![]() ![]() ![]() The Undertone gives us a sense of what the bias of this color is. In this example of Quinacridone Magenta, the Masstone looks much different from the luminous Undertone. The Undertone is most visible when a color is spread thinly over a surface or mixed with a lot of medium. The Masstone is visible when paint is applied more thickly or when looking inside of a jar for example. We will go into this in more depth below.Īnother thing to be aware of when mixing color, especially when trying to neutralize color, is identifying a color’s Masstone and Undertone. It is also worth noting here that small additions of a complementary color can serve to tone down a color without dramatically changing its identity. Even white, that might seem like an exception, is darkened by anything it is mixed with.īelow is an example of subtractive color mixing where two complementary colors become darker and duller the more they are mixed together. This is why mixing paint is commonly referred to as “subtractive color mixing” as in we are subtracting wavelengths of light. The more colors we mix together, the more light is absorbed, producing darker, duller mixtures. Before we get into some advice on how to approach this, it might be helpful to talk about the paint as a physical material first and what happens when we mix color.Īs a physical, pigmented material, paint will reflect wavelengths of light that correspond to the visual expression of its color and absorb to a greater or lesser degree the remaining wavelengths. We all have experiences where in an effort to tone down a color we ended up completely changing that color or producing varying shades of brown. ![]() You can skip ahead to any section that is of particular interest or follow along with a little science on color mixing! Subtractive Color Mixing We will touch upon methods using White, Gray and Black, Complements, and how the Virtual Paint MXR can function as a helpful tool. Color can be a complex and overwhelming subject, so in this article we hope to shed some light on the subject of neutralizing color, or toning it down without changing the color itself or its “color identity”. ![]()
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