CHAPTER

6
Color

C olor is everywhere. We see it in the blue of the sky and

in the yellows, reds, and oranges of the changing
autumn leaves. The expressive qualities of color are so
powerful that they can create instant emotional reactions.
The color green can be soothing; the color red, exciting.

In this chapter, you will:

Identify hue, value, and intensity as the properties

of color.
Compare and contrast the use of color and value
in different artworks.
Demonstrate effective use of color art media in
drawing, painting, and design.
Analyze the use of color in the artworks of others to
express meaning.

Figure 6.1 was painted

by the Russian artist
Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944). Kandinsky was a founder of the
“Der Blaue Reiter” (The Blue Rider) movement. The group followed
the art style known as Expressionism. Its goal was to express raw
emotion, mainly through composition. Kandinsky, an innovator,
created abstract compositions at a time when most artists were
producing lifelike subjects. He also stood out by using bold, brash
colors as a unifying element.

Interpret. Study the bright colors and sharp, angular lines of Figure 6.1.
Read the title. Do you think the title captures the mood of this work? Do
you experience tension and unrest in this work, or do you find it peaceful
and calm?

135
 LESSON 1
Vocabulary Hue, Value, and Intensity
color
color spectrum
hue
color wheel
C olor is the most expressive element of art. It shares a powerful connection
with emotion. That relationship is why we hear people say, “I’m feeling
blue,” or, “She was green with envy.” The connection of color to emotion is
value also illustrated in a question we often ask friends—“What’s your favorite
tint color?” Almost everyone has a favorite color. It might remind us of a favorite
shade childhood toy or a piece of clothing that we love to wear. Our appreciation of
intensity color affects many of the choices we make.
complementary colors
In this lesson you will learn what color is and how you see it. You will
learn the properties of color. You will also learn how to mix colors to create
shades you might use in your artwork.

How We See Color

Color is an element of art that is derived from
reflected light. You see color because light
waves are reflected from objects to your eyes
(Figure 6.2). White light from the sun is
actually a combination of all colors.
When light passes through a wedge-shaped
glass, called a prism, the beam of white light is
bent and separated into bands of color, called the
color spectrum.

! " FIGURE 6.2 Chagall has used many different

tints and shades of blue. He has also used a few
other colors for emphasis. Identify some of the
objects he has emphasized this way. As the light
outside changes throughout the day, how do you
think the artwork changes? What if the day were
stormy or rainy? How do you think the artist
planned for this?
Marc Chagall. The American Windows. 1977. Stained glass.
The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Gift of the
Auxiliary Board of The Art Institute of Chicago in
memory of Richard J. Daley, 1977. 938. © 2003 Artists
Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris.

136 CHAPTER 6 Color

 ! FIGURE 6.3 What color do you see
when you shift your gaze from the red to
the white area? Your eyes can fool you
about color.

The colors of the spectrum always Your ability to distinguish between

appear in the same order: red, orange, them does. That is why your eyes have
yellow, green, blue, and violet. trouble seeing colors in dim light. Not
A rainbow is a natural example of a enough light is reflected off of objects
spectrum. Rainbows occur when sun- for you to see their color.
light is bent by water, oil, or a glass When you are looking at colors, your
prism. You can find rainbows in the sky eyes can sometimes fool you. For
after a storm, in the spray from a gar- instance, stare at the bright red shape
den hose, or in a puddle of oil. in Figure 6.3 for 30 seconds; then
We see color because objects absorb quickly shift your gaze to the white
some of these light waves and reflect area below it. Did you see a green
others. A red apple looks red because it shape on the white surface? This is
reflects red waves and absorbs the rest called an afterimage. It occurs because
of the colors. Special color receptors the receptors in your eyes retain the
in your eyes detect the color of the visual stimulation even after it has
reflected light waves. Another type of ceased. Your brain creates the afterim-
receptor detects the lightness or dark- age as a reaction to the color you stared
ness of the color. Colors don’t change. at originally.

