色发生变化时,颜色的“外观”也会发生变化。例如,如果高特罗夫人穿着一件白色连衣裙,背景是鲜艳的粉红色,而不是性感的黑色连衣裙和单调的背景,萨金特的《高特罗夫人的耳朵》看起来会完全不同。
RED AND WHITE AZALEAS oil on canvas, 红白杜鹃油画,
APRIL PANSIES AND RHODODENDRON LEAVES oil on canvas, 四月的三色堇和杜鹃叶油画,
This is what I think of as a yum-yum painting, meaning the bright colors look good enough to eat, like candies in a box. Look at all the colors in the greens too! The brilliant display of color above was produced by applying nearly every bright color with a single stroke of my palette knife, and then not going over the stroke a second time. The way paint is applied can be critical to color purity and strength. The palette knife is ideal when the brightest possible colors are needed. Proficiency with the knife takes practice, but when you get good at it, the knife can be one of the finest tools in your repertoire of techniques. Single palette knife strokes are rarely perfect on all sides of a stroke. I find I usually have to modify or correct the edge with an adjacent color to make it the right shape, but I never fool with the main body of the stroke itself. 这幅画是我认为的美味绘画,意思是明亮的颜色看起来好像可以吃的糖果一样。看看绿色中的所有颜色!上面的色彩绚丽展示是通过用调色刀一次涂抹几乎每一种明亮的颜色而产生的,然后不再第二次涂抹。涂抹颜料的方式对颜色的纯度和强度至关重要。调色刀在需要最明亮的颜色时是理想的选择。熟练掌握刀的技巧需要练习,但当你熟练掌握时,刀可以成为你技术库中最精良的工具之一。单一调色刀涂抹很少完美地涵盖每一边。我发现我通常需要用相邻的颜色修改或纠正边缘,使其成为正确的形状,但我从不干扰涂抹本身的主体。
THOUGHTS ON THE NEW PIGMENTS 对新颜料的思考
If artists from any period in the past could rise from their graves and travel through time to a large art supply store in the United States today, they would probably think they had at last arrived in a painter's heaven. If I happened to be in the store at the time, I'm not quite sure what I would do, or say, or even understand, what with all those old guys excited out of their wits! 如果过去任何时期的艺术家能够从坟墓中复活并穿越时空来到今天的美国一家大型艺术用品商店,他们可能会认为自己终于来到了画家的天堂。如果我碰巧在店里的话,我不太确定我会做什么,说什么,甚至理解什么,因为那些兴奋得不知所措的老家伙们!
We are blessed today with a selection of high quality materials unmatched in history-paints and brushes which would have sent the old Masters into deliriums of joy. Modern paint chemistry has given us so very much to choose from, yet not quite all the colors we would like to have, at least not as absolutely permanent stable pigments. Except for one tiny exception, I'm pretty happy with the pigments I have to work with. This minor empty space on my palette is the lack of a pure transparent yellow. Some yellows are marketed as transparent by the manufacturers, but they are actually only translucent suspensions of opaque or semi-opaque pigments. None are truly transparent in the same way such things as amber, olive oil, or vintage Rhine wines are. 今天我们有幸拥有一系列质量优秀的材料,这在历史上是无与伦比的——颜料和画笔会让古代大师陶醉于其中。现代的油漆化学为我们提供了很多选择,但并非所有颜色都是我们想要的,至少并非绝对稳定的颜料。除了一个微小的例外,我对我所使用的颜料感到相当满意。我调色板上的这个小空白是缺少一种纯透明的黄色。一些黄色被制造商宣传为透明,但实际上它们只是不透明或半不透明颜料的悬浮液。没有一种像琥珀、橄榄油或陈年莱茵酒那样真正透明的黄色。
The issue of yellow aside, I welcome the new pigments. The only problem I have is the acute embarrassment I feel asking for them in art stores when I try pronouncing their names. Words like isoviollanthrone, thioindigold, indanthrene, quinacridone, benzimidazolone, dinitraniline, and isoindoline to name only a few, are far more than I can manage without the danger of my tongue falling off, or the salesgirl laughing herself silly. 除了黄色这个问题之外,我欢迎新的颜料。我唯一的问题是在艺术商店要求它们时,我尝试发音时感到尴尬。像异维奥兰斯酮、硫吲哥、靛蓝、喹啉酮、苯并咪唑酮、二硝基苯胺和异吲哚等词汇,仅举几例,远远超出了我所能掌握的范围,否则我的舌头可能会掉下来,或者售货员会笑得前仰后合。
To me the names for new artists' colors sound more like medicines for chronic skin diseases. Perhaps with age I'm just getting old fashioned, but the palette pigments I use (page 212) were perfected long before I was born. I know all about them. They have served me well since I was a young student, and most of the works I completed with them more than sixty years ago are still as fresh as the day they were painted. That said, I also enjoy trying out some of the new more saturated versions of the primary and secondary colors. Many of them are indeed quite brilliant and strong (a little can go a long way). For me, it's like tasting new candy, but in the end, it's all still just sugar. Some are rated more stable and permanent than others, so stick with the recommended ones, and bear in mind conservators measure permanence in centuries. They do not rely upon accelerated light tests to rate permanence, as manufacturers do for their marketing. 对我来说,新艺术家颜色的名称听起来更像是治疗慢性皮肤病的药物。也许随着年龄的增长,我变得越来越守旧,但我使用的调色板颜料(第 212 页)早在我出生之前就已经完善了。我对它们了如指掌。自从我还是个年轻学生以来,它们一直为我效力,我用它们完成的大部分作品已经超过六十年,但至今仍然新鲜如初。话虽如此,我也喜欢尝试一些新的更饱和的原色和辅助色。其中许多确实非常出色和强大(少量即可见效)。对我来说,这就像品尝新糖果,但最终,它们仍然只是糖。有些比其他颜色更稳定和持久,因此请坚持使用推荐的颜色,并记住,艺术保护者以世纪为单位来衡量持久性。他们不依赖于加速光测试来评估持久性,就像制造商为了市场营销而做的那样。
If you're anything like me and you want to know exactly what your paint is made of, how it is made, how to apply it properly for permanence, how to read the labels on paint tubes so you know what you're buying, what paints never to use, and what you can believe about what manufacturers say to sell their products, two books should be required reading for you: The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques by Ralph Mayer, and The Artist's Guide to Selecting Colors, by Michael Wilcox. For more details see the Recommended Reading section at the end of this book. 如果你和我一样,想要准确了解你的颜料是由什么制成的,它是如何制造的,如何正确地涂抹以保持持久性,如何阅读颜料管上的标签以了解你购买的是什么,哪些颜料永远不要使用,以及你可以相信制造商为推销他们的产品所说的话,那么两本书应该是你必读的:《艺术家材料和技术手册》(Ralph Mayer 著)和《艺术家选色指南》(Michael Wilcox 著)。更多细节请参阅本书末尾的推荐阅读部分。
Abstract 摘要
One final point: using the latest state-of-the-art red or blue or green or whatever pigments, is not going to make your pictures look any better if you do not also have a practical knowledge of the characteristics and use of color itself. It is how you understand color and how you use it that matters. 最后一点:使用最新的先进红色、蓝色、绿色或任何颜料,如果你不了解颜色本身的特性和使用方法,那么你的图片不会变得更好看。重要的是你如何理解颜色以及如何运用它。
THE LIMITATIONS OF PIGMENT 颜料的局限性
Although we have a rich selection of pigments to choose from, we cannot hope to match the full range of values and colors we normally see in various subjects. This is because Mother Nature creates colors in a variety of ways, mostly by using light itself as her palette, but paint can only produce color one way-by selectively reflecting light. Selective reflection means all pigments reflect certain wavelengths of light and absorb others. The two exceptions are white and black. Pure white pigment reflects all wavelengths of light, which is why it looks white. On the other hand, pure black pigments absorb all light and color, so we see nothing, and we call it blackness. The resulting contrast on this page is the reason why you can read my words-while the ink is busy absorbing light, this paper is reflecting light. If the situation were reversed, the paper would look black and the words would be white. 尽管我们有丰富的颜料可供选择,但我们无法希望与通常在各种主题中看到的完整色值和颜色范围相匹配。这是因为大自然以各种方式创造颜色,主要是通过使用光本身作为她的调色板,但颜料只能通过选择性地反射光来产生颜色。选择性反射意味着所有颜料反射特定波长的光并吸收其他波长的光。两个例外是白色和黑色。纯白色颜料反射所有波长的光,这就是为什么它看起来是白色的原因。另一方面,纯黑色颜料吸收所有光和颜色,所以我们什么都看不到,我们称之为黑色。这一页上产生的对比是你能阅读我的文字的原因-当墨水忙于吸收光时,这张纸正在反射光。如果情况颠倒,纸会看起来是黑色的,文字会是白色的。
Interesting isn't it, when we speak of pigmentation we normally think of color as actually being something, like the red on an apple for example, when in fact red is simply the absence of blue and yellow! Likewise, yellow is the absence of blue and red; blue lacks red and yellow; orange is red and yellow but no blue; green is blue and yellow but no red, and so on. If you wanted to have fun with words, you could say then: all colors are what they are, but on the other hand they are also what they are not! 有趣的是,当我们谈到色素时,我们通常认为颜色实际上是某种东西,比如苹果上的红色,但事实上红色只是蓝色和黄色的缺失!同样,黄色是蓝色和红色的缺失;蓝色缺少红色和黄色;橙色是红色和黄色但没有蓝色;绿色是蓝色和黄色但没有红色,依此类推。如果你想玩文字游戏,你可以说:所有颜色都是它们自己,但另一方面它们也是它们不是的!
