ORD AN UAL OFfOL John Jthiel San ford SAN FORD'S MANUAL OF COLOR BY JOHN ITHIEL SANFORD PUBLISHED BY HUGH KELLY & COMPANY NEW YORK Copyright, 1910 By JOHN ITHIEL SANFORD Entered at Stationers' Hall A)l Rights Reserved TO HUGH KELLY WHOSE INTELLIGENT FORESIGHT, UNTIRING ENERGY, AND FAITHFUL DISCHARGE OF DUTY, AS COMMISSIONER OF THE SCHOOLS OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, CONTRIBUTED MUCH TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION, THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR Manual of Color 2 The Importance of Color Education THE Harmony of color is of more importance to everyone than most people appreciate. It is important, not to Artists and Colorists alone, because everyone excepting a comparatively few unfortunates, has eyes that cannot help seeing color, and color has as marked an effect upon the eye as sound has upon the ear; and, as harmony of sound is pleasing to every ear, so that " Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast," har- mony of color is equally effective upon the eyes even of the savage. How often is the eye offended by badly selected colors in the dress of a child or of an adult ! How often an otherwise artistic costume is ruined by one false color ! If the subject of color were more prominent in our minds, a mother would not thoughtlessly de- stroy the effect of her little girl's pleasing costume of tan by the purchase of gray gloves, nor would the young man of the family array himself in tan shoes, green socks, and a purple tie, capped by a hat band of orange and black. A woman who has given proper thought to the harmony of color would not have orange on her hat and a pink bow at her throat, particularly if she has a swarthy complexion. 7 How much more pleasure we would get out of our daily lives if our sensibilities were not jarred by the colors, or combinations of colors, which stare at us, not only from apparel, but from the houses which we pass, from the flaring posters which con- front us on all sides, and from many other places where color plays an important part. These obser- vations cause us to realize how very little intelli- gent thought has been given to the harmony of color. How much more attractive is a home where the color scheme is correct than one where no atten- tion has been given to the colors selected. An easily acquired knowledge of color will teach one how to have colors blend rather than clash. 8 ANALYSIS OF COLOR Yellow PRIMARY COLORS ( R Blue Green SECONDARY COLORS ( Orange Purple - -{ Yellow- Blue Yellow Red Red Blue TERTIARY COLORS Citrine Russet Olive Campanula Turquoise INTERMEDIATE ] Sulphur - COLORS Saffron - - Nasturtium Garnet - f Green 1 Orange or f Orange i Purple or reen or or or Blue Purple Blue Green f Yellow I Green Yellow j Orange or | f Red ( Orange or J Red ( i Purple or j Yellow 2 parts Red 1 " Blue 1 "* Red 2 Blue 1 Yellow 1 Blue 2 Red 1 Yellow 1 Blue Red Blue 3 Yellow 1 Yellow 3 Blue 1 Yellow 3 Red 1 Red 3 Yellow 1 Red 3 Blue 1 3 parts 1 " The Primary Colors THE first thing to be considered in the study of ANALYSIS OF COLOR is the Primary Colors. A PRIMARY COLOR is a color that cannot be made by combining other colors. There are three : Yellow, Red, and Blue. All other colors come from combinations of these three colors. In the COLOR GUIDE they occupy the THREE CENTER HEXAGONS, YELLOW is the representative of LIGHT. There is some Yellow in all light, and no har- monious light effects in the use of color can be pro- duced without the use of Yellow. Even if White be used, it is more perfectly harmonized with other colors, and its presence made more pleasing to the eye, if subdued by the addition of a little YEL- LOW, making it a cream or straw color. BLUE is the representative of SHADE. It is the cold color and it cools every color in which it is present. There is some blue in all shad- ows. In combination with Yellow it becomes a cool green, as in the shadows of foliage, and GREEN, the combination of Yellow and Blue, is the most tranquilizing of colors and most soothing to the eye, hence its popular use in shades and decora- tions for studies, hospitals and places where quiet is required. 