The color and shadow of the skirts creates weight in this painting.
Color in art is one of the most difficult elements to master, but when used correctly, color can enhance one's work of art significantly. Throughout history, the most famous artists blended color well and created works of art with balanced and realistic weight --- all with the use of color, as shown on WebExhibits. With color, the artist can play with textures, light and weight, which can make a painting, drawing or sculpture appear more realistic. Creating weight in art through color is possible with appropriate considerations toward the correct hues and overall composition.
Instructions
1. Locate the light source in your work. Determining the light source is the most important step, since it will help you figure out where to add highlights and shadows within your work. Correctly placed highlights and shadows help you create visual weight in your work of art.
2. Notice how the highlights and shadows make the robes appear three-dimensional.
Add shadow to your work by using your medium, whether it is paint, marker, colored pencil, charcoal or something else. Use a gray color or the same hue as the figure you're adding shadow to. Apply the color to the work, considering the light source. For example, if the light source is on the left of the composition, the right side will be out of direct light and therefore in shadow, so add gray or darken the existing hue with the same color on the right. Lightly adding black around the outside of the object can increase the visual weight of the object and further enhance the shadow.
3. Add highlights to the object. Unlike the shadow, the highlights appear in the area of direct light, closest to the light source. Use a white, yellow or other light color to add highlights. The highlights will contrast against the shadows you made and give the object a more three-dimensional look, which creates weight.
4. Tape your work to a wall or lean it against a surface so it is vertical. Step back from the art and give yourself a distance of 4 to 5 feet. Look at the art and see whether weight is conveyed accurately through your use of shadows and highlights. You may need to go back and add more of each in order to increase the feeling of weight in the work. Remember to periodically step back while working to ensure that your art looks good at a distance.