LESSON 1 Hue, Value, and Intensity 137

 Primary + Primary = Secondary The afterimage of a color is the oppo-
site of that color. Green is the opposite
of red. So the afterimage of green is the
color red. The afterimage of black is
white, and the afterimage of blue is
orange. An afterimage isn’t a strong
Red + Yellow = Orange color—it is only the ghost of a color.
Some artists make use of the way your
eyes work when they create optical illu-
sions of color and movement.
Three properties of color work together
to make the colors we see. These proper-
ties are hue, value, and intensity.
Blue + Yellow = Green

Hue
Hue is the name of a color in the color
spectrum, such as red, blue, or yellow.
Red, yellow, and blue are the primary
hues. You cannot make primary hues by
mixing other hues together. However,
Red + Blue = Violet
by combining the three primary colors
! FIGURE 6.4 Primary and secondary hues. and black and white, you can produce
every other color.
The secondary hues are made by mix-
ing two primary colors (Figure 6.4).
Red and yellow make orange; red and
blue make violet; and blue and yellow
make green. Orange, violet, and green
are the secondary hues.
The six intermediate colors are made
by mixing a primary color with its sec-
ondary color. For example, red and
orange make red-orange, red and violet
make red-violet, blue and violet make
blue-violet, and so on. You can make
many additional variations by combin-
ing the intermediate colors.
A color wheel is the spectrum bent into
a circle. It is a useful tool for organizing
colors. The color wheel in Figure 6.5 is
a twelve-color wheel showing the three
primary, three secondary, and six inter-
! FIGURE 6.5 The color wheel. mediate hues.

138 CHAPTER 6 Color

Other Color Systems
The three primary hues—red, yellow,
and blue—are specifically the primary
hues of pigment found in paints, pastels,
or colored pencils. There are different
color systems that apply to the colors
seen on computer screens and those
printed in magazines and photographs.
The primary colors of light, as on a
computer screen, are red, green, and
blue, commonly referred to as RGB.
Because these colors are created by
adding light, the pigment color system
does not apply.
Another color system is used by
printers—the CMYK color system.
CMYK is short for the four primary
colors of this system—cyan (also called
process blue), magenta, yellow, and
black. If you have worked with com-
puter graphics software, you have prob-
ably seen references to CMYK color.

Value
Value is the art element that describes
the darkness or lightness of a color. The
amount of light a color reflects deter-
mines its color value. Not all hues of the
spectrum have the same value. Yellow is
the lightest hue because it reflects the
most light. Violet is the darkest hue
because it reflects the least light.
Black, white, and gray are neutral
colors (Figure 6.6). When white light
shines on a white object, the object
reflects all of the color waves and does
not absorb any. As a result, you see the
color of all the light, which is white.

! FIGURE 6.6 Neutral colors:

black, gray, and white.

LESSON 1 Hue, Value, and Intensity 139

 TTints
INTS SShades
HADES A black object absorbs all of the color
waves. Black reflects no light; black is
the absence of light. Gray is impure
white—it reflects an equal part of each
color wave. The more light that gray
reflects, the lighter it looks; the more it
absorbs, the darker it looks.
You can change the value of any hue
by adding black or white (Figure 6.7). A
light value of a hue is called a tint, and a
dark value of a hue is called a shade. The
term shade is often used incorrectly to
refer to both tints and shades. A tint is
created by adding white; a shade is cre-
ated by adding black.
When artists want to show a bright,
sunny day, they use tints (Figure 6.8).
Paintings having many tints are referred
to as high-key paintings. Cassatt’s Margot
in Blue is an example of a high-key
painting. Low-key paintings have shades,
" FIGURE 6.7 Color value scales.

! FIGURE 6.8 Everything except Margot’s eyes

and hair are painted with tints of color. Even the
shadow in the upper left corner of the picture has
been softened with gray. The white highlights
shimmer and create the effect of a sunny day.
Mary Cassatt. Margot in Blue. 1902. Pastel. 61 ! 50 cm
(24 ! 195⁄8"). The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland.

