Painting With Light and Color

You've seen how Edward Hopper uses dramatic light and color to create the mood in his artwork. Now it’s your turn to develop a composition, create a color scheme, and complete your own painting. 

Find a family photo from your childhood to use as a reference image. Or you might take a photo of a familiar place that has meaning for you. You could photograph the hallways or classrooms at your school, the buildings in your town, or your home. Select or take a photo that emphasizes the light in the scene. Then, in your sketchbook, draw the major forms in the photo. Simplify the scene in your sketch, leaving out the small details. Take note of where the light source is located. Focus on capturing the highlights and shadows, which can each be represented with shape. When you are satisfied with your composition, sketch it on your canvas board.

Tip: Treat the forms in your sketch like geometric shapes.

Before you begin painting on your canvas board, experiment with mixing acrylic paint. What happens when you add black or white to a color? Try mixing colors that are opposite one another on the color wheel to change the intensity of the colors. Look at Hopper’s paintings again and think about how he creates a unified color scheme in each work. Then think about the type of light in the scene you’re painting. Is it natural or artificial? Bright midday light or a pink sunset? Create a color scheme that reflects the light in your reference image.

Tip: Wash your paintbrushes frequently to keep your paints from looking muddy.

Prepared by: Lisa Yamaoka, South Kamloops Secondary School, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada