Fletcher: Colour Control

[Zazerzs]

Hopefully these are readable. first 2 chapters, more to come.

[Zazerzs]

adding more as I have time. If you have any intrest in color this is a must read.. just sayin

and there ya have it. I believe this will be extremely helpful to those who take the time.

[Zazerzs]

All done! I hope this helps those struggling with color and their pallets.

Forgot to add the cover pages to give Frank Morley Fletcher the credit he deserves.

If posting this is breaking rules then I apologize and will take it down. I just wanted to get this information to those have been searching for it.

[madster]

This is a truly kind and generous thing you have done, Zazerz. It has been 80 years since the author's death, and this is being published here purely in an educational interest, not for profit or gain, so I do believe you are more than covered across the board, copyright wise.

A sincere thanks to the author, Frank Morley Fletcher, as this is truly a nice little gem of color theory. I know I will enjoy reading it through and practicing...

(If anyone else appreciates Zazerz's efforts, please click the little "Thanks" button in the lower RH corner of his post, so the Powers That Be can see the benefit of this...)
~M

[Black Sun]

This book is fascinating, thank you very much, Zazerz!

[Zazerzs]

This book is fascinating, thank you very much, Zazerz!

Glad I could give back. If anyone has question about the books process please post them.

[Vaejoun]

I would really appreciate if this thread could be expanded a little.
Like bringing some examples of color use und what the book shows in direct use.

Why is it useful even for digital art to make up a color palett first ?

And in how far can that affect my picture ?
Usually I just start painting, trying a lot out and seeing what color or value works best. Then I try more like laying anothe layer over it and playing with the blend-options.... Until it comes to a point where I think it looks ok now.
At the moment I think my way of working is some kind of messy.

[Zazerzs]

Why is it useful even for digital art to make up a color palett first ?
And in how far can that affect my picture ?
Usually I just start painting, trying a lot out and seeing what color or value works best. Then I try more like laying anothe layer over it and playing with the blend-options.... Until it comes to a point where I think it looks ok now.
At the moment I think my way of working is some kind of messy.

True the info about mixing colors when it comes to digital work doesn't apply that much. Since in digital format selecting a color is more choosing and sliding values instead of mixing.

Where it helps digitally is controlling what colors you choose to add to a picture. With the key system Fletcher describes, you pick your key color and that then dictates what colors would go harmoniously together.

I agree that some examples could help. here is a link to examples that have been done using this system.Its a collection of student work, included in the slideshow are paintings and exercises appling the Fletcher principles. Check em out.

http://www.barnstonestudios.com/z/as...our/index.html (link is currently down, hopefully it will return soon 8/27/09)

[briggsy@ashtons]

Thanks for taking the trouble to scan this, Zazerzs. Do you know if the book made much of an impact anywhere when it was released? There don't seem to be many copies around secondhand.

[jpacer]

It's amazing how there are a few things that enable a former Barnstone Student recognize another former Barnstone student. The Fletcher System is one of those things. There's several things Myron Barnstone has to offer that I haven't found in any other school. One is the Fletcher System. The Second is a thorough and intimate understanding of Classical Design related to the use of the Golden Section, Dynamic Symmetry, Sacred Geometry (whatever you wish to call it) and it's related design systems. One of his former students, Juliette Aristides, has two books out that contain a lot of his information. The third is an uncompromising attitude and the most exacting standards that really forces what he's teaching to become second nature.

Thanks, Zazerzs, for sharing this information. When did you study with Myron? It's possible that I know you.

It's true that this info won't really help digital painters in terms of color mixing, since digital color mixing is somewhat different. For anyone that works in more traditional mediums I would definitely recommend playing around with it as it helps one avoid mixing muddy color and gives one a range of really subtle and delicate neutrals that you can't get easily any other way. But play around in oils, as the slow drying time will really enable one to see all the possibilities without having to worry about the paint clumping up on you.

For the digital artist I think it's still helpful in terms of color organization and color composition.

[Zazerzs]

@ briggsy I'm not sure. I'd like to know that too.I searched for a while to try to find an original, I've seen them rarely 2nd hand but they have been pretty expensive. I'm glad I held onto this photocopy for almost 20 years :0



@jpacer ya got me! I hope he wouldn't be pissed with me sharing the info.

100% agree. Myron changed my life.

I was there around 92-93. Always wanted to go back but being on the west-coast since I left Coply has made it not possible.

[StarInATeacup]

ohh thanks for posting this! sometimes i forget my copy of it at school. I go to the Performing Arts High School and both of my teachers have studied with Barnstone. The Fletcher has improved my color mixes greatly, I'm in love with color nuances! now if only they had online color wheels so i wouldn't have to carry mine everywhere.

[Sepulverture]

Killer addition to the knowledge base here on the site. Thanks a lot.

[jpacer]

I doubt he'd be pissed. As far as I know that text is public domain. The other, more well known, book by Fletcher on woodblock printing is even available at Project Gutenberg I believe (don't quote me on that). I like to think he'd appreciate the fact that the information is being spread around.

[chromalgamation]

A bit late posting to this thread.

Regarding the Fletcher Method. I think this method works best when used in conjunction with an observational method such as the Munsell system. At least when it comes to observational painting. While the text attempts a similar section, it is in many ways lacking comparatively. However I have found the book quite brilliant when dealing with the wonderful nuances of color harmony.