140 CHAPTER 6 Color

Forms
Although the words shape and form One side of a cube is a square. A triangle
are often used interchangeably in every- can “grow” into a cone or a pyramid.
day language, they have different Like shapes, forms may be either
meanings in the language of art. Forms geometric (Figure 5.6) or free-form (Fig-
are objects having three dimensions. Like ure 5.7 on page 102). Geometric forms
shapes, they have both length and are used in construction, for organiza-
width, but forms also have depth. You tion, and as parts in machines. Look
are a three-dimensional form; so is a around you. What forms were used to
tree or a table. build your school, your church, your
Two-dimensional shapes and three- home? Look under the hood of a car.
dimensional forms are related (Figure What forms were used to build the
5.5). The end of a cylinder is a circle. motor? Did you know that common table

! FIGURE 5.6 The inspiration for this work came from Smith’s studies of geometric crystalline forms in the early
1960s. The title, a pun on the insect it resembles, is based on the mythical beast of the same name in James Joyce’s
Finnegan’s Wake. This is one of Smith’s most complex sculptures. It took him eight years to see it to completion. The
six separately constructed, geometric steel units were assembled on the museum’s lawn in 1972.
Tony Smith, Gracehopper. 1971. Welded steel and paint. Height: 7 m (23!). The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan. Founders
Society Purchase with other funds.

LESSON 1 Shapes and Forms 101

 ! FIGURE 5.7 An Inuit artist carved this free-form, organic sculpture of a polar bear from memories
of personal experiences observing and hunting polar bears. Compare and contrast the forms of this
sculpture from Inuit culture to the forms of Tony Smith’s minimalist sculpture in Figure 5.6.
Ashevak Adla. Walking Bear. Serpentine stone. 14 ! 34.3 ! 13.3 (51⁄2 ! 131⁄2 ! 51⁄4"). Courtesy of Canadeau Gallery,
Quebec, Canada.

salt is made of a series of interlocking

cubes? You can see these cubes when
you look at salt through a microscope.
Free-form forms are irregular and 1. List three geometric shapes.
uneven three-dimensional objects such 2. What is another word for free-form
as stones, puddles, and clouds. Your shapes?
own body and the bodies of animals and 3. Compare and contrast the use of
plants are free-form forms. form in the artworks in this lesson.

Creating
Forms

Applying Your Skills. Make a flat sheet Computer Option. Use the Round
of construction paper into a three-dimen- Shape tool to draw a circle or oval on
sional paper sculpture by using cutting the screen. Choose the Airbrush to
and scoring techniques. (See Technique gently add shading around the edges to
Tip 20 on page 435 in the Handbook.) make the shape appear as a solid form.
Give your sculpture a minimum of five Draw a free-form shape. Apply shading
different surfaces. Do not cut the paper with the airbrush to represent a form.
into separate pieces. Use only slots and Consider adding a surface for the three-
tabs if you wish to join any parts. Experi- dimensional forms to sit on and then
ment with scratch paper before you make apply shadows.
your final paper sculpture.

102 CHAPTER 5 Shape, Form, and Space

 ! FIGURE 4.6 The artist
has used implied line to create
a sense of movement. How
many sets of nine shapes can
you find that create implied
lines? Describe the lines.
Abrasha. Hanukkah Menorah. 1995.
Fabricated stainless steel, silver,
and gold. 17.5 ! 43.8 ! 7.3 cm
(6 7"8 ! 171"4 ! 2 7"8#). Renwick
Gallery, National Museum of
American Art, Smithsonian
Institution, Washington, D.C.

Kinds of Lines
There are five basic kinds of lines:
vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved,
and zigzag.
Vertical lines (Figure 4.7) move
straight up and down—they do not lean
at all. A vertical line drawn on a piece of
paper is perpendicular to the bottom
edge of the paper. It is also perpendicular
to the horizon (the line where earth and " FIGURE 4.8 Horizontal lines lie parallel to
the horizon.
sky seem to meet). When you stand up
straight, your body forms a vertical line.

Diagonal lines (Figure 4.9) slant. Diag-

onals are somewhere between a vertical
and a horizontal line. Diagonals look as
if they are either rising or falling. Imag-
ine you are standing straight up; then,
with your body stiff, you fall to the floor.
At any point during your fall, your body
forms a diagonal line.

