warm/cool color ratio

[Bowlin]

I was looking at this simple little James Gurney sketch (http://bp0.blogger.com/_Eiwce13X738/SHhk8wCLRwI/AAAAAAAADNo/KZRp4zXKcIQ/s1600-h/Quebec+Rooftops.sm.JPG) and it got me to thinking about warm/cool colors. With the setting sun, clear summer day, there is a larger ratio of warm/cool colors compared to the same scene in midday.

If you took that same sketch and tried to refine it for a detailed painting, do you increase this warm/cool color ratio to keep the feeling of the same time of day?

[Stoat]

It would depend on weather, atmospheric conditions. I'm pretty sure what Gurney would do is observe it and decide from that :)

I don't remember how I discovered his blog (http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/), but I'm really enjoying back-reading it (is there a verb for going back and reading someone's blog from the beginning? There should be). It started out as a promotional blog connected with his book tour, but it's moved on to be a great general art blog covering a huge range of illustrating concepts.

[kev ferrara]

Bowlin, I'm not sure if that is necessarily true. Percentage of what? Canvas space? Because one can easily choose a composition on warm summer day with the sun setting that is mostly cool colors, with only dappled sunlight interrupting the glory.

(Yeah, Gurney's art blog may actually be the most informative one on the net. Anybody know of a topper?)

[Bowlin]

Kev, yeah you could choose a composition of cool shadows in the mid-day clear summer sky... but knowing that the type of lighting your dealing with (sunset lighting would generally be more warm compared to mid-day) could help you determine more (or less) contrast in warm/cool colors to pick?

So you could then determine there would be a certain amount of contrast of warm/cool colors in this composition as opposed to this other one, because of the type of lighting.

And yes, Gurney's blog is AWESOME! It is my daily treat. I just wish he'd explain more about how he makes and uses his "string of colors".