While the full extent of brightness and color hues in creation is beyond our palette pigments, we can nevertheless produce astonishing versions of what we see, because the kind of painting I am dealing with in this book is not about literally duplicating the real world. It is about painting our own personal visual experience of the world. To accomplish this we have many ways to express the effects of light and color even though we can only occasionally duplicate the actual intensity of light and saturation of colors. Some trompe l'oeil painters such as William Harnett (1848-1892) managed this amazingly. 尽管创作中的亮度和色调的全部范围超出了我们的调色板颜料,但我们仍然可以制作出令人惊叹的版本,因为我在本书中处理的绘画类型并非字面上复制现实世界。它是关于描绘我们自己对世界的个人视觉体验。为了实现这一点,我们有许多方法来表达光线和颜色的效果,尽管我们只能偶尔复制出实际光线强度和颜色饱和度。一些视错觉画家,如威廉·哈内特(1848-1892 年),惊人地做到了这一点。
And by the way, I am not referring here to interpretive art or stylization, where artists change what they literally see in order to have it conform to a certain personal manner of painting. That is another branch of art entirely. 顺便说一句,我这里指的并不是解释性艺术或风格化,艺术家们改变他们所看到的东西以符合某种个人绘画方式。那是完全不同的艺术分支。
Our materials have a few other characteristics we must accept. Oil paint is smelly to some (it's fragrant to me). It is also a naturally shiny substance, which is why it produces the richest colors and deep values. The same luster can often produce disconcerting glare in working or viewing. Acrylic is nice for those who don't like turpentine and other solvents, but it lacks the textural possibilities and classic look of oils. Watercolors dry with a matte surface and lose a certain richness in the dark colors. Also there is a general belief (bloody unfair too) that water media are not as serious or as valuable as oils. Pastel has the same problem; so does egg tempera, casein, gouache, and so on. 我们的材料还有一些其他特点是我们必须接受的。油画对一些人来说有刺鼻的气味(对我来说是芬芳的)。它也是一种自然光泽的物质,这就是为什么它能产生最丰富的颜色和深度价值。同样的光泽往往会在工作或观看时产生令人不安的眩光。丙烯酸对那些不喜欢松节油和其他溶剂的人来说很好,但它缺乏油画的质地可能性和经典外观。水彩颜料干燥后表面呈哑光,深色失去了一定的丰富度。此外,有一个普遍的信念(也太不公平了),即水性媒介不像油画那样严肃或有价值。粉彩也有同样的问题;蛋彩、胶乳、水粉等也是如此。
Every medium has drawbacks and hindrances, just as each has superb qualities and strengths. It is up to us to understand the materials and tools we use and know what we can and cannot do with them. For all practical purposes, however, the reliable colors we do have are quite enough for almost any artistic statement, because the success or failure of a work does not rely upon precisely duplicating nature, nor does it depend on the quality of our materials. Only our aesthetic vision and skills matter. Back in art school, we (students) liked to complain about our materials (convenient diversions from our struggles with learning). Bill Mosby would point out to us that if Michelangelo had possessed only a broom and a bucket of mud, he could still have painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and it would have been just as much of a masterpiece! The Pope might not have approved though. 每种媒介都有其缺点和障碍,正如每种媒介都有出色的品质和优势一样。我们需要了解我们使用的材料和工具,知道我们可以做什么,不能做什么。然而,在实际应用中,我们拥有的可靠颜色已经足够几乎任何艺术表达,因为作品的成功与否并不取决于精确复制自然,也不取决于我们材料的质量。只有我们的审美视野和技能才是重要的。在艺术学校里,我们(学生)喜欢抱怨我们的材料(方便地转移了我们对学习的挣扎)。比尔·莫斯比会指出,如果米开朗基罗只有一把扫帚和一桶泥,他仍然可以绘制西斯廷教堂的天花板,而且它也会是一样伟大的杰作!尽管教皇可能不会赞同。
HOBB GREEN BREAKFAST oil on canvas, , Yorkshire, England, 1994 HOBB GREEN BREAKFAST 油彩 画布, , 英格兰约克郡, 1994
Nancy is shown here in 1994 at the Hobb Green, a Manor house and estate located in Yorkshire, England (now a Bed and Breakfast). As gracious as our hosts were, I could not bring myself to ask permission to actually paint in their dining room, so this was done from a photograph. Fortunately, I had painted Nancy and others often from life in similar settings, which made it fairly easy to extrapolate colors missing in the photo. Most of those were in the extremely dark and light areas. The middle tones usually came through quite well when I was using color film. 南希在这里展示于 1994 年的霍布格林,这是一座位于英格兰约克郡的庄园和庄园(现在是一家民宿)。尽管我们的主人很亲切,但我无法让自己请求在他们的餐厅里真正绘画,所以这是根据一张照片完成的。幸运的是,我经常在类似的环境中从生活中绘制南希和其他人,这使得在照片中缺失的颜色相对容易推断出来。大多数缺失的颜色在极暗和极亮的区域。当我使用彩色胶片时,中间色调通常表现得相当不错。
It was helpful too, knowing that the light was cool (it was a bright overcast morning). Therefore, as long as I kept my darks progressively warmer than the light areas, I was safe regarding color temperature. Since the window was the only source of light, there was a single direction of light, which also made things easier. 这也很有帮助,因为我知道光线是凉爽的(那是一个明亮多云的早晨)。因此,只要我保持我的暗部比光线区域逐渐暖和,我在颜色温度方面就是安全的。由于窗户是唯一的光源,光线只有一个方向,这也让事情变得更容易。
I find paintings such as these studies from photos are, on average, best as small paintings rather than larger ones, because in enlarging an image, whether it is digital or from film, there is only enough useful color information up to a certain point. Beyond that point, my experience has been that there are not enough subtle color changes to do a canvas larger than inches satisfactorily. 我发现这样的绘画作品,例如从照片中研究而来的作品,平均来说,作为小画作要比大画作更好,因为在放大图像时,无论是数字图像还是胶片图像,只有在某个特定点之前有足够的有用颜色信息。在那一点之后,我的经验是,没有足够的微妙颜色变化可以满足大于 英寸的画布。
SALMON TRAWLERS oil on canvas, , Dingle Bay, Ireland, 1994 三文鱼拖网渔船 布面油画, , 爱尔兰丁格尔湾, 1994
I love to paint rainy, snowy, and foggy situations. Because of the pervasive moisture in the air, atmospheric effects such as these provide ready-made color harmonies. Tiny water droplets or flakes act as little prisms reflecting and repeating all of the light and color in a scene, supersaturating it with a single dominant note (Cobalt Blue in this case). The only problem was tactical: how to manage the weather. Painting in the rain isn't so bad if you are inside warm and dry - which I was here. This is one of several waterfront sketches I completed at Dingle Bay, Ireland, in 1994. Nancy and I have various strategies to deal with weather on our travels; all of them involve getting in or under something to keep the canvas and palette dry. (We wear rain gear too.) For this sketch, I drove to the wharf edge at the little port of Dingle, and painted in the front seat of our small car with my canvas propped up on the steering wheel quite a trick for someone my size. 我喜欢描绘雨天、雪天和雾天的情景。由于空气中普遍存在的湿气,这些大气效应提供了现成的色彩和谐。微小的水滴或雪花充当小棱镜,反射和重复场景中的所有光线和色彩,用单一的主色调(在这种情况下是钴蓝色)使其过度饱和。唯一的问题是战术性的:如何应对天气。如果你在温暖干燥的室内,下雨时画画并不那么糟糕——而我就是在这种情况下。这是我 1994 年在爱尔兰丁格尔湾完成的几幅海滨速写之一。南希和我有各种策略来应对旅行中的天气;所有这些策略都涉及找到遮蔽物,以保持画布和调色板干燥(我们也穿雨衣)。对于这幅速写,我开车到了丁格尔小港口的码头边,在我们的小车前座上画画,我的画布靠在方向盘上,对于我这样的人来说是一个相当巧妙的技巧。