" FIGURE 4.7 Vertical lines move

straight up and down.

Horizontal lines (Figure 4.8) are

parallel to the horizon. They do not
slant. When you lie flat on the floor,
your body forms a horizontal line. " FIGURE 4.9 Diagonal lines slant.

72 CHAPTER 4 Line
 Zigzag lines (Figure 4.10) are made Line Variation
from a combination of diagonal lines.
The diagonals form angles and change Lines vary in appearance in five
direction suddenly. major ways:

! Length. Lines can be long or short.

! Width. Lines can be thick or thin.

" FIGURE 4.10 Zigzag lines

are combinations of diagonals.

Curved lines (Figure 4.11) change

direction gradually. When you draw ! Texture. Lines can be rough or
wiggly lines, you are putting together a smooth.
series of curves. Other kinds of curved
lines form spirals and circles.

! Direction. Lines can move in any

direction, such as vertical, horizontal,
or diagonal.

" FIGURE 4.11 Curved lines change

direction gradually.

Analyzing Lines
in Artworks ! Degree of curve. Lines can curve
gradually or not at all, become wavy,
or form spirals.
Applying Your Skills. Select and ana-
lyze one of the following paintings from
this chapter: Figure 4.1, 4.12, 4.16, 4.18,
or 4.19. Diagram the lines of the painting.
Use green for verticals, blue for horizon-
tals, red for diagonals, and violet for
curves. Place your diagram on display.
Can your classmates identify the painting
you represented by looking at the colors? These five variations can be combined
in many, many ways. You can make
Computer Option. Use the Line tool
long, wide lines; rough, short lines; and
to create a series of drawings to illustrate
smooth, curved lines.
each of the five line types. Vary the widths
and lengths of your lines. You may also
choose to vary patterns and colors. Label
each drawing’s line type.

LESSON 1 The Element of Line 73

 LESSON 1
Vocabulary Shapes and Forms
shape
geometric shapes
free-form shapes
forms
A ll objects are either shapes or forms. Rocks, puddles, flowers, shirts,
houses, chairs, and paintings are all shapes and forms. The words shape
and form are often used interchangeably in everyday language, but in the
language of art, they have very different meanings.

Shape
A shape is a two-dimensional area that is defined in some way. A shape may
have an outline or a boundary around it, or you may recognize it by its area.
For instance, if you draw the outline of a square on a sheet of paper, you
have created a shape. You could also create the same shape without an out-
line by painting the area of the square red.
You see many two-dimensional shapes every day. They are found in most
designs, which in turn can be seen on many flat surfaces. Look for shapes on
such things as floor coverings, fabrics, and wallpapers. Floors and walls are
two-dimensional shapes; so are tabletops, book pages, posters, and billboards.
The images you create with your computer and the images in the handheld
and computer games you play may have the illusion of depth, but they are
also two-dimensional shapes.

Geometric Shapes
All shapes can be classified as either geometric or free-form. Geometric
shapes are precise shapes that can be described using mathematical formulas
(Figure 5.2). The basic geometric shapes are the circle, the square, and the
triangle. All other geometric shapes are either variations or combinations
of these basic shapes. Some of the variations include the oval, rectangle,
parallelogram, trapezoid, pentagon, pentagram, hexagon, and octagon.

Circle Square Triangle Oval Rectangle

Octagon Parallelogram Trapezoid Pentagon Hexagon

! FIGURE 5.2 Geometric shapes.

98 CHAPTER 5 Shape, Form, and Space

 Geometric shapes are used for deco-
ration, uniformity, and organization.
Notice the decorative quality of the geo-
metric shapes in the artwork shown in
Figure 5.3. How many different simple
and complex geometric shapes can you
find in Biggers’ painting?
Road signs are examples of unifor-
mity. The same kind of sign must always
have the same shape. Do you know the
shape of a stop sign? Which shape is
used for “Yield”? Which shape is used
for TV screens? Why do you think ceil-
ing tiles and window panes have geo-
metric shapes?