10 The presence of Blue in the shadows of pink drapery may readily be detected, if observed in a strong sunlight and at a little distance, by a purple tone in the shadows. This effect can be correctly imitated with pigments, by the addition of a very little Blue, less strong than the amount of Red which forms the Pink. It is a safe and correct rule in dress and decora- tion to produce the shadow effects in the color plan by the use of Blue, or dark Green or Purple, in which Blue is a part. RED is the representative of COLOR. It is the warmest and most exciting of all colors. Its presence in a picture, or in dress and decoration, either in Red color, or by being added to, and warm- ing and enriching the other colors present, gives what is called M Color " by artists and critics. Red warms every color in which it is present. It is present in foliage greens in a large measure, warming and enriching them, as may readily be seen by comparing them with a pure, cold Green. Its presence in Yellow turns it into a rich, warm Orange color, and its presence in Blue turns it into a rich " Royal n Purple. Therefore, its presence in the colors of dress, decoration, and painting is a very important element, even when no actual Red color may appear. The Greens, Blues, or Yellows, when warmed by the addition of Red, are much more pleasing to the eye than the same colors used pure and cold, and in selecting colors for dress or decoration this fact should be remembered. n White and Black WHITE and black are the ACME OF LIGHT AND SHADE. Whether White and Black may correctly be called colors or not, is still a mooted question. They certainly cannot be formed by a combi- nation of other colors, although it is frequently claimed this may be done, and nothing more clear- ly shows the universal lack of true knowledge in the science of color, even by those who claim some practical knowledge of the science, than that such claims could be made unchallenged, or that in the same generation the claim should be made, first, that a certain combination of colors would produce White, and then that the same combination would produce Black. For years a Color Wheel was a part of many school equipments, designed to demonstrate that White was a combination of all colors, by placing on the disks the three Primary colors and blending them perfectly by revolving the wheel at a high speed. It long held its place in the hands of in- structors of color, notwithstanding that the result was not what was claimed for it. The colors on the disks were usually a light tone of the colors used, in which white formed the greater part, and the blending produced a Neutral Gray, such as any color mixer would produce by combining the Pri- 12 maries in equal parts and adding White. When the claim that it was White was challenged, they replied, "it was White of a low luminosity," but not being able to support the claim in view of the evident result, the idea was quite generally aban- doned. The combining of Yellow, Red, and Blue, in which no White is present, is the nearest approach to the absence of color possible to produce by a combination of true colors, and a very dark shade may be produced, but it is very far from a true Black. 3 13 Secondary Colors THE FIRST STEP in the Analysis of Color is: TWO PRIMARIES FORM A SEC- ONDARY. A SECONDARY COLOR is a color made by combining two Primary Colors in equal parts. There are three: Green, Orange, and Purple. In the COLOR GUIDE they occupy the THREE OUTER HEXAGONS, each being formed by the combining, in equal parts, of the two Primary Col- ors between which it is located. YELLOW and BLUE form GREEN, and it is placed in the outer hexagon between the hexagons occupied by the Yellow and Blue. YELLOW and RED form ORANGE, and it is placed in the outer hexagon between the hexa- gons occupied by the Yellow and Red. RED and BLUE form PURPLE, and it is placed in the outer hexagon between the hexagons occupied by the Red and Blue. An important claim set up by an influential School of Painters, that these three Secondary Colors are what they choose to call ' ' The True Primaries " cannot be overlooked. The error is a serious one from a scientific standpoint, and must necessarily lead the student of color into a confus- ing dilemma. It evidently comes from a superfi- cial study of the production of the complementary 14 colors in the eye and in reflected color in nature. When a Green object is looked at in a strong light until the eye is saturated with the color, its comple- ment, Red, is produced in the eye, and if the eyes are closed the object will appear a bright Red, in- stead of Green, its natural color. The same is true of the others : Purple producing Yellow in the eye, and Orange producing Blue. Therefore it is claimed that these are u The True Primaries," but a more careful study plainly reveals the fallacy of such a claim. The action of complementary colors is always reciprocal, and the reverse action of these colors is much more marked. Red will produce Green in the eye much more quickty and brilliantly than Green will produce Red, and the same fact per- tains to Yellow and Purple, and Blue and Orange. That there is one action of color in light, and another in pigments is not correct. The action is* identical in both. The following simple experiment will prove, be- yond any question, the truth of this assertion and also the fallacy of the double set of Primaries. From a piece of thin looking glass