MISINFORMATION SPECIFIC TO COLOR 特定于颜色的错误信息
In spite of the plethora of color "systems" on hand, no one has yet been able to come up with a comprehensive color "law" that always meets the demands of working from life. Most of the lesser "rules" and many of the misguided notions that have come down to us do not stand up very well either. Here are a few examples of the more familiar fallacies and oddities. 尽管有大量的色彩“系统”可供使用,但至今还没有人能够提出一个始终能满足从生活中工作需求的全面色彩“法则”。大多数较次要的“规则”和许多传世的错误观念也很难站得住脚。以下是一些更为熟悉的谬误和奇特之处的例子。
You have all heard the saying about warm colors "advancing" and cool colors "receding" in landscape painting-that is simply false, so don't believe it. There are no such constants in nature. Sometimes colors appear cooler with distance, but not always. 你们都听说过关于暖色“前进”和冷色“后退”在风景画中的说法 - 那纯粹是错误的,所以不要相信。在自然界中没有这样的恒定规律。有时颜色在远处看起来更冷,但并非总是这样。
Equally wrong is the idea of certain colors naturally "going together," or that others "clash." Such notions are simply personal opinions formed by fads or flawed theories of harmony. Color harmonies, pleasing to us or not, are created by ambient light, or a combination of lights from natural or man-made sources, acting alone or together, with local pigmentation in subjects or scenes before us-nothing more. I have much more to offer about color harmony ahead as you read on. 同样错误的是某些颜色自然“搭配在一起”的想法,或者其他颜色“冲突”。这些观念仅仅是由时尚或和谐理论的缺陷形成的个人观点。色彩和谐,无论我们是否喜欢,都是由环境光线或自然或人造光源的组合单独或共同作用,在我们面前的主体或场景中的局部色素所创造的,没有其他。当您继续阅读时,我将提供更多关于色彩和谐的内容。
The idea that a color can be "neutralized" by mixing it with its complement is not true either, because there is no such thing as a neutral color. For example, mixing green into red, or adding purple to yellow does not neutralize the red or yellow, it just changes them into a different red or yellow. 颜色可以通过与其互补色混合来“中和”这一观念也是不正确的,因为中性颜色并不存在。例如,将绿色混入红色中,或者向黄色中添加紫色并不能使红色或黄色中和,只是将它们变成了不同的红色或黄色。
Avoid schemes offering methods or systems or procedures for creating color harmonies or specific natural effects (like how to paint the color of water, or flowers, or rainy Paris street scenes). They might produce results under certain circumstances, but not in working from life. Nature has given us no such formulas, only a few principles. A good example is the proven observation about clear blue skies: what seems to be a blue sky at first glance is actually composed of all the colors of the rainbow, from a warm Ultramarine Blue at its zenith, down through cooler blues, blue-greens, yellow-greens, and finally dusky reds at the horizon. Be wary as well if anyone claims to have a simple cure for your color problems, or offers a theory which if followed will always produce "great" color no matter what. 避免那些提供创造色彩和特定自然效果(比如如何描绘水的颜色、花朵的颜色或下雨的巴黎街景)的方法、系统或程序。它们在某些情况下可能会产生结果,但在现场创作时却不会。大自然并没有给我们这样的配方,只有一些原则。一个很好的例子是关于晴朗蓝天的经过验证的观察:乍看之下似乎是一片蓝天,实际上由彩虹的所有颜色组成,从顶部的暖群青蓝色,经过更冷的蓝色、蓝绿色、黄绿色,最终到地平线处的暗红色。同样要警惕的是,如果有人声称有简单的解决方案来解决你的色彩问题,或者提供一种理论,声称无论如何都能产生“出色”的色彩。
Some day (perhaps after I have departed to the great studio in the sky), but alas, probably sooner than we expect or want, you will be able to point your mobile phone, or some other digital gadget, at your subject and it will tell you what colors to mix. (Similar analyzers have been in use for some time in hardware and paint stores.) Until such time arrives you can fool around with any of a number of color "aids" available from your favorite art store or on the Internet. These aids, some small enough to fit in your pocket, are usually circular plastic or cardboard displays printed with small rectangles of primary and secondary colors. They come with discs you can turn, and little window displays which show what happens when you mix one color with another. Other color wheels show you how to create various types of color harmonies or how to match colors. Still other gadgets are intended to be held up to a subject to supposedly show what its values are. I have not checked, but I'm sure these applications are also on your mobile device. 有一天(也许在我飘然离去到天堂的大工作室之后),但遗憾的是,可能比我们期望或想象的要早,您将能够用您的手机,或其他数字设备对准您的主题,它会告诉您应该混合哪些颜色。(类似的分析仪器在硬件和油漆商店中已经使用了一段时间。)在这样的时刻到来之前,您可以尝试使用您喜爱的艺术商店或互联网上提供的各种颜色“辅助工具”。这些辅助工具通常足够小,可以放在口袋里,通常是印有主要和次要颜色小矩形的圆形塑料或纸板显示器。它们配有您可以转动的圆盘,以及小窗口显示器,显示当您混合一种颜色与另一种颜色时会发生什么。其他颜色轮显示您如何创建各种类型的色彩和谐,或如何匹配颜色。还有其他设备旨在举起对准主题,据说可以显示其价值。我没有核实,但我相信这些应用程序也可以在您的手机设备上找到。
My suggestion is to ignore such things. Such things might possibly be useful for children in a classroom setting, but for serious use in helping anyone paint from life, they are completely without value. Why? Because as I pointed out earlier in this chapter, the very essence of color lies in its relativity. Colors are so completely dependent upon one another and the light upon them for their appearance (how they look to us), that they are beyond any conceivable systematizing or codification. Even the highly regarded Munsell Color System, so widely employed in industry and printing, is useless to an artist working from life. This is because that system cannot provide for the relativistic nature of color as a human experience. No chart, color wheel, mixing guide, harmony scheme, numerical color selector, or electronic color matching device can ever hope to match the sensitivity, range, and above all, the judgment, of the eye and mind capability of a painter who has mastered the skills of working from life. 我的建议是忽略这些东西。这些东西可能对课堂环境中的孩子有用,但对于严肃地帮助任何人从生活中绘画而言,它们是完全没有价值的。为什么?因为正如我在本章前面指出的,颜色的本质在于它的相对性。颜色是如此地彼此依赖,以及光线对它们的影响,以决定它们的外观(它们在我们看来是什么样的),以至于它们超越了任何可以想象的系统化或编码化。即使是备受推崇的蒙赛尔色彩系统,在工业和印刷业中被广泛采用,对于从生活中绘画的艺术家来说也是无用的。这是因为该系统无法提供颜色作为人类体验的相对性。没有任何图表、色轮、混色指南、和谐方案、数字颜色选择器或电子颜色匹配设备能够希望与掌握了从生活中绘画技巧的画家的眼睛和头脑能力的敏感性、范围和最重要的判断相匹敌。