Free-Form Shapes
Free-form shapes are irregular and
uneven shapes. Their outlines may be
curved, angular, or a combination of
both. They often occur in nature.
Another word that may be used to
describe free-form shapes is organic.
Organic is used when we talk about the
shapes that are silhouettes of living
things such as animals, people, or trees.
Look at the difference between the dec- ! FIGURE 5.3 Biggers uses the women in this work to represent the
orative patterns of geometric shapes in African civilizations of Egypt, Benin, and Dogon. The crowns are symbols
of these civilizations. The cloth on their laps represents the geometry
Figure 5.3 and the free-form, organic that has brought order to each culture.
shapes painted on the vases in Figure John Biggers. Starry Crown. 1987. Acrylic, mixed media on Masonite. 155 ! 124.5 cm
5.4. Which looks more organized? (61 ! 49"). Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas. Museum League Purchase Fund.

" FIGURE 5.4 Notice the free-form, organic qualities

of the dragons and clouds that were painted on this
matching pair of vases. Although the forms of the vases
are perfectly matched, the paintings are not exactly
alike. Look closely to find the differences between the
two dragons.
Chinese, Pair of Vases. 1426–1435. Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).
Porcelain with underglaze blue decoration. 55.2 ! 29.2 cm
(213⁄4 ! 111#2"). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City,
Missouri. Purchase: Nelson Trust, 40-45/1,2.

LESSON 1 Shapes and Forms 99

 ! FIGURE 5.5 What kind of relationship do you see between the two-dimensional shapes
and three-dimensional forms?

Geometric and
Free-Form Shapes

Demonstrating Effective Use of Art Computer Option. Use the Shape or

Media in Design. Using the printed Straight Line tools to draw four different
areas of a newspaper, make two cut-paper geometric shapes. Do not overlap the
designs. Make one design by measuring shapes and space them apart so they can
and cutting precise geometric shapes. easily be selected and arranged later.
Make the second design by tearing free- Choose a color scheme and make each
form shapes. Arrange the shapes and glue shape a solid color. Pick the Selection tool
them on a sheet of black construction and then the Copy and Paste menu to
paper. Use a white crayon to print the repeat each of the shapes several times on
words free-form and geometric on the the page. When the page is nearly full,
appropriate design. Try to make the let- choose a Brush or Pencil tool to draw
ters for geometric look geometric, and the free-form shapes in between the geometric
letters for free-form look free-form. shapes. Select the Bucket tool to fill these
shapes with pattern.

100 CHAPTER 5 Shape, Form, and Space

 LESSON 2
Space Vocabulary
space

S pace refers to both outer space and inner space. Rockets move through
outer space to explore other planets. People move through the inner
space of rooms and buildings. Space can be flat and two-dimensional, such
holograms

as the space of a window. Space can also be three-dimensional, such as the

space filled with water in a swimming pool.

Space and Its Relationship to Shape

and Form
Shapes and forms exist in space. Space is the element of art that refers to the
emptiness or area between, around, above, below, or within objects. All objects take
up space. You, for example, are a living, breathing form moving through
space.
Shapes and forms are defined by the space around and within them. They
depend on space for their existence. This is why it is important to understand
the relationship of space to shapes and forms.

Positive and Negative Spaces

In both two- and three-dimensional art, the shapes or forms are called the
positive space or the figure. The empty spaces between the shapes or forms are
called negative spaces or ground. Look at Figure 5.8 and read the caption for an
example of figure and ground. In a portrait, the image of the person is the
positive space; the negative space is the area surrounding the person.