Barnstone?

While having not attended his atelier I am very familiar with what he teaches and he is an impressive man through and through. I am from the Chadds Ford area of PA and as such have met many students of his. What a wonderful intense place from what I hear. Here is quote his students might be familiar with:

"Talent is a word found in the mouth of the lazy to dismiss the hard work of those who have achieved."

[Zazerzs]

Thanks, It's never to late

I love that quote.

[Camilla]

Thanks a lot for posting this. As I prefer to sit and read things instead of looking at a computer screen I would like to print this, but when I try to save the images, I just end up with a rather empty attachment.php-file.

Do you happen to have the images available for straightforward download somewhere?

[Camilla]

The house nerd is now home from work and he taught me how to do it: Just rename the attachment.php-file and make it into a jpg-file instead.

[BluezAce]

Wow thx Zazerzs! Keep em coming

[Zazerzs]

Sorry for the late replies
Camilla: I do have the pages scanned in at a much larger size but I don't have those posted anywhere, this was the largest size I could post,without splitting the pages. Are they ok to print?
BluezAce: You're welcome!
StarInATeacup : you mean this?

[c0ffee]

very cool book, thanks.

On the topic of last chapter and music.
As some might know, sound and light are waves, and tone of sound comes from wave frequency. So if we take light as waves and compare it's frequency to sound, there is about one octave of waves that human percepts with eyes.

Fletcher's colors inside palette are white piano keys, and outside are black piano keys.
The author says it's wrong to bind notes to particular colors, but ok to use colors in octave correlation.

In the following source green is marked as "C" note
http://www.lunarplanner.com/Harmonic...harmonics.html

But can we rotate palette and make a red color as "G" major, or forget about green mark and count it as "C"? (sorry if wrong I'm not musician)

Is it right to use rotated palette with not red as major? Does non-spectral magenta color require any special care?
And if there are musicians, please share what you know of possibilities inside one octave.

[Frinthy]

Thanks very much. This book helped me a lot in organizing my palette. It is definitely a good starting point!

[aloza]

Thanks for the scan...awesome info. Here is a link to Myron's Colour Course intro http://vimeo.com/41986032

[jpacer]

First, read the book and watch the first class.

To answer your questions:

1. If you'd read the book and watched the video, you'd see that there's no set group of colors to use that are "better" than another. You choose your colors based on a) what key you want to work in and b)what "Intensity" you choose to tune your palette to (i.e. there are four basic levels of "Intensity" which you can tune your palette to. They are: High Intensity, Middle-High, Middle-Low, and Low Intensity). If you've read other color theory texts, when Fletcher (or Myron) use the term "Intensity" they're essentially talking about what other color theorists refer to as "Chroma." Also, when Fletcher uses the term "Temperature" he's essentially talking about "Hue." So, while Fletcher says "Temperature, Value, and Intensity" most people these days say "Hue, Value, and Chroma." Just FYI.

EDIT: To clarify things a bit more: In a "High Intensity" palette you might lay out Cadmium Yellow, Cad Orange, Cad Red, Pthalo Blue, etc. In a "Middle-High Intensity" palette you would "tune" your colors by mixing Yellow Ochre with the Cad Yellow, Burnt Sienna with Cad Orange, and maybe Venetian Red with your Cad Red, etc. The general premise is that the palette is an instrument and should be "tuned" according to the needs of the piece.


2. The easiest way to learn to use the system is to use a glass palette like he does in the video. Underneath the glass, place two sheets of paper. One should have the color wheel drawn on it and the other should have that geometric figure. The geometric figure should be on a separate sheet so you can rotate it when you want to change keys. If you don't have a glass palette then just draw the figure onto a paper palette.

Then you mix along like they tell you to do. Because of the guidelines of the geometric figure you have a basic road map of where you're moving in color-space.

Here's a palette I did in the key of Red_Yellow_Blue-Green. Hope it helps clarify things.

Attachment 1481712

[Zazerzs]

Thanks for the scan...awesome info. Here is a link to Myron's Colour Course intro http://vimeo.com/41986032
?

WHOOT! I've been waiting for this. I'm so glad he put this course to dvd.


BUY IT NOW!

[_jt_]

WHOOT! I've been waiting for this. I'm so glad he put this course to dvd.


BUY IT NOW!

I'd love to buy it. Is it available? I can't find it anywhere.

I tried PMing you directly but it said I couldn't message the super moderators group (?) with less than 10 posts.

[jpacer]

_jt_: I don't think it'll be available to the public until June 1st. There was a pre-order email sent out to former and current students, which is how we knew about it.

Aladine Vargas is who manages the websites I think (there are 3 of them) and can be reached at "sales at barnstonestudios dot com." Send him an e-mail and tell him you're interested.

[_jt_]

Aladine Vargas is who manages the websites I think (there are 3 of them) and can be reached at "sales at barnstonestudios dot com." Send him an e-mail and tell him you're interested.

Thanks! I just sent a message to that address.

[Zazerzs]

http://learn.barnstonestudios.com/co...rse-pre-order/ Last day to get it at Pre-order!

[aladinevargas]

@Zazerzs and @jpacer thanks for promoting the system, the studios and Myron's life work. You are doing an awesome job --- keep it up.

Thanks.