There is also a popular idea that nature has to be "helped." Some believe her colors or formations and designs need to be altered to comply with an ideal of what is compositionally acceptable or aesthetically pleasing. That is absurd. Like it or not, Nature per se is perfect, but not all of us see or respond in the same way to the sumptuous banquet she offers. My personal approach is always to look within myself to find what drew me to my subject and why it did, rather then change what is before me to conform to what I am sure will be pleasing, or make my picture sell faster. In my view, capturing the look of authenticity, painting the way a subject really appears to me, is the way to go. This is the reason why, for example, in a still life of flowers, I give as much attention to dead leaves and blossoms as I do healthy ones. It is also the reason I prefer to do flowers in a garden or forest rather than indoors. Outside in a natural environment they are subject to the effects of nature, and thus take on a character entirely missing in florist-grown preened and pruned flowers. 有一种流行的观念认为大自然需要“帮助”。有人认为她的颜色、形态和设计需要被改变,以符合构图上的理想或审美上的取悦。这是荒谬的。不管你喜欢与否,大自然本身是完美的,但并非我们所有人对她提供的丰盛盛宴有相同的看法或反应。我的个人方法始终是从内心寻找是什么吸引我到我的主题以及为什么吸引我,而不是改变眼前的事物以符合我确信会令人满意或使我的画作更快售出的标准。在我看来,捕捉真实感,描绘主题在我眼中真实的样子,才是正确的方式。这就是为什么,例如,在一幅描绘花卉的静物画中,我对枯叶和花朵给予与健康的花朵同等的关注。这也是我更喜欢在花园或森林里画花卉而不是在室内的原因。在自然环境中,它们受到自然的影响,因此具有完全不同于花店种植的修剪整齐的花朵的特质。
There are no "beautiful" or "ugly" colors either. Colors are just colors. Beauty and ugliness are merely flawed concepts drilled into us as we grow up and experience the big complicated world. It is a major part of what is called the socialization process, the means by which we become slowly civilized as we grow up. The beautiful-or-ugly nonsense part goes like this: figuratively speaking, all things as we encounter them for the first time come with invisible little tags attached to them-flowers are pretty, leaves are ordinary, dead leaves are ugly, spiders are horrible, so are snakes, sunsets are gorgeous, cloudy days are ordinary, roast turkey is beautiful, a slaughtered hog is repulsive-you see where I'm going with this. 没有所谓“美丽”或“丑陋”的颜色。颜色只是颜色。美丽和丑陋只是我们在成长过程中被灌输的有缺陷的概念。这是社会化过程的重要组成部分,是我们在成长过程中逐渐变得文明的手段。美丽或丑陋的无稽之谈如下:比喻地说,当我们第一次遇到所有事物时,它们都带着看不见的小标签——花是漂亮的,叶子是普通的,枯叶是丑陋的,蜘蛛是可怕的,蛇也是,日落是华丽的,多云的日子是普通的,烤火鸡是美丽的,宰杀的猪是令人厌恶的——你明白我要表达的意思了。
Society, through our culture, neatly classifies everything in the whole world for us into three broad categories: the beautiful (or good), the ordinary or common (not particularly interesting), and the ugly (or bad). When it comes down to colors, we will have come by a certain age to believe some to be beautiful, some to be boring, and the rest to be ugly or inconsequential. As artists we learn (I hope) such adjectives are nothing more than useless value judgments which merely describe our naïve feelings about colors, not their intrinsic properties. The words beauty and ugly have no meaning when we paint. 社会通过我们的文化,将整个世界的一切整齐地分类为三大类:美丽(或好的)、普通或常见(不特别有趣)和丑陋(或坏的)。当涉及颜色时,我们在某个年龄段会相信某些颜色是美丽的,某些颜色是无聊的,而其他颜色是丑陋或无关紧要的。作为艺术家,我们学会(我希望如此)这样的形容词仅仅是毫无意义的价值判断,仅仅描述了我们对颜色的天真感受,而非它们的固有属性。在绘画时,美丽和丑陋这些词语毫无意义。
All the other common adjectives applied to specific colors, such as exciting, somber, mellow, sensuous, gay, deathly, bold, sexy, mellow, masculine, feminine, amusing, soothing, banal, and so on, have no valid meaning either. They too refer only to our feelings. The words chalky or muddy, however, are familiar terms artists use when they are unhappy with certain colors in their paintings. As it invariably turns out, they are in fact describing colors as simply mixtures which are the inappropriate relative temperature for the area in which they are placed. 所有应用于特定颜色的其他常见形容词,如令人兴奋的、忧郁的、柔和的、性感的、快乐的、致命的、大胆的、性感的、柔和的、男性化的、女性化的、有趣的、舒缓的、平庸的等等,也没有任何有效的含义。它们只是指代我们的感受。然而,粉笔状或泥泞的这些词汇是艺术家在对他们的画作中某些颜色感到不满意时使用的常见术语。事实上,它们描述的只是颜色实际上是混合物,这些混合物在其所处区域的相对温度不合适。
The commercial cliché names given to many colors are worthless-Rose Red, Canary Yellow, Fuchsia, Mauve, Beige, Elephant Gray, Wild Cherry, Spanked Baby Pink, Olive Drab, Funereal Black - all are just silly. However, the familiar names for artists' pigments, such as Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Red, and Terra Rosa, for example, are functional since they are manufacturers' standards by which we identify specific pigments. (At least they are supposed to be-some pigments, such as Yellow Ochre, Viridian, and the Cadmiums vary widely in hue from one brand to another.) 商业陈词滥调给许多颜色起的名字毫无价值 - 玫瑰红、金丝雀黄、紫红、淡紫、米色、象灰、野樱桃、粉红、橄榄褐、葬礼黑 - 都只是愚蠢的。然而,对于艺术家颜料的熟悉名称,比如钴蓝、镉红和泰拉玫瑰等,是功能性的,因为它们是制造商标准,我们通过这些标准来识别特定的颜料。(至少它们应该是 - 一些颜料,比如黄土、翠绿和镉色在不同品牌之间的色调差异很大。)
Lastly and obviously quite important: beware of the mystique of color! This is the insidious notion you either have a "color sense" or you do not. I'm not sure just what is meant by a color sense. Perhaps it is supposed to be something imparted by one's DNA, or it's like having the ability to levitate. Who knows? It doesn't really matter because such ideas are merely make-believe notions from our folklore. Watch out too for the foolish belief about color being too complex to ever master (like the average person's attitude toward rocket science). It isn't. Even worse is the often helpless feeling that color doesn't make any sense at all. Color is one of Creation's nicer ideas. It is there for us to savor, and explore, and share. It has a beautiful order which anyone willing to make the effort can master. Trust me on this. 最后但显然相当重要的是:小心色彩的神秘感!这是一个潜在的观念,即你要么有“色彩感”,要么没有。我不确定“色彩感”究竟是什么意思。也许它被认为是由一个人的 DNA 传授的,或者就像拥有悬浮能力一样。谁知道呢?这并不重要,因为这些想法只是我们民间传说中的虚构概念。还要注意那种愚蠢的信念,即色彩太复杂,永远无法掌握(就像普通人对待火箭科学的态度)。事实并非如此。更糟糕的是,人们常常感到无助,觉得色彩根本毫无意义。色彩是创造的美好想法之一。它在那里等待我们品味、探索和分享。它有一种美丽的秩序,任何愿意付出努力的人都可以掌握。相信我。
TRALEE CHOCOLATE SHOP oil on panel, 8 x 12, Ireland, 1994 特雷利巧克力店 油画 面板 8 x 12 爱尔兰 1994
This is another example of how water can act to unify the color in a location - the wetness everywhere reflecting colors endlessly, creating a Cadmium Red harmony. Please note, the primary and secondary colors-red, yellow, blue, green, orange, and violet - are all present, but only red, yellow, and orange, appear in a pure state. Yellow and orange stand out because they represent light sources within the shop, and are independent of the otherwise cooler dominant outdoor natural light. My set-up was across the street under an awning, and Nancy obliged me by posing briefly and rather demurely with her umbrella as the lovely Rose of Tralee in the rain. 这是另一个展示水如何统一一个地点色彩的例子 - 到处湿漉漉的反射着无尽的颜色,营造出镉红色的和谐。请注意,红、黄、蓝、绿、橙和紫这些主要和次要颜色都存在,但只有红、黄和橙呈现出纯净状态。黄色和橙色突出是因为它们代表店内的光源,并且独立于其他较凉爽的室外自然光线。我的摄影设备设置在街对面的遮阳篷下,南希友好地配合我,短暂而端庄地撑着伞,仿佛是雨中可爱的特里利玫瑰。
There are many more delusions out there in the land of art, but I'm sure you see my point. We do not understand color beyond certain basic ideas and proven facts, so we must be wary of quaint beliefs, fears, and expedient little rules that may have arisen under particular circumstances, but cannot be applied generally. Given this enigma about color-its complex power and seeming elusiveness, then add to it the dubious theories, misinformation, cultural whims, and downright ignorance about it, and it is no wonder some find it hard to grasp. Thou shalt not despair though, you're in good hands here. Read on. 在艺术领域中存在许多更多的错觉,但我相信你明白我的观点。我们对颜色的理解不超出某些基本概念和已被证实的事实,因此我们必须谨慎对待可能在特定情况下产生的古怪信念、恐惧和权宜之计,但不能普遍应用。考虑到颜色的这种复杂力量和看似难以捉摸的特性,再加上对其存在的可疑理论、错误信息、文化怪念和对其彻底无知,难怪有些人发现难以理解。但不要绝望,你在这里得到了很好的帮助。继续阅读。
THE GOOD NEWS! 好消息!
Take a deep breath now! The bad part is over! We have mucked around long enough in negatives. I give you now some very cheery things to think about. For starters, I believe color should be great fun! Remember that and never be afraid of color. To me it would be like being afraid of strawberries and whipped cream. There is no reason at all to think of color as intimidating. It has surrounded you all of your life, and you should embrace it joyfully. Color is part of who and what you are. The things I have described above are not worth getting nervous about. Just be aware of them. 现在深呼吸!糟糕的部分已经过去了!我们在消极情绪中玩耍了足够长的时间。我现在给你一些非常愉快的事情来思考。首先,我认为颜色应该是极其有趣的!记住这一点,永远不要害怕颜色。对我来说,这就像害怕草莓和奶油一样荒谬。没有任何理由认为颜色是令人畏惧的。它一直围绕着你的生活,你应该欢欢喜喜地拥抱它。颜色是你的一部分,也是你所处环境的一部分。我上面描述的事情不值得紧张。只需要意识到它们即可。
You can acquire a sound and useful understanding of color. After all, quite a few artists have mastered its ways and their works are glorious lessons in seeing and painting it. As far as I know, there is no evidence they were especially singled out by the Creator, nor endowed with a unique color perception gene you do not also have (if there is one). You already understand many complex natural phenomena, at least to the extent you use them effectively in everyday life, things like gravity, electricity, love, intelligence, memory, to name only a few. Color is just another one, and it is there for you to explore and enjoy. 您可以获得对颜色的深入而有用的理解。毕竟,许多艺术家掌握了它的方式,他们的作品是在观察和描绘颜色方面的宝贵教训。据我所知,并没有证据表明他们特别受造物者青睐,也没有被赋予您没有的独特色彩感知基因(如果有的话)。您已经理解许多复杂的自然现象,至少在您有效地运用它们于日常生活中,比如重力、电力、爱、智慧、记忆等等。颜色只是其中之一,它就在那里等待您去探索和享受。
In addition to giving us their paintings, some of the Masters had the generosity of spirit to share their priceless knowledge by teaching. In the United States for example: Howard Pyle, Robert Henri, Cecilia Beaux, Thomas Eakins, William Merritt Chase, John Twachtman, Frank Vincent DuMond, George Bridgman, and Frank Duveneck, and so many others from a very long list. 除了给我们他们的画作外,一些大师还有慷慨的精神,通过教学分享他们无价的知识。例如在美国:霍华德·派尔、罗伯特·亨利、塞西莉亚·博、托马斯·伊金斯、威廉·梅里特·蔡斯、约翰·特瓦赫特曼、弗兰克·文森特·迪蒙德、乔治·布里奇曼、弗兰克·杜文内克等等,以及很多其他人,名单很长。
Today we also have hundreds (perhaps more) of instructional books and videos on all aspects of art written by accomplished living artists, many quite young, who have embraced the same spirit of sharing as the painters I mentioned above. I am always moved when I realize what they are willing to do to share their knowledge and personal methods with others. I see this same sharing on the Internet, with thousands of artists from across the world enthusiastically exchanging news, ideas, and discoveries about art. 今天,我们还有数百(甚至更多)由成就卓著的现役艺术家撰写的关于艺术各个方面的教学书籍和视频,其中许多是相当年轻的艺术家,他们拥抱了我上面提到的画家们所具有的分享精神。当我意识到他们愿意为了与他人分享他们的知识和个人方法而付出努力时,我总是感动不已。我在互联网上也看到了同样的分享,来自世界各地的成千上万艺术家热情地交流有关艺术的新闻、想法和发现。
So, in spite of the modern movement of the 20th century, which unfortunately discouraged known skills and sophisticated technology, we still know many valuable things, and we have a body of very useful and savvy knowledge to guide us, though it is not gathered in one book or school. We also have a limited (but effective enough) technical language to describe the properties and qualities of color, as well as many of its behavioral quirks. Despite the subjective character of color and the problems of description, many things about it are not purely subjective, and they can be described and articulated rationally. There is far more common sense about color than mystery. 尽管 20 世纪的现代运动不幸地抑制了已知技能和精密技术,我们仍然知道许多有价值的事情,我们拥有一套非常有用和精明的知识来指导我们,尽管它并非集中在一本书或学校中。我们还有一种有限(但足够有效)的技术语言来描述颜色的特性和品质,以及许多颜色的行为怪癖。尽管颜色具有主观性质和描述问题,但关于颜色的许多事情并非纯粹主观,它们可以被理性地描述和表达。关于颜色的常识远远超过神秘。
WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE ABOUT COLOR 关于颜色我确定的事情
I know this simple fact - when painting from life, all I have to do is correctly identify a color I see in my subject as a specific pigment or mixture of pigments, and then put it on my canvas in the right place. Nothing more. See it right, mix what I see right, and then stick it where it belongs. The rest of what I know is about how to do that, which is what the remainder of this chapter is about. I begin with some general remarks about color and light, and then explore the specifics of seeing color in a discerning way and matching what I see with appropriate pigment mixtures. "Sticking it in the right place" comes under the heading of Drawing From Life (Chapter Four). I go into various ways of applying paint to get the most out of color and overcome some of its limitations. I also describe how to explore and understand a palette of colors, and then use the knowledge to help see the patches of color on a subject as simple mixtures. I must also mention that I will be dealing with COLOR TEMPERATURE in all sections because it permeates every aspect of this subject. 我知道这个简单的事实 - 在写生时,我所要做的就是准确地将我在主题中看到的颜色识别为特定的颜料或颜料混合物,然后将其放在画布上的正确位置。没有别的。看准了,调配正确,然后把它放在正确的位置。我知道的其余部分是关于如何做到这一点的,这也是本章剩余部分的内容。我首先谈一些关于色彩和光线的一般性评论,然后探讨以敏锐的方式看待颜色并将所见之物与适当的颜料混合物相匹配的具体方法。"把它放在正确的位置"属于写生(第四章)的范畴。我探讨了各种涂抹油漆的方式,以充分利用颜色并克服一些其局限性。我还描述了如何探索和理解一套颜色调色板,然后利用这些知识帮助看到主题上的颜色块作为简单的混合物。我还必须提到,我将在所有部分讨论色温,因为它渗透到这一主题的每个方面。
DOLLS oil on canvas, 娃娃 油画 布面
The painting above is one of the first of several doll paintings I would do over years. I was fortunate here to have some very distinctive dolls and other objects to work with. I spent as much time seeking out and arranging the things in this picture as I did doing the actual painting. It was this picture, or rather in preparing the set-up for this picture, when I realized a very important principle in still life painting. It was simply this: in every respect, still life painting offers more freedom than any other area of painting, because the artist can select everything to be painted and arrange the things in any way she or he pleases. If something doesn't feel quite right, it can be rearranged, altered or eliminated. Everything about a still life can be precisely what an artist wishes. If at any point in the course of doing the painting there is a change of heart, the change can be made in the still life or in the painting, whichever works best. 上面的画是我多年来做的几幅娃娃画中的第一幅。我很幸运,这里有一些非常独特的娃娃和其他物品可以使用。我花了很多时间寻找和布置这幅画中的东西,就像我做实际绘画一样。正是在这幅画中,或者说是在为这幅画准备布景时,我意识到静物画中的一个非常重要的原则。简单来说就是:在各个方面,静物画比绘画的任何其他领域都更自由,因为艺术家可以选择要绘制的一切,并以任何他或她喜欢的方式布置物品。如果某些东西感觉不太对劲,可以重新布置、修改或删除。静物画的一切都可以完全符合艺术家的愿望。如果在绘画过程中的任何时候有所改变,可以在静物或绘画中进行调整,以找到最佳效果。