cut a couple of little mirrors about one-fourth of an inch in width and an inch in length. Stick pins lengthwise through two small corks and glue the backs of the mirrors on to the tops of the corks over the heads of the pins, so they may be stuck into paper and set at any desired angle. Throw the prismatic colors through a prism on to a sheet of white paper on the wall , and place another sheet of white paper on the wall opposite the sheet upon which the colors are 15 shown. To prove that Green is a secondary color in light, as well as in pigments, produce it from the adjoining colors on each side, Blue and Yellow. Stick the mirrors, one in pure Blue, reflecting it on to the white paper opposite, and the other in pure Yellow, throwing them together on the op- posite paper, when the same Green shown by the prism will be produced. The same experiment should then be made with the mirrors in Yellow and Red for Orange, and in Blue and Red for Purple. This fully establishes the secondary char- acter of these three colors, for no scientist would contend that a color produced by combining two other colors was in any sense a Primary color. Now try the opposite experiment of producing the Blue by a combining of the adjacent colors on each side, Purple and Green, and the Yellow by combining Green and Orange, and the Red by com- bining Orange and Purple, or any other combina- tions the student may wish to try. Note the utter failure of the experiments and know for a cer- tainty that Yellow, Red, and Blue are the true and only Primaries in either light or pigments. This will be made still more clear under Com- plementary Colors. The method of handling colors used by the School of Artists above referred to is not seriously affected or altered by the false idea of "True Pri- maries " as color always produces its complement, as they claim, and the error, therefore, is merely a theoretical one which does not affect the practical action of color, but the fallacy would seriously con- fuse the scientific student. 16 Tertiary Colors THE SECOND STEP in the Analysis of Color is: TWO SECONDARIES FORM A TER- TIARY. A TERTIARY COLOR is a color made by combining two Secondary Colors in equal parts ; or in painting it may be made directly from the Pri- mary Colors, by mixing all three Primary Colors to- gether in the proportion of two parts of one to one part each of the other two. There are three : Cit- rine, Russet, and Olive, occupying in the COLOR GUIDE the THREE EXTREME OUTER DIA- MONDS \ each containing two parts of the Primary Color next to it, to one part each of the other two Primary Colors. CITRINE is made by combining two parts of Yellow to one part each of Red and Blue, and occu- pies the outer diamond next to Yellow and between Orange and Green, which produce it analytically. RUSSET is made by combining two parts of Red to one part each of Yellow and Blue, and occu- pies the outer diamond next to Red and between Orange and Purple, which produce it analytically. OLIVE is made by combining two parts of Blue to one part each of Yellow and Red, and occupies the outer diamond next to Blue and between Purple and Green, which produce it analytically. 17 This is as far as the Analysis of Color can pro- ceed, because joining two Tertiaries for a Quater- nary would be nearly equivalent to combining the three Primaries in equal parts, which is the nearest approach to the absence of color it is possible to produce. The three Tertiary Colors are not present in the Prismatic or Rainbow Colors, as they are produced by a combination of all three Primary Colors at once and only two colors are combined simultan- eously in the prism or rainbow. 18 Intermediate Colors 'HERE yet remain to be considered in the I COLOR GUIDE the INTERMEDIATE COLORS. AN INTERMEDIATE COLOR is a color be- tween a Primary Color and a Secondary Color, and is made by combining a Primary and a Secondary in equal parts ; or in painting it may be made di- rectly from the Primary Colors by mixing two Pri- maries in the proportion of three parts of one to one part of the other. There are six Intermediate Colors: Sulphur (Yellow-Green), Saffron (Yellow- Orange), Nasturtium (Red-Orange), Garnet (Red- Purple), Campanula (Blue-Purple), and Turquoise (Blue-Green), occupying in the COLOR GUIDE the SIX REMAINING DIAMONDS. Each one is made by combining in equal parts the Primary and Secondary Color between which each is located ; or in painting each may be made directly from Primaries, by mixing three parts of the Primary next which it stands, with one part of the Primary on the same side of the chart and towards which it points. These six Intermediate Colors are usually di- vided into a grade of five shades, ranging from the Primary to the Secondary between which each color stands, and this gradation, together with the multitude of shades of the Primaries and Second- 19 aries, provides an endless variety of color. Most at- tempts at preparing a Color Guide have been with an idea of furnishing a list of such shades, but a competent Colorist needs no such combination of colors. To the student it is hopelessly confusing and retards, rather than helps, the attainment of a really scientific knowledge of color, which, when obtained, makes the student independent and capa- ble of producing any shade or tone of color desired. 