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Mixing colors to get violet


Illusion of Terra

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I haven't thought or written about colors in years, so this might be quite clumsy. I'll put it into a spoiler though since it is long and not sure if it actually makes sense to people or has a point really. Not sure if the art club is the right place even. More some thoughts about colors and an experience.

Spoiler

They say that people who are colorblind can't see violet. I wonder if that is true. But I have heard that you can't really mix colors in a way to get pure violet anyway. Either the colors you use to mix are not pure themselves. or there will always be a hint of a bit more blue or a bit more red.
I guess that is true. Even when you use a color for the first time it has usually been tainted a bit, because of an accident or carelessness. And I think when you don't really look out carefully you will smudge more black into the color every time you use it and you give away some of the original color. I do think you can get some of the original color back if you work on it though and remember what it looked like. The violet you then get won't be pure and you will know that there is some black underneath it, but it can be a beautiful violet anyway.
I guess it is also true that you won't really get pure violet, because there will always be a hint of a bit more blue or a bit more red. But I am not sure if that is bad really? While mixing colors you probably always get a bit more blue or red at first, then the other way around, and so on. The violet you then get won't be pure and you will know that there is some more blue or some more red, but it can be a beautiful violet anyway.

I have to say though, I really am not an artist. I haven't really tried mixing colors often. It took me a long time to get something like the color I had in mind when I tried before, but honestly trying to get something just perfect sometimes leads to messing up in the end.
I have to say though, I really think how much you can learn from an experience depends on how much you value it and take your time to think about it. I think if you really think about even a single experience you can learn more about it than if you just randomly mix colors and just discard or replace them if you think it is too much work in the end.

Even though I am not an artist or actually wasn't interested in any kind of practical color theory or color mixing, I stumbled into an art shop yesterday. I didn't really want to stay but the owner was really nice and seemed genuinely interested or surprised in why I apparently wasn't interested in colors at all. I can't really remember the last time I had been to such a shop before and it was kinda strange to see it again. 
I am too curious though. When the owner was gone for a bit I kinda looked into the drawers behind the counter to see what was there. But you know, if you don't really understand the story behind how things get there, it often doesn't make sense or you make your own story. I did tell the owner though and just wanted to go because I felt bad. But the owner was not really angry but rather surprised that I was interested in something that seemed so uninteresting like what is in the drawers in an art shop.

That whole experience got me interested in whether or not to try and see if I could mix some violet myself and see if I am colorblind.

Even though I had a different opinion on quite a few things and I am quite stubborn, it was interesting to hear what the owner thought about colors, and it made me rethink some things. Anyway, the owner didn't really have much time. I did stumble into that shop at a really bad time, so my timing was quite off. Even if it was difficult sometimes, I really would have wanted to see how the whole color talk would have gone. But the owner had to close up shop for the day and I think felt quite bad about it as well.
I am too reckless though. Late at night I looked into that shop because I wanted to know about the owner and what was going on. The owner had told me about a sketchbook the owner had since age fourteen. I saw the owner looking at that sketchbook and writing a new page in it. I didn't really see much of the old pages though and it felt wrong to look too closely. But I could tell what the new one said. Apparently it had to do with regretting something that happened yesterday and wondered if it was about the color talk. What a coincidence though that the artist name is the opposite of my real name.
I would still like to look and see when the owner is in the shop and I would really want to know if the owner will ever continue that new note. But I feel bad. The owner seemed really lonely and like wanting to talk to someone, but since the shop was closed we couldn't really talk. I shouldn't look or try to find out what is in that sketchbook. It has been special to the owner for a long time. I still worry about what the new note meant and what else will be added, but it is nothing I should taint by looking at it. I guess if I care about the owner, I shouldn't do something like this.

That whole experience got me thinking whether or when I should visit that shop again and if the owner would tell me about the sketchbook even after that whole incident. I think for now I will not look at whether the owner is in the shop or at that sketchbook again. I will wait until I talk to the owner about it. You do feel kinda less alone though if you see that someone is there at the same time. I wish I could help with the loneliness and difficult situation though. It is kinda stupid how some things go. Sometimes you have two people who are alone at the same time and that could help each other but they still can't.

I have to say though, I really wasn't interested in colors, but after the color talk I would want to know if I am colorblind or not.
I have to say though, I really think that if you want to you can get back to the original colors more and see if you can get a beautiful violet.

Yesterday I sadly only got the red color and just a glimpse of the blue. 
It is not enough to get violet today but it is still interesting to think about it.
Maybe I will visit that shop, talk to the owner and even get the blue color tomorrow.

Until then I will just call that hypothetical kind of violet veird violet

 

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I wonder why you decided to make violet. It really is a pretty color and the psychology behind the color is rather interesting.
I might be a bit biased though, I used to love reds. Violet is a bit more on the blue side but became my favorite color and is a lot more relaxed in comparison..
Anyways, hopefully you will figure out how to mix the colors properly. But, you shouldn't hold out on a perfect blend, the best combinations don't have an exact science and come from trial and error. Their sketch book probably had some pretty ugly blotches in it. I know mine does when it comes to paint swatches. 
I think people often look for an easier way to get to the same thing, but you're right in acknowledging the journey in the process while getting to the final piece. I think a lot of artists need to step back and stop over analyzing their work or they fall into an issue of overworking projects, such as in painting, muddying colors by accident because they just keep trying to fix something that is good enough as it is.