NOTE: Before I get into the details about what to mix with what to get such and so, please give some attention to the remainder of this section so you will be familiar with the way light creates color, how colors influence other colors, and why it all behaves the way it does. Remember how earlier in this chapter I briefly outlined color as a consequence of either direct light or reflected light, and local pigmentation. In the coming pages you will find much more about the role of light in producing color. Understanding how that works will help you achieve some welcome color effects, and perhaps spare you from trying the impossible. 注意:在我详细介绍如何混合什么以获得某种效果之前,请注意本节剩余部分,以便了解光是如何产生颜色的,颜色如何影响其他颜色,以及为什么一切都表现出这种方式。请记住,在本章的前面,我简要概述了颜色是直接光线或反射光线以及局部色素的结果。在接下来的页面中,您将了解更多关于光在产生颜色中的作用。了解这一原理将有助于您实现一些令人欣喜的色彩效果,并也许能避免您尝试不可能的事情。
COLOR AND LIGHT 颜色与光线
The first time I saw color television I could hardly believe my eyes. It was the 1950s, I was an art student, and color TV was just coming onto the American market. Our family couldn't afford one, so I had to go to the science museum in Chicago to see what one looked like. The images I saw on the small television screen then were crude up close, but fascinating - like small Pointillist paintings (in motion no less)-but far more brilliant. I was stunned how electronic technology could so easily create the intensity and purity of color I had been trying so unsuccessfully to obtain with my paints (remember I was just a student). And it was all done with the press of a button. It was humiliating (and scary) to see color skills wrenched from my sacred domain by a gang of what I considered to be nerdy technicians. I was jealous, but I was also learning something important. That day in the science museum when I witnessed light creating color, I was transported to my eventual understanding of the entire visual world. 第一次看到彩色电视时,我几乎不敢相信自己的眼睛。那是上世纪 50 年代,我是一名艺术学生,彩色电视刚刚进入美国市场。我们家买不起,所以我不得不去芝加哥的科学博物馆看看。我在小电视屏幕上看到的图像近看有些粗糙,但却很迷人 - 就像小点彩画(还在运动)- 但更加明亮。我惊讶于电子技术如何能够如此轻松地创造出我一直试图用颜料无法获得的颜色的强度和纯度(请记住我只是个学生)。而且只需按一下按钮就能完成。看着我认为是书呆子技术人员团伙夺走我神圣领域中的色彩技能,这让我感到羞辱(和恐惧)。我嫉妒,但我也学到了重要的东西。那天在科学博物馆,当我目睹光线创造颜色时,我被带到了对整个视觉世界的最终理解。
In time of course, I realized as amazing as it was, TV was just another artificial view of reality. It could not reproduce the way things really looked to my eyes, which was my aim as a painter. Electronics and photography could only provide images they were designed to record, and TV can't do anything at all when the plug is pulled. I wanted to replicate what see. 在当然的时间里,我意识到虽然电视很神奇,但它只是现实的另一种人为视角。它无法复制事物在我眼中真实的样子,而这正是我作为画家的目标。电子设备和摄影只能提供它们被设计记录的图像,当电视插头被拔掉时,它什么也做不了。我想要复制 看到的东西。
Remembering the words of Sun Tzu, "Know thine enemy," I looked into the matter and learned color television was created with light instead of pigments, and that I could never match electronic color with my paints no matter what I did. Why? Because what I was seeing on the screen was an illusion created with tiny bits of phosphorescence (light sources), which is not possible to achieve with paint. Electronic monitors, however, do it at a cost which comes in the form of a loss of authentic values and hues. Another discovery was about the limited range of colors and values inherent in electronic propagation. On the positive side I learned the use of colored light, instead of pigments, to produce images is called "additive color" because the hues are created by adding primary colors of light to one another. (Motion pictures and projected photography do essentially the same thing.) 记得孙子的话,“知己知彼”,我深入研究后发现,彩色电视是用光而不是颜料创造的,无论我如何努力,都无法用颜料匹敌电子彩色。为什么呢?因为屏幕上所看到的是由微小的磷光(光源)创造的幻觉,这是无法用颜料实现的。然而,电子监视器以一种代价做到了,这种代价体现在失去了真实价值和色调。另一个发现是关于电子传播中固有的有限色彩和价值范围。积极的一面是我学到了使用彩色光而不是颜料来制作图像被称为“加色法”,因为色调是通过将光的三原色相互添加而创建的。(电影和投影摄影本质上也是这样做的。)
We do something completely different in painting. We use pigments-which merely reflect light. The paints we use absorb (subtract) certain wavelengths of the light they receive, and reflect others. Pure red paint, for example, looks "red" because it absorbs all light rays except those in the red portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Green paint reflects blue and yellow light, and absorbs red light. Because of this, the colors we work with on our palettes are called subtractive colors. 在绘画中,我们做的事情完全不同。我们使用颜料-仅仅反射光线。我们使用的颜料吸收(减去)接收到的光的某些波长,并反射其他波长。例如,纯红色颜料看起来“红”是因为它吸收了除了红色电磁波谱部分之外的所有光线。绿色颜料反射蓝色和黄色光线,并吸收红色光线。因此,我们在调色板上使用的颜色被称为减色。
And so the first lesson from my encounter with the wonders of television was about the big difference between creating images with light and painting pictures with pigments. 因此,我在接触电视奇迹时学到的第一课是用光创造图像与用颜料绘画图片之间的巨大区别。
My second lesson was about what could and could not be done with my paints, which was definitely a reality trip. I learned that even though I could not duplicate light itself, I nevertheless had to deal with sources of light in my subjects, such as street lights in a city scene, or lamp lights in an interior. Many of the things I attempted to paint consisted of colors that were the result of both additive and subtractive effects. In other words, my subjects, whether they were city streets, landscapes, or illuminated figures in a room, often were combinations of both light sources and reflected light. In a typical landscape, the sky, glowing with diffracted sunlight, was a light source, and almost everything on the ground was reflected light. Naturally, I couldn't make my paint glow like a flashlight, so there had to be another way-and THERE WAS! 我的第二堂课是关于我的颜料可以做什么和不能做什么的,这绝对是一次现实之旅。我学到,即使我无法复制光本身,但我仍然必须处理我的主题中的光源,比如城市场景中的路灯或室内的灯光。我尝试绘画的许多事物都由添加和减少效果产生的颜色组成。换句话说,我的主题,无论是城市街道、风景还是房间里的照明人物,通常是光源和反射光的组合。在典型的风景中,被折射阳光照耀的天空是一个光源,地面上的几乎所有东西都是反射光。当然,我不能让我的颜料像手电筒一样发光,所以必须有另一种方法——而且确实有!
