>>>The addition of black and white (to make grey) to grey a body colour
is also not always done. Many artists use a complementary colour to grey
another. For example adding green to red pushes the red to grey. The deeper
the
original colours, the darker the grey. When I was painting I used a
mixture of burnt umber and prussian blue to create a blackish colour because
it
has more "life" than a simple black pigment. A similiar effect can result
from
a mixture of alizarin crimson and thalo green.
>>>Likewise mixtures of lighter complementary colours produce lighter greyed
tones.
If you want more expert advice I suggest you seek out someone who practices
as
a "tonal" painter.
___END QUOTE___<<<
Right on. Forgive me fellow modelers if I ramble, but here goes anyway....
As a degreed painter/art historian (but not a liberal) I agree that adding
white to any color is usually not acceptable for a true atmospheric effect.
But this applies really to just a two dimensional painting. It is my opinion
that white indeed can be used as a toning down agent, but along with some
other colors too. Here's why I think so if you are interested:
On a 3D model, there are multiple angles of viewing, external lighting
variances on the paint itself, light diffraction, and numerous other factors
that make a true "scale effect" close to, if not totally, impossible. The
fact is that the aircraft model is being acted upon by air/lightwaves that
are the same "scale" as those acting on real aircraft- the air and lightwaves
don't change. So a shadow cast from a top wing of a biplane onto the fuselage
at full size must pass through more atmosphere than that of a shadow on a
model (72 or 48 times more). While the difference is apparently nominal, look
at the edges of a shadow at 1 inch as opposed to 72 inches. Big differnce.
This illustrates the large but overlooked degree of difference in scale that
we are concerned with. To achieve a true scale color effect in a perfect
world (yeah, right!), regulated diffused lighting would also have to be
employed to complete the desired effect. Of course, this is taking the hobby
awfully close to the absurd. What does all of this have to do with colors? I
believe that since the lighting and colors of a model should be properly
scaled, tonal and hue shifts are indeed necessary, not just white. Ever
wondered just what color that shadow is on the sidewalk? If you look at the
paintings of various artists (especially the impressionists) as mentioned
earlier in this thread, a wild variety of colors are employed in shadow,
usually anything cool and dark, but never black. Pointilists, Impressionists,
Expressionists, and almost all painters throughout history do not use black.
It is almost never seen in nature, just perceived. Likewise, we modelers
could be using various colors along with white to scale down our paint
schemes- maybe a light tint of the opposite/complimentary color to get a
subdued hue. The true scale effect has a neutralizing effect, not just a
lightening effect. It works for painters.
All of this leads me to another issue we modelers often bicker about-If we
are going for scale effect, how can we really be concerned with exact paint
matches for "Oberlt. Hansel Loudenkraken's" Sputtzer D.VIa.2? It is all
relative as one great scientist put it. I think we should just go with what
looks right on the table. After all, it IS still a hobby (isn't it?)
Whew! Sorry to bore, hope I might have shed some scale light on the thread!
Scott H
IPMS 32841