Colour, tone and pattern

The ‘satisfying’ arrangement of shapes on paper is the skeleton of good composition but the flesh on the bones, the beauty, drama or mystery comes from the way we use colour and pattern, or mark making. Understanding tone is essential but also fairly objective – by half closing our eyes it is easy to establish whether one shape is lighter or darker than its neighbour, whereas the ways in which we choose to apply the paint and the colours are subjective and creative.

Understand tone and use it to reveal form

White objects can appear anywhere from white to almost black, depending on the way they are lit and any shadows that are present. Neutral grey appears flat and, as such, I choose to substitute with colour, so I render shadows in varying intensities of cool and warm pure colour. In (below) the light is from above and