FIRST SOME DEFINITIONS 首先是一些定义
For clarity, here is a short list of color terms (in bold) I use in this discussion: 为了清晰起见,在这里是我在这个讨论中使用的一些颜色术语的简短列表(以粗体显示):
The Three Primary Colors of artists' pigments are Red, Yellow, and Blue. They are called primary because all other colors are created by some combination of them. It follows that no combination of colors can produce a primary color. They are as primal as the elements in chemistry or the four forces in physics. 艺术家颜料的三原色是红色、黄色和蓝色。它们被称为原色,因为所有其他颜色都是由它们的某种组合创造的。由此可见,任何颜色的组合都不能产生原色。它们就像化学中的元素或物理学中的四种力一样原始。
The Secondary Colors are Green, Orange, and Violet. They are called secondary because each is a mixture of any two of the primary colors. 次要颜色是绿色、橙色和紫罗兰色。它们被称为次要颜色,因为每种颜色都是任意两种主要颜色的混合物。
The Tertiary Colors are various combinations of all three primary colors-the Browns and Gray-Browns. 三次色是所有三原色-棕色和灰棕色的各种组合。
A Complementary Color is usually thought of as the color opposite another on the color wheel, which it indeed is (page opposite). Technically speaking, the complement of a color is the color that transforms it into a Tertiary Color. Confusing? Here it is in plain words using the primary color Red as an example: 互补色通常被认为是在色轮上与另一种颜色相对的颜色,事实上确实如此(对页)。从技术上讲,一种颜色的补色是将其转变为三次色的颜色。感到困惑了吗?以下是以红色为例用简单的话语解释:
The complement of red is green. OK so far. 红色的补色是绿色。目前还好。
Green is a mixture of yellow and blue. 绿色是黄色和蓝色的混合。
Therefore, when we add green to red, we get our old primary friends, red, yellow and blue again! 因此,当我们将绿色添加到红色中时,我们再次得到我们的老朋友红色、黄色和蓝色!
We now have our three primaries mixed together. In other words we have a Tertiary color! What a trick! 我们现在把我们的三原色混合在一起。换句话说,我们得到了一种三次色!多么巧妙!
By the way, this is the origin of a widely taught belief that a color can be "neutralized" by adding its complement. Perhaps I am just mincing words, but in my almost seventy years of painting, I have yet to see a "neutral" color. Adding a complement makes a new color, that's all. Incidentally, the word complement should not be confused with compliment, which is a word of praise. Complement means completion, as in a full complement of soldiers, or teeth. A Tertiary mixture is a full complement of all three primary colors. 顺便说一下,这是一个被广泛传授的信念的起源,即通过添加其补色可以使一种颜色“中和”。也许我只是在挑剔用词,但在我近七十年的绘画生涯中,我还没有见过“中性”颜色。添加一个补色只会产生一种新颜色,仅此而已。顺便提一下,补色这个词不应与赞美的“compliment”混淆。Complement 的意思是完整,比如一个完整的士兵队伍或牙齿。三次混合是所有三原色的完整组合。
The words Saturation, Intensity, Pure or Purity, and Richness, have the same basic meaning. All refer to the degree of vividness of a color, such as how "red" a red is, or how "blue" a blue is. A totally saturated pure red, for example has no trace of any other pigment in its composition. Pure Yellow is only yellow, and so on. (Neither would pure colors contain any white or black.) I sometimes use the word Gray in this text. As a noun I use it as a convenient word for a color of lower saturation or purity, in a sentence such as this: "This is a gray red (or grayer) compared to the other reds." Using the word gray as a verb I might say, "If I gray this red it will be correct." All colors can be grayed (reduced in saturation by adding its complementary color). 饱和度、强度、纯净或纯度以及丰富度这些词具有相同的基本含义。所有这些词都指颜色的鲜艳程度,比如“红色”有多红,或者“蓝色”有多蓝。例如,完全饱和的纯红色不含任何其他颜料的痕迹。纯黄色只有黄色,依此类推。(纯色也不包含任何白色或黑色。)我有时在文中使用“灰色”这个词。作为名词,我将其用作表示饱和度或纯度较低的颜色的便捷词,比如这样的句子:“这是一种灰红色(或更灰)相比其他红色。”作为动词使用“灰化”这个词,我可能会说:“如果我把这个红色灰化,它就会正确。”所有颜色都可以被灰化(通过添加其互补色来降低饱和度)。
THE COLOR WHEEL 色轮
The color wheel is simply the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum arranged in a circle. Colors immediately next to one another are what most people consider harmonious, such as green with blue-green, yellow-green and yellow. Colors opposite one another (directly across the circle) are described as complementary because when they exist as colored light and are then combined, they create white light. We painters are not so fortunate. When we mix complementary pigments together, we risk creating a brown mud. 色轮简单地是电磁光谱的可见部分,按照圆圈排列。紧挨在一起的颜色是大多数人认为和谐的,比如绿色与蓝绿色、黄绿色和黄色。彼此相对的颜色(直接在圆圈对面)被描述为互补色,因为当它们作为有色光存在并结合时,它们会产生白光。我们画家就没有那么幸运。当我们混合互补的颜料时,我们有可能创造出褐色的泥浆。
The color wheel as such does not exist in nature. It is a simple diagram showing the component colors of white light, such as sunlight, when it is optically split by a prism or raindrops (giving us a rainbow). The only noteworthy thing to notice is when you mix colors exactly opposite one another on the wheel, you always end up with some combination of the three primary colors mixed together. The wheel might make an interesting design on a dinner plate though. 色轮本身并不存在于自然界中。它是一个简单的图表,展示了白光的组成颜色,比如阳光,当它被棱镜或雨滴光学分解时(形成彩虹)。唯一值得注意的是,当你混合轮子上彼此完全相反的颜色时,你总是最终得到三种原色的某种组合。尽管如此,色轮在餐盘上可能会成为一个有趣的设计。
The words Color or Colors, Hue, Tint, Tone, and Shade, all refer to a particular Family of color. The family of Reds, for example, are all the pigment mixtures, or colors in a subject, in which Red predominates, such as Red Orange, Scarlet, all Cadmium Reds, Terra Rosa, Venetian Red, Quinacridone Violet or Red, Vermillion, Madders, the Alizarins, Pink, Magenta, and all shades of Gray or Brown in which red predominates. Likewise, the Blue family of colors is comprised of all blue colors as they come from their tubes, all blue dominant mixtures, and all colors in a subject in which blue predominates, and so on through the entire palette. 颜色或色彩、色调、色调、色调和阴影这些词语都指的是一种特定的颜色系。例如,红色系包括所有红色为主的颜料混合物或颜色,如红橙色、猩红色、所有的镉红、地中海红、威尼斯红、喹啉紫或红、朱砂、茜草染料、茜素、粉红、品红,以及所有红色为主的灰色或棕色调。同样,蓝色系包括所有从管中挤出的蓝色、所有蓝色为主的混合物,以及所有蓝色为主的主题中的所有颜色,依此类推,贯穿整个调色板。
White and Black are discussed further along in this section. While neither is a color in the usual sense, adding them to colors to lighten or darken them creates new colors, not just lighter or darker ones. For example, adding white to red to lighten it does indeed create a lighter red, but that is not all it does, because adding the white also makes the red cooler, which is a new color. 在本节中,白色和黑色将进一步讨论。虽然它们在通常意义上不是颜色,但将它们添加到颜色中以使其变浅或变深会创造出新的颜色,而不仅仅是更浅或更深的颜色。例如,将白色添加到红色中使其变浅确实会创造出一种更浅的红色,但这并不是它的全部作用,因为添加白色还会使红色变得更凉爽,这就是一种新的颜色。
LIGHT TEMPERATURE and PAINT COLOR TEMPERATURE 光温度和油漆颜色温度