20 Purple Campanula or Blue-purple BLUE Turquoise or Blue-green Green Sulphur or Yellow-green YELLOW Saffron or Yellow-orange Orange Nasturtium or Red-orange RED Garnet or Red-purple Purple Complete Chart of the Prismatic or Rainbow Colors Complete Chart of the Prismatic or Rainbow Colors IT will be noted that, both in the COLOR GUIDE and in the PRISMATIC CHART, Indigo does not appear, although it was included by all Col- orists from Newton's time up to 1890, when the dis- covery was made that, being a combination of Black and Blue, Indigo could not be, and never had been, present in the prismatic colors. As will be readily seen, all colors come from the three primary colors, Red, Yellow, and Blue. The Secondary and Intermediate Colors are formed in the Prism, or Rainbow, by a blending of the Pri- mary Colors; the Red and Yellow blending together and forming all grades of Orange, from Red-Orange to Yellow-Orange ; and the Yellow and Blue blend- ing together into all grades of Green, from Yellow- Green to Blue-Green. Purple is formed, both at the top and bottom of the Rainbow, by reflection of the Red and Blue, which are refracted out of a direct line, and consequently reflected on the inner surface of the prism or raindrop, as shown in the chart, the Red being reflected from the bottom into the Blue at the top, thus forming Purple. Violet is Purple in a diluted form, and as it is a reflected color in the rainbow, and consequently weak, may reasonably be called Violet, but is really Purple. 4 21 The Blue is also reflected into the Red, and pro- duces Purple at the bottom. Colorists, not having looked for this had failed to observe it, but it may be plainly seen in any bright rainbow. The Red, reflecting into the Blue at the top, produces all grades of Purple between pure Purple and Red-Purple. It will thus be seen that all colors appear in the Prismatic or Rainbow Colors, ex- cepting the Tertiary Colors, Citrine, Russet, and Olive, which being a simultaneous combination of all three Primary Colors, cannot themselves exist in the Prismatic Colors. 22 HARMONY OF COLOR THE way color affects the eye is not only very interesting, but is a very important matter to every person who has eyes. When the eye looks at a color, not the color itself, but its opposite, called its complementary color, is absorbed by the eye, and if the eyes are closed the object will be seen, not in the color the eye saw when open, but in its complementary color. If a red color is looked at until the eye is saturated with the color, and the eyes are closed, the object will be seen, not in red, but in a bright green. If the eye sees a bright yellow until it is filled with the color, it will be seen with closed eyes, in a rich purple. Therefore when one color is seen it is important that the next color looked at shall harmonize with the color nature has formed in the eye, or an unpleasant shock will be experienced and the pleasing sensation of harmony destroyed just as effectively as a clash of sounds shocks the ear. This creation of the Complementary Color is not confined alone to the eye, but all nature capable of reflecting color shows the same action. For ex- ample : a yellow sunset reflects purple in all cloud and snow shadows. The matter of complementary color is a simple one, not difficult to understand, and everyone should learn it. 23 Complementary Colors DEFINITION : To each color there is one other color which is ' ' Complementary. ' ' A Comple- mentary color is one which supplies what is lacking in the other. For example, Green, which contains Yellow and Blue, lacks Red, therefore Red supplies what is lacking in Green and is its Complement ; and, vice versa, Green is the Comple- ment of Red. In every case Complementary Colors are recip- rocally Complements of each other. In the COLOR GUIDE the Complementary Colors are shown OPPOSITE EACH OTHER. Red and Green are Complements. Yellow and Purple are Complements. Blue and Orange are Complements. The student will see at once that it is simply a matter of remembering these three sets of Comple- ments and learning to balance shade for shade, and tint for tint, as the more delicate the tint the more subtile and exquisite may be the effect of color harmony upon the eye, just as soft music may create the most subtile and pleasing harmonies of sound. 