ART EXAM GUIDE

Visual Language Elements

Visual language uses pictures and symbols to communicate

through images.

PLANE

The union of lines that

create a perimeter
thus forming a
geometric figure

VOLUME

The three-dimensional
union of several planes.

Shadows from color

Traditionally, black is only used for creating shadows in a drawing or

painting.

However, there is another way to achieve the same effect by mixing

color with its complementary color thus losing bright and luminosity.

How to create shadows with colored pencils?

Color as a Light Wave

In the mid seventeenth century, Isaac Newton proved that light is the
real source of color upon carrying out an experiment.

His experiment consisted of placing a crystal prism on the way of a

light beam filtered through a small hole in his rooftop. He noticed that
the light beam would split into seven colors upon passing through the
prism and producing the same phenomenon that we can see when the
rainbow appears.

For that reason, these colors are known as

light colors. By mixing these seven colors we
can get white

The mix of light colors is

known as additive synthesis.
Where are light colors used?

From this mix, we get the colors produced by the lights coming off
from our computer monitors and TV set, and movie projector. Their
primary colors are red, blue and green, also known by their initials:
RGB.

Color as a Pigment

Color as a pigment implies that colors have a body and thus are
tangible materials. Painters work with these colors properties. Both
light colors and pigment colors work in different ways. Mixing pigment
colors, is an irreversible process which is reversible in with light colors.

When all pigment colors are mixed, we get black or dark tone
of brown.

The mix of pigment colors is known as subtractive synthesis.

Where are pigment colors used?

From this mix, we obtain the colors used in pigments such as

watercolors, oil paints, vinyl paints, etc. In this system of colors, cyan,
yellow and magenta are the primary colors.

An example of this is their use in computer printers which use these

colors to produce all the other colors. Also known by their initials:
CMYK.