The color temperature of light and the color temperatures of the paints we use are closely related, yet they are two quite different ways color comes to us. These differences are explained in detail in the following text. 灯光的色温和我们使用的油漆的色温密切相关,但它们是两种完全不同的颜色呈现方式。这些差异将在接下来的文本中详细解释。
THE COLOR TEMPERATURE OF LIGHT 光的色温
Technically speaking, the color of a ray of LIGHT is due to very specific properties it possesses-its frequency and wavelength. Red light, for example, radiates only within the frequencies of 400 to , with wavelengths of 630 to . Consequently, red light always looks the same no matter what. It cannot change its properties. The same holds true for all colors of light. Each one comes to us in its own specific range of frequencies. 从技术上讲,一束光的颜色是由它具有的非常特定的属性决定的 - 它的频率和波长。例如,红光只在 400 到 的频率范围内辐射,波长为 630 到 。因此,红光无论如何看起来总是一样的。它无法改变其属性。对于所有颜色的光来说也是如此。每种颜色的光都以自己特定的频率范围传递给我们。
There is also a subjective side of light (our experience of it), and it goes like this: eons ago, we humans went about inventing and establishing certain cultural ideas about light, such as light being warm or cold, or divine, or scary, or good for curing warts, or whatever. My guess is our ancestors associated orange, yellow, and red with the warmth of sunlight and firelight. Blues and purples and grays may have been connected to things like coldness and death. Whatever the case, those notions and their variations have continued more or less unchanged through countless generations, and have come down to us today. 光线还有一个主观方面(我们对它的体验),大致如下:亿万年前,我们人类开始创造和确立了关于光的某些文化观念,比如光是温暖的或寒冷的,或神圣的,或可怕的,或有助于治疗疣等等。我猜想我们的祖先将橙色、黄色和红色与阳光和火光的温暖联系在一起。蓝色、紫色和灰色可能与寒冷和死亡等事物有关。无论如何,这些观念及其变体经过无数代人的传承,基本上保持不变,一直传承至今。
Any source of light then, whether it's the sun, your florescent bathroom fixture, or a lighted match, is still described as cold, cool, warm, or hot, or some variant of those. We take it for granted we are correct in saying a light having more red and yellow waves in it than blue waves, is a warm light. If it shines with more blue waves than red or yellow ones, we say it is a cooler light. This is the way I talk about color as well, and probably the way you do too. We all put temperature tags on colors. Simple! 任何光源,无论是太阳、浴室的荧光灯具,还是点燃的火柴,仍然被描述为冷、凉、暖或热,或者是这些变体之一。我们理所当然地认为,当一束光中红色和黄色波浪比蓝色波浪多时,这是一种暖色光。如果它发出的蓝色波浪比红色或黄色波浪多,我们会说这是一种较凉的光。这也是我谈论颜色的方式,很可能也是你的方式。我们都给颜色贴上温度标签。简单!
Well, perhaps not exactly simple (and not that it really matters), but the familiar terminology we use to describe the temperature of light is exactly backwards. In the strict world of the Thermodynamic Laws in Physics, the hotter an energy source is, the bluer its light is. Conversely, as an energy source actually cools, it changes from yellow, through orange, and then to red (not the other way around as we are accustomed to thinking). 也许并不完全简单(而且这并不重要),但我们用来描述光温度的熟悉术语却完全相反。在物理学中严格的热力学定律世界中,能量源越热,其光就越蓝。相反,当能量源实际冷却时,它会从黄色变成橙色,然后变成红色(而不是我们习惯思考的反过来)。
Despite this odd duality, there is presently little danger of anyone changing the ways we speak of color in the near future, however quaintly wrong it may be. (Not unless a great many physicists take up painting tomorrow.) We artists know perfectly well what we mean by warm and cold. Such attributions have been deeply ingrained into our thinking as well as our language for too long. It has been with us since childhood, so it seems perfectly natural for us-like the way we still say of a modern turbine-driven cargo ship that it is setting sail when it leaves port. What always matters in the end is not what or who is correct, but what works. 尽管存在这种奇怪的二元性,目前几乎没有人会改变我们谈论颜色的方式,无论这种方式有多么古怪错误。(除非明天有很多物理学家开始学画画。)我们艺术家非常清楚我们所说的温暖和寒冷是什么意思。这些属性已经深深地根植在我们的思维和语言中太久了。这种认识从童年时代就一直伴随着我们,所以对我们来说似乎非常自然,就像我们仍然说现代涡轮驱动货船离港时是在起航一样。最终重要的不是什么或者谁是正确的,而是什么是有效的。
I painted this iconic street scene in Naples in the late afternoon with sunlight coming in from the right, dramatically striking the sides of stucco structures, and leaving the remainder of the scene in shadow. 我在那不勒斯的一个傍晚用油画描绘了这个标志性的街景,阳光从右侧照射进来,戏剧性地打在灰泥建筑的侧面上,使整个场景的其余部分都笼罩在阴影之中。
I had already spent considerable time in Italy and painted several other streets like this, so I was prepared for the colors and values where one part of the canvas was in bright, hot sunlight, and the remainder in cool light from the sky above. 我已经在意大利花了相当多的时间,画过几条类似的街道,所以我对颜色和价值有所准备,其中画布的一部分处于明亮炎热的阳光下,其余部分则受到来自天空的凉爽光线的照射。
While you might think this was a complicated problem in light temperature, it was actually quite simple: all of the light values caused by the sun were very warm colors, where I used Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, and Cadmium Orange, all raised to a higher value with white. The shadow areas, however, were very cool, but the very darkest accents within those cool areas were warm mixtures of Alizarin Deep and Phthalo Green. 尽管你可能认为这是一个关于光温度的复杂问题,但实际上它非常简单:太阳造成的所有光值都是非常温暖的颜色,我使用了镉红、镉黄和镉橙,都加入了白色提高了色值。然而,阴影区域非常凉爽,但在这些凉爽区域中最深的重点部分是由茜素深和酞菁绿的温暖混合色组成的。
It was also nice to be able to paint this scene with my canvas and palette in the cool shadows of the street. Wherever and whenever it is possible, I always try to have my palette and canvas in the same moderate light. I can then make accurate judgements about my colors and values. If I cannot avoid painting out in full sunlight, I try to make sure both my palette and canvas are in full sunlight. I do this because although I must put up with the extreme brightness of sun on my canvas, I can at least have the same brightness on my palette, which means what I mix on my palette will look the same on my canvas. 在街道阴凉的地方,能够用画布和调色板描绘这一场景也是一种享受。无论何时何地,只要可能,我总是尽量让我的调色板和画布处于同样的适度光线下。这样我就能准确判断颜色和价值。如果无法避免在强烈阳光下作画,我会确保调色板和画布都置于阳光下。因为尽管我必须忍受阳光对画布的极端亮度,但至少我的调色板也能有同样的亮度,这意味着在调色板上混合的颜色在画布上看起来也是一样的。
However, there remains a serious element of uncertainty in working in sunlight because the brightness results in a tendency to mix colors slightly darker without realizing it. Also the pupils of my eyes contract to pinpoints, which interferes with seeing color. 然而,在阳光下工作仍然存在严重的不确定因素,因为明亮会导致颜色略微变暗而不自知。此外,我的瞳孔会收缩成针尖状,影响了看颜色。