Paint Color, Understanding Color
Understanding color may seem complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. To begin understanding color, you simply need to start by understanding light.
by Susan M. Brimo-Cox
“The primary thing is people want to feel comfortable or excited or something,” observes Bob Levey, owner of Bob Levey Decorative Finishing in Basalt, Colo. “When we go into a home, we’re expected to create a feeling, an ambiance, and we do that through color and application techniques.”
But there’s a lot more to it than simply applying color to the walls. Though Levey’s firm handles projects for some of the most exclusive homes in the United States, he says one thing applies for all professional painting and decorating projects: “When I meet with the customer, they’re expecting me to read their tastes.”
“With color, it’s all about emotion and how people respond,” says Lee Eiseman, author of Colors for Your Every Mood and a consultant with the Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training in Bainbridge Island, Wash. “People really do rely on the judgment of [professional] painters today.”
So not only are you a painting contractor, you’re a color consultant, too.
Understanding color may seem complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. To begin understanding color, you simply need to start by understanding light. Light travels in waves, with visible light waves categorized by length. Violet waves are the shortest and red waves, on the other end of the visible spectrum, are the longest wavelengths visible to the naked human eye.
To perceive color, light is necessary. When light strikes the surface of an object the pigment molecules of the object interact with the light waves and they are either absorbed or reflected. Light waves reflected back are interpreted by our eyes as specific colors. Colors on the left side of the spectrum — violet, blue and green — are considered cool colors. Colors on the right — red, orange and yellow — are warm colors.
While light is part of the color equation, it’s important to know that “mixing” colors is done differently with light and pigment. With light, you add various wavelengths to achieve a specific color. For example, mixing equal portions of red, green and blue makes white light. This is additive mixing, and is used for television, computers and theatrical lighting.
Combining pigments, such as paint, is subtractive mixing. Remember, pigments absorb colored light waves. The more pigments you add, the more light waves are absorbed — or subtracted — and not reflected back for the eye to see.
Something that often makes discussion about color difficult is the terminology. Colors are frequently described using names that reference nature: lemon yellow, sky blue and forest green. Unfortunately, what I think of as lime green may be very different from your idea of lime green. To help solve this problem, a variety of color classification systems have been developed.
The traditional color wheel you may remember from elementary school has three primary colors: red, yellow and blue. The Munsell System, an internationally used color classification system, measures the three dimensions of color: hue, value and chroma.
Hue is the name of a color. Colors on opposite sides of the color wheel are complementary colors, such as red and green, orange and blue, and yellow and violet. When equal parts of complementary colors are mixed together you get a neutral gray that scientific studies report is the simplest color for the human eye to process.
Value refers to the amount of lightness or darkness in a color. Think of a gray scale going from white to black. Value works the same way for hues. The terms shade, tint and tone are often used to describe value. You alter the shade of a hue when you add black only. Add white only and you adjust the tint. To change the tone of a hue, add both black and white (gray).
Chroma is about the intensity and purity of the hue — how bright or dull it is. You obtain the strongest chromas when colors are at their purest. Colors then appear richer, more saturated and lively. When the chroma is closer to neutral gray, the color looks weak, muted or muddy.
Clients may want you to “make it darker” or “make it lighter.” These phrases generally refer to changing the value of a hue. If they want you to “bump it up” or “knock it back,” the chroma needs adjusting. When they say, “warm it up” or “cool it down,” they typically want you to modify the temperature of the hue by adding pigments that are on the warmer or cooler side of itself. Eiseman points out sometimes a client may want a deeper shade or tone and warmth. Simply adding black or gray won’t do the trick, she says, but using earthen colors, such as umber, will give you the darker hue and help achieve the desired warmth.
Several factors affect the colors we see. One factor is the actual surface of the object. If the surface of the object has a high gloss, the light reflected back is bent. This is called refraction. In glaring light, glossy surfaces seem to lose their color or look white. Surfaces that are rough, uneven or have a matte surface reflect light back in all directions. This is called diffuse refraction and causes colors to appear lighter and less intense.
When it comes to paint, the perceived color differences between high and low sheen depends on the color you’re talking about, says Linda Trent, director of color marketing and design at Sherwin-Williams Paints in Cleveland, Ohio. “In lighter colors, the difference [in perceived color] isn’t very perceptible between high and low sheen, but in deeper colors, like red, the color appears richer or sharper when the coating has a high sheen. It’s not. It’s just an effect created by the sheen,” she explains.
The number one factor affecting color is the light itself. Barbara Richardson, director of color marketing at ICI Dulux Paints in Cleveland, Ohio, says it’s a good idea to look at a color sample in the light it will be seen in. She explains, “Incandescent light tends to make colors more yellow. This deadens color by graying them down. Fluorescent and metal halide lights tend to cool colors. They have more blue and brighten colors. Sodium lights make colors shift to the left, especially with the warm colors. Sodium lights also gray and deaden colors.”