24 Brightening Color by the Use of the Complement IT is important that the student understand well the following simple principles upon which Nature acts: As has been stated, each color pro- duces its Complement in the eye. If one looks at Red, Green is created in the eye. This is not a delusion, but a very practical fact. Now if one has seen Red, and there is consequently Green in the eye, if the eye turns from the Red to Green, the Green which has been produced in the eye by the Red will add to the Green looked at and it will ap- pear more brilliant than it would have appeared if the eye had not just been looking at Red. This explains the principles of the first rule in the Har- mony of Color. RULE I. COMPLEMENTARY COLORS WHEN PLACED SIDE BY SIDE BRIGHTEN EACH OTHER. It will thus be understood that if brilliancy of color is desired it must be attained by the appli- cation of this principle. The two Complementary colors must in some way be so arranged as to ap- pear in juxtaposition. 25 Subduing Color by the Use of the Complement WE now come to the matter of subduing in- stead of heightening color, which may easi- ly be done by observing another action of Nature well nigh as curious and surprising as the one we have been considering : The same color which, if placed beside a color, will brighten it, if mixed with the color will " Kill " it. If Red be too red, Green is the only color that will take the redness out, or subdue it, and vice versa ; if Green is too green, Red is the only color that will destroy the greenness. This fact is of equal force with every color: Red and Green are complements and will not only brighten each other in juxtaposition, but will kill each other if mixed together. The same is true of Yellow and Purple and of Blue and Orange. We therefore have the second rule in Harmony of Color : RULE II. COMPLEMENTARY COLORS WHEN MIXED TOGETHER KILL EACH OTHER. By observing these two rules, any desired effect in the harmony of color may be produced ; any color may be either heightened or subdued at will, by the simple method of placing its Complement 26 beside it, if more brilliancy is desired ; or by mixing the Complement with it, if less brilliancy is desired. In dress, drapery, or decoration, any color may be subdued by surrounding it with a symphony of similar shades or colors. The eye then "mixes" the complementary color as effectively as the artist mixes his pigments. The symphony of practically one color produces the complement in the eye, and if this created com- plement is not neutralized by the actual presence of the same color, it blends in the eye with the lo- cal color and subdues it. 27 Producing Correct Shadow Effects in Painting THE above fact also gives us a very valuable rule for painting shadows correctly in any color. It is only in the light that the color of any object is pure. In shadow Nature always sub- dues the color by the introduction of its comple- ment to a sufficient degree to partially neutralize the local color, and this process must be imitated by the successful artist. Therefore, no matter what color is being painted, the correct and most simple way to reproduce the shadow effect is to reduce the brilliancy of the local color with just a little of the complement and then deepen with black to any depth desired. For example: Purple drapery is too crudely purple in many finished works because the artist has not observed this natural law and has simply darkened the shadows without killing the purple. Yellow is the only color that will take the purple out of purple color, and, being a light color, the artist had perhaps not considered it the right color with which to produce shadow effects and had failed to follow Nature's method, but if enough Yellow is used to subdue the purple and then deepen the shadow, it will be found to be correct technique. 23 Limited Range of Complement- ary Colors HE range of complementary colors is not wide and complicated, but is very simple and con- fined strictly to the three Primaries, the three Secondaries, and the Intermediate colors. If a color be a Primary, a Secondary is its com- plement, and if a color is a Secondary, a Primary is its complement, and if a Primary color has but a small amount of another Primary in it, turning it a little away from the Primary, its complement will contain just that much more of the remaining third Primary. For example : If Red has a little Yellow in it, turning it toward Nasturtium, or Red- Orange, its complement, Green, must have just that much more Blue in its composition, turning it toward Turquoise, or Blue-Green. In this way the six Intermediate colors may be complements. 