! FIGURE 5.8 Do you see a

vase or do you see two profiles
of Picasso? Johns has deliberately
organized this lithograph as a visual
puzzle to confuse the viewer. One
minute the faces are very clear and
they seem to be the figure while
the space between the profiles is
the ground. The next moment the
vase between the profiles becomes
the figure and the space around
the vase becomes the ground.
Jasper Johns. Cups 4 Picasso. 1972.
Lithograph. 57.2 ! 82 cm (221⁄2 ! 321⁄4").
Museum of Modern Art, New York, New
York. Gift of Celeste Bartos. © Jasper
Johns/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

LESSON 2 Space 103

 LESSON 1
Vocabulary Texture in Your Life
texture
tactile texture
visual texture
matte surface
T exture is the element of art that refers to how things feel, or look as if they might
feel, if touched. Textures play a role in decisions you make every day. Think
about how fabric textures have influenced your clothing choices. Would you
wear a shirt made of rough burlap against your bare skin? Probably not.
Clothing manufacturers consider this when they decide what fabrics to use
and how to make their clothes.
Think about the textures of food. Imagine the smoothness of ice cream,
and consider how different it is from the angular roughness of tortilla chips.
Would grilled steak taste the same if it were ground up in a blender? Textures
are important to us in a variety of ways.

How You Perceive Texture

You perceive texture with two of your senses: touch
and vision. Infants learn about their environment by
touching objects and by putting them into their mouths.
Toddlers are attracted to all objects that are within their
reach. When you look at surfaces, you are able to guess
their textures because you have learned how textures
feel. Your eyes tell you what something would feel like if
you were to touch it (Figure 7.2).

! " FIGURE 7.2 What textures are

represented in these photographs?

172 CHAPTER 7 Texture

 When you actually touch something There are two kinds of visual texture:
to determine its texture, you experience simulated and invented. Simulated tex-
tactile texture, the texture you feel. tures imitate real textures. Plastic table-
When you look at a photograph of a tops can be made to look like wood.
texture, such as velvet, leather, con- Vinyl flooring can be made to look like
crete, or ice, you see surface patterns of ceramic tile or stone. Manufactured fab-
light and dark that bring back memories rics imitate natural leather and fur.
of how those objects actually feel. Artists can do the same. For example,
When this happens, you are experienc- painter Peggy Flora Zalucha simulates
ing visual texture, the illusion of a three- textures in her paintings so accurately
dimensional surface. If you touch visual that you think you might be looking at a
textures, you do not feel what your photograph (Figure 7.3).
eyes told you to expect.

! FIGURE 7.3 At first you might think you are looking at a photograph because the artist has simulated
the textures of objects so realistically. This is actually a still-life painting of items associated with taking a
road trip. The details of the map are so clear that if you recognized the area of the country, you could read
the map. Zalucha has used white highlights to represent the brilliant reflections of light off the shiny surfaces
of the glasses and keys. She has used more subtle changes of value to represent the textures found in
nonreflective surfaces, such as the wrinkles on the map.
Peggy Flora Zalucha. Map Still Life with Carnations, Keys, and Glasses. 1989. Mixed watermedia. 76.2 ! 111.8 cm
(30 ! 44"). Private Collection.

LESSON 1 Texture in Your Life 173

! FIGURE 7.4 In this painting, the artist has used a
number of techniques to suggest texture. A variety of
line types and shading techniques have been used. Can
you identify the textures? Do they represent real
textures or are they invented? The artwork clearly
depicts two people and an elephant, but would you call
it realistic? Why or why not?
Artist unknown. Deccan, Bijapur. Stalling Elephant with Two Riders.
Mid-seventeenth century. Ink, gold, and watercolor on paper.
16.5 ! 12.4 cm (61"2 ! 47"8#). Brooklyn Museum of Art,
Brooklyn, NY. Gift of Dr. Betram Shaffner.

Invented textures appear as two- but the patterns of light and dark sug-
dimensional patterns created by the rep- gest real texture. The purpose of
etition of lines or shapes. These patterns invented texture is to create decorated
do not represent real surface qualities, surfaces that evoke memories of
unusual textures (Figure 7.4).

