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Editor’s Note - For many years Arthur L. Guptill's Color in Sketching and Rendering has been a standard guide for the artist seeking to enlarge his knowledge of color and his ability to use it effec­tively. The volume has been out of print since 1955 after numerous re-printings. Continued interest in it impelled the publisher to plan this new book

01. Color Facts - Color is so constantly in evidence in our daily lives that we are inclined to give it almost no conscious at­tention. We merely accept color, as we do sunshine and shadow, failing not so much in our appreciation of its beauty — for we all like color — as in a full realization of what an important part it plays in our daily lives.

02. Qualities of Color - Having introduced the reader, how­ever slightly, to the fascinating, but often puzzling, theoretical aspects of color, we turn now to color as an artist sees and uses it. It is our aim to keep this volume as free as pos­sible from technical terms. Some are bound to creep in, however, and, as we approach exercises in which "hue," "value," "intensity" and related terms must be employed, it becomes imperative to offer a few definitions and explanations.

03. Color as Pigment - In the language of the scientist, pig­ments — whether those used by the artist, the dyer or other colorists — are called "colorants" (substances that produce color) to distinguish them from colored light. This dis­tinction helps to clarify the thinking of the physicist and chemist on the many aspects of color and, for the artist with a scientific bent, it may give some clue to a very confusing subject.

Color Plates - Experiments in overlaid washes are shown at top and center; examples of mixed washes are shown below. In A, a narrow band of yellow ochre was overlaid by short washes of other colors. In B and C, only two hues were crossed. In C, French Ultramarine was washed over Gamboge Yellow with little damage, but the yellow over the blue is streaked. Combinations of three and four hues gave the neutral, muddy results in D and E.

04. Watercolor - One of the advantages of watercolor painting is that it calls for but little in the way of equipment. In the previous chapter we have already discussed the matter of choosing one's pigments — whether for oil or watercolor work — and arranging them on a palette. Now, before we begin the first exercises in watercolor technique, we shall consider briefly the other materials needed before you can start to work.

05. Oil - Although oils are unquestionably a bit more cumbersome than water-colors — they are messier, take a long time to dry and are harder to clean up after, to name a few of their less attractive qualities— many paint­ers feel their advantages far outweigh such minor annoyances. Oils are much easier to handle, for one thing.

06. Your Pigments - Once you have gained some control of your pigments (through the exer­cises recommended in the previous chapters), you should make a con­centrated effort to learn their individ­ual characteristics, investigating the behavior of every color in your box until you know just what to expect of it; how it will look at full strength, mixed with white and black, thinned with medium (if oil) or water (if watercolor); its relative transparency or opacity; its amenability to appli­cation; and any special character­istics that may make its use more-or-less desirable for some particular purpose.

07. Color Charts - As stated before, the various systems of color measurement, useful as they are in some industries and in certain areas of the applied arts, have only limited value in relation to the every­day problems of the artist, However, the simple charts that we present in this chapter have a different purpose than the more complicated scales of the well-known color systems, al­though they are similar in some re­spects.

08. Color Illusions - Colors do not always seem to be what they are. The artist mixes a hue in pigment form until it looks right on his palette or trial paper, only to find that, when applied to his painting, the effect is different. It appears duller or brighter, or even of a different hue. Perhaps it stands out too plainly, or fades disappoint­ingly into the background. Let us in­vestigate some of the reasons for all this.

09. Color Harmony - Experience has taught us that certain combinations of colors, whether in nature or art, affect the eye and mind agreeably, while others give offense. We call the former "harmonies," the latter "discords."

Just as numerous attempts have been made to discover the laws of light and of color vision, and to invent practical systems of color measurement and notation, great ef­fort has been expended in trying to ferret out the reasons why some combinations of color are pleasing and others are not, and to devise laws to insure harmonious color employment.

10. Aesthetic Instinct - Lacking the guidance of definite rules and regulations for color har­mony, the artist must rely to a con­siderable extent on what we rather loosely term the aesthetic instinct or the "eye." This vague, subcon­scious power helps him in many ways. Strangely, he can often depend on it more than on his conscious judgment.

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