5 29 Application of Rules of Art to Harmony of Color ASIDE from the two rules already given there ^ are no hard and fast rules for the correct Harmony of Color. There are, however, some Rules of Art which should be considered and employed in an artistic arrangement of color. The first of these rules is INTERCHANGE. In art it means relieving broad lights by breaking them with smaller dark objects, and the breaking of broad dark areas with smaller light objects. The same breaking up of broad color areas by the introduction of smaller harmonious colors, or by the use of light and dark of the same color, often gives very desirable results. The second Rule of Art to be observed is CON- TRAST. Cold colors may be made more pleasing by contrasting them with warm colors, and warm colors may, to advantage, be contrasted with cold ones. Reubens thus contrasted warm and cold colors by placing them side by side. The Vene- tians interchanged warm and cold. Correggio em- ployed a warm central effect, with surrounding cold colors, and the Florentines employed a central cold effect with warm surroundings. The possibilities of contrast are endless and present countless vari- eties and pleasing effects. The effect of contrast may often be attained 30 by the third Rule of Art that should be observed : REPETITION. This means to repeat a promi- nent color with less and less prominence, produc- ing somewhat of a vanishing impression. In employing any of the above rules, a fourth Rule of Art should always be observed: BALANCE. Balance in art does not imply an equal quantity or strength . On the contrary, that impression is always avoided, and the balancing color should always be less conspicuous than the original that it may not be robbed of its prominence as the foundation color. Perhaps the most important of the Rules of Art here given for use in color harmony is a fifth one : TONE. The note struck may be high or low, but should be maintained throughout the color scheme. A crude, strong color, though otherwise harmoni- ous, will clash discordantly among delicate tints of a notably lighter tone. True harmony is a matter of dexterous, skillful handling of these few simple principles, and culti- vated, experienced taste, resulting from the use of the faculties, guided by the simple rules given. It is largely a matter of individual taste and opinion and differs with individuals and with the times and development of public taste. In Nature, sudden, violent contrasts are com- paratively rare, and even when they do exist, she is capable of harmonizing conflicting colors in a way art can never equal. Therefore, harmony may usually be more successfully attained by accord of colors and gradual gradation and delicate transition from one color to another, than by sudden contrast. 31 Harmony of the Primaries with White and Black AVERY valuable fact in harmony of color, and one which can be safely and generally used to advantage, being simple and easily remembered, is that White and Black added to each of the three Primaries, produce two colors of quite opposite effect, that always harmonize with each other, as they are virtually Light and Dark of the same color.- White added to Yellow will produce Straw or Cream color, according to the Yellow used, and Black added to Yellow produces Olive ; therefore Straw or Cream, and Olive will always harmonize. White added to Red produces Pink. Black added to Red produces Maroon ; therefore Pink and Maroon will always harmonize. White added to Blue produces Azure. Black added to Blue produces Indigo ; therefore Azure and Indigo will always harmonize. 32 Examples in Color Harmony CORRECT, or desirable harmony, varies with every age. For example, two decades ago the idea of brilliancy prevailed, and if a lady had red hair, she was dressed in Olive-Green, Peacock- Blue, or an}^ Complementary Color. This was good harmony if brilliancy was desired, the color of the hair thus being made conspicuous. To- day the opposite idea prevails, and the desire is to subdue the color of red hair, which is readily done by surrounding it with Russets, Browns, or similar shades of Red, and the color of the hair is thus subdued and passes unnoticed. An idea prevailed in the past that correct har- mony in decoration was the carrying out of a scheme, or symphony, of similar shades of color in a room, to the exclusion of Complementary Colors. This produces a good impression upon first enter- ing the room, but upon remaining in the room with no Complementary Color present to neutralize, or counteract, the prevailing color, the eye soon be- comes saturated with it, and the Complementary is increasingly created in the eye, thus "killing" the local color, until a very dull, undesirable effect is produced. The remedy is to provide sufficient of the Complementary Color to restore the color equilibrium in the eye, yet not enough to destroy the effect of the color scheme employed. 33 GETTY CENTER LIBRARY 3 3125 00594 9058