Creating
Textures

Applying Your Skills. Make a collection Computer Option. Explore the

of texture rubbings. To make a rubbing, textures on your computer application
place a sheet of thin paper against a rough as well as those you can create. Begin
object or surface. Hold the paper in place with a Pencil, Brush, or Shape tool . Draw
with one hand. Use the flat side of an objects or shapes. Fill each shape with a
unwrapped crayon or the side of a pencil different texture from available menus.
lead to rub over the paper. Rub in one Make some new textures by editing or
direction—away from the hand holding adding textures. Use a variety of available
the paper. Rubbing back and forth can tools and paper textures. Experiment
cause the paper or object to slip. Examine with a blending tool to soften surfaces.
the rubbings closely, paying special atten- Identify which objects look rough and
tion to the lines, dots, shapes, and values. which look smooth.

174 CHAPTER 7 Texture

Texture and Value Matte and Shiny Textures
In addition to rough and smooth, tex-
The appearance of a surface depends
tures can be matte or shiny. A matte
on how it reflects light. Every surface
surface is a surface that reflects a soft, dull
displays a pattern of light and dark val-
light. It absorbs some light and reflects
ues. From the pattern of light and dark
the rest. Matte surfaces, such as paper,
values, we can make a judgment about
denim, unfinished wood, and your skin,
the texture of a surface or an object
have a soft, dull look.
even if we cannot touch it.
A shiny surface is the opposite of a
Rough and Smooth Textures matte surface. A shiny surface is a sur-
face that reflects so much bright light
The roughness or smoothness of a
that it seems to glow. Shiny surfaces also
texture can be determined by looking at
have highlights. Some surfaces reflect
its light and dark values. A rough sur-
bright sunlight with such intensity that
face reflects light unevenly. It shows
you have to squint your eyes to protect
irregular patterns of light and shadow.
them from the glare. Window glass, a
Look at a shag rug, an orange, tree bark,
new car, a polished brass candlestick, and
or a patch of bare ground. Notice how
the surface of a calm pool of water are all
the high places catch the light, casting
examples of shiny surfaces.
shadows of different sizes and shapes.
Matte and shiny surfaces can be rough
A smooth texture reflects light evenly.
or smooth. Sandpaper is matte rough,
Look at a sheet of paper, an apple, or a
and a freshly ironed pillowcase is matte
new, unmarked desktop. Your eyes glide
smooth. Aluminum foil is shiny and
across these objects, uninterrupted by
smooth until it gets crumpled up; then it
shadows, just as your fingers would
becomes shiny and rough. In Figure 7.5
glide across them, uninterrupted by
on page 176, Janet Fish has illustrated
bumps and dents.
all of these texture variations.

Creating Contrasting
Textures

Demonstrating Effective Use of Art Computer Option. Make a series of

Media in Drawing and Painting. Make small drawings and paintings of objects that
a series of small drawings and paintings of have different textures, as in the preceding
objects that have different textures. Try activity. Use the Pencil or Brush tool on
to reproduce both smooth and rough the computer. First, sketch your shapes.
textures. You may use a different medium Then reproduce the texture of each shape
for each drawing, but study the lights and using dots, lines, and value blending. Con-
shadows on each object before you centrate on the shadows, lights, and high-
choose the medium. For example, you lights of each different texture.
might examine a hairbrush, an old work
shoe, weathered wood, a wig, a fuzzy slip-
per, or a satin slip, then select a medium
that would work best for each texture.

LESSON 1 Texture in Your Life 175

 O O K ING Visual Texture Combinations
L LY
CLOSE

Janet Fish has used pastels to

create the visual textures in this
work. The diagram points out
some areas where she has com-
bined different kinds of visual
texture, such as shiny-rough,
shiny-smooth, and matte-
smooth. Can you find more
areas where she has created
combinations of visual texture?

! FIGURE 7.5
Janet Fish. Oranges. 1973. Pastel on sandpaper. 55.5 !
96.5 cm (217"8 ! 38#). Allen Memorial Art Museum,
Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio. Fund for Contemporary
Art, 1974. © Janet Fish/Licensed by VAGA, New
York, NY.

Check Your Understanding

1. Define visual texture. 3. Compare how rough and smooth
2. Describe, in detail, the two types of textures reflect light.
visual texture. 4. Compare and contrast the use of
textures in Figure 7.3 on page 173
and Figure 7.5 on this page.

176 CHAPTER 7 Texture