 
It really is hard when timing is off. It sounds like you wanted to learn a lot more about this person. At least you know where the shop is. 
I think stumbling through a persons sketch book if it wasn't out in the open to be reviewed would be wrong. It sounds like this one was open for feedback though. It is interesting to see how people change and view themselves over the years and why this is important to them. I have something similar that I look at when I am feeling down or confused, it is like a home away from home to me. It is almost a reminder to the things I wanted to change, what wasn't changed, what had changed. Some of the entries are very short, some had been erased, and some I wish I could erase but think they are better reminders even if they bother me. Most of the entries are quotes for when I am depressed. Maybe the artist left them out because like you said, they are lonely, and are hoping someone will catch that or maybe they just didn't think anyone cared enough to look. 


If you really are curious about something you should inquire. However, you shouldn't dwell on it for to long or it can run imaginations wild...I don't know though, if their new note worried you, maybe you should ask, especially if you have concerns that something else might be wrong. By adding your presence into someone's life though....I don't think you taint their life, you can't color theory yourself in there lol, you might shake up how they go about mixing is all :P  I think though, with a lot of people right now, especially because of how covid impacted a lot of us, are feeling lonely. Connecting with others helps this a lot, caring for others, reaching out to people....are all very important ways to deal with loneliness. Maybe reaching out and being friends with them is a good idea.


Anyways,  it sounds like you do need more blue though. Maybe you will see the shop owner again, or, maybe someone else will be working.Hard to say how this would impact your views on the shop. At least you can always go back and try catching up with them again. 

Anyways,
I'd be curious if you were colorblind. Sounds more like difficulties seeing shade variations though. 

It's nice having such a large community of people to talk to on here though no? 

So don't get to lonely yourself. 
 

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I hope it was okay for me to join the club (I haven't been around the forums much...just been swamped with work X'D)

I really enjoyed reading both of your comments on this.

I recall when I was taking art classes, how we were given instructions on how to *kinda* mix purple/violet. I think magenta and cyan would make maybe a close to "pure" purple in pigments. Kinda. But it's a lot more nuanced, like you've pointed out.

My partner is red/green color blind (there are a couple different types of color blind.) Because he can't see red, when he's looking at stuff we have around the house that is purple, he always calls it blue XD A couple years back, I finally saved up enough to buy him pair of color blind glasses. He had gone 35 years never seeing green, red, orange, or purple (or any of the mixes.) When he first put them on, I recorded the experience. I brought tears to both of our eyes.

It was interesting, because of course he had just adjusted his life to work around colors (or always asked someone for opinions on what a color was.) It was so cool for him to have a close experience to seeing those colors :3 Something that I've always taken for granted.

 

There are online color blind tests you can take that can *kinda* help someone tell if they are colorblind. I took one, as did my fiancee. It was interesting. Funny thing is, he and I went to school together (like, US 5th grade through high school.) We've known each other for most of our lives, but I never knew until about 4 years ago that he was color blind XD I just thought he liked to wear a lot of black (which he does.)

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Talking about mixing colors, also reminds me of how we were taught to mix warm blacks vs. cool blacks, and how you could get a richer color by doing it yourself, as opposed to buying a tube of black paint. It was interesting to learn how to mix colors. I don't use it often, though, so I have to look it up from time to time when the spirit moves me to make traditional art XD (like painting or using inks.)

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16 hours ago, Blue Dragon said:

I hope it was okay for me to join the club (I haven't been around the forums much...just been swamped with work X'D)

I can't see why not :) I'm barely active as well. 

16 hours ago, Blue Dragon said:

I recall when I was taking art classes, how we were given instructions on how to *kinda* mix purple/violet. I think magenta and cyan would make maybe a close to "pure" purple in pigments. Kinda. But it's a lot more nuanced, like you've pointed out.

Ahh, same, art school and color wheels and countless hours trying to get the pigments *just right*

Also, agree with the realization that black isn't *just* black. Especially when doing things with watercolor.

I felt the same with painting skin tones too....using blues really threw me for a loop in the beginning. hahaha

16 hours ago, Blue Dragon said:

My partner is red/green color blind (there are a couple different types of color blind.) Because he can't see red, when he's looking at stuff we have around the house that is purple, he always calls it blue XD A couple years back, I finally saved up enough to buy him pair of color blind glasses. He had gone 35 years never seeing green, red, orange, or purple (or any of the mixes.) When he first put them on, I recorded the experience. I brought tears to both of our eyes.

It was interesting, because of course he had just adjusted his life to work around colors (or always asked someone for opinions on what a color was.) It was so cool for him to have a close experience to seeing those colors :3 Something that I've always taken for granted.

There are online color blind tests you can take that can *kinda* help someone tell if they are colorblind. I took one, as did my fiancee. It was interesting. Funny thing is, he and I went to school together (like, US 5th grade through high school.) We've known each other for most of our lives, but I never knew until about 4 years ago that he was color blind XD I just thought he liked to wear a lot of black (which he does.)

It is interesting how it can take so many years to get to know things about your partner. I knew a guy who was color blind, and knew only because I tried playing snooker with him and a group of friends way back in the day. He couldn't tell which balls to hit and had to ask. I wouldn't have known otherwise. 

ALSO, that is awesome about the colorblind specs. I used to work in Optical and was asked about them but the only supplier I had known about was a city away. I like watching those videos on youtube, like reveal videos, where a spouse gets a set for their husband. (Higher rates of colorblindness in men). It is sweet that you were able to do this for him :) and witness that reaction first hand. Definitely a moment to cherish. 

 

I agree though, I do think people take advantage of how well they can see the color spectrum. Kind of reminds me of that gold or pink dress meme.

 

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