You’re not entirely safe with natural daylight either. Natural light is different at different times of the day. Morning light is “cool,” evening light is “warm” and mid-day’s bright light makes colors more intense.
The angle of the sun during the seasons affects the amount and quality of light, as well. And these variances are as important on the interior of a building as they are on the exterior. For example, when the sun is high in the sky during summer, light might only indirectly enter a room through the windows and doors. During winter, when the sun is lower on the horizon and trees are leafless, it may shine directly through the windows. Combinations of light sources complicate the situation. “What if you have a southern exposure and use incandescent lighting at night?” Richardson asks. Colors will look different in each of these situations.
What’s outside the windows may also affect the color we see. Richardson says in the winter a beige interior will generally be true to color. However, in the spring and summer the same beige walls may have a green cast because of greenery outside. On the other hand, adjoining colors affect each other and various indoor items may reflect on other surfaces. For example, a bright blue rug on the floor will make pure white walls look icy blue. Being aware of the interior and exterior environment is an important aspect in understanding color and how we perceive it.
Age affects how we perceive color. Eiseman explains that very young children see contrast before color, but once they are able to see color, children are drawn to the brighter primary colors. These colors act as a stimulant to learning, “but this doesn’t mean that children’s rooms should look like circus posters,” she adds, “These colors can be over stimulating” as well.
As we get older, hardening of the lenses of the eye cause an amber effect on off-whites and cooler colors will tend to warm, reports Mary Lawlor, color design studio manager for Kelly-Moore Paints in San Carlos, Calif. Contractors can provide a service to older clients by cautioning them to this effect, she says. Older adults also have trouble distinguishing between blues and greens, reports Mimi Cooper, vice president of Cooper Marketing Group in Oak Park, Ill., and author of Color Smart. She observes that at older ages people will select colors that are more intense with a soft finish. But color is also an item we use to feel young, she adds. Eiseman says conventional wisdom was to use softer, lighter colors as people got older, but older people don’t want to be stereotyped anymore. “Grandma used to have violet blue hair, now she’s more likely to be running around in lavender blue sneakers,” she says.
Color blindness typically does not pose any special problems. Lawlor says individuals who are colorblind usually know their limitations and defer to someone who doesn’t have their color limitations.
While our physiology and total sum of life experiences affect the way we individually perceive color, colors, in turn, affect the way we perceive various things we look at. For example, light, cool colors make small spaces seem larger and more open. Warm, dark colors make large spaces feel smaller and more intimate. And warmer colors seem to advance towards us, while cool colors appear to recede.
Colors can also cause physiological and psychological changes in us. The Philadelphia-based Paint Quality Institute points out that red increases blood pressure and heart rate, produces feelings of passion and energy, and stimulates the appetite. Orange is warming, welcoming and friendly. Yellow catches the eye like no other color and can lift your mood. Blue is soothing, can lull you to sleep and suppresses appetite. Green, also, is relaxing and calming. And while children respond favorably to violet, many adults dislike purple.
When working with clients, “a painting contractor might find comfort in using a color wheel,” observes Richardson. Color systems are another tool that most paint manufacturers offer. “The most successful systems are where color families are shown spectrally — in a rainbow fashion — from light to dark gradients. These systems make it easier for people to select colors,” Richardson explains. Some systems group colors into categories, such as accent colors or historical colors. But not everyone wants to look for colors that way.
Pantone, a color system designed for the printing, graphic design and fashion industries, is beginning to make itself known in the painting industry. Lawlor reports, “A lot of specifiers are using Pantone and designers like to use Pantone as a standard so they can talk and be on the same page.” The Pantone color system has less colors than there are paint colors, so it may not be an ideal tool for the painting contractor. However, like anything else, a paint color can always be mixed to match a Pantone color chip.
More and more paint manufacturers are developing computer-generated rendering to assist in color selection. Lawlor says software programs will enable contractors and do-it-yourselfers to “repaint” a room using colors in a manufacturer’s palate and see a virtual representation of the repainted room. And depending on the software program, she says, contractors can print out options and provide system recommendations, then create a database and bid form for various jobs.
“Reading tastes — originally it was an unconscious thing, now I get a feeling from the colors and personality already there,” says Levey. “People lean towards colors they wear and what they wear reflects things about them; if they’re exacting or looser and more relaxed. You can pick up clues from the way people speak. There will be hints whether they want contemporary or an old, aged look. These clues will help you develop a direction with color and technique.”
“People’s color choices reflect their personality,” explains Trent. “People who like bright colors tend to be outgoing and gregarious. They like change and are more flexible. People who like neutrals tend to be more conservative and not as willing to push the envelope.”
But it can be a mistake to show people just what they’re likely to buy, states Cooper. “Some people are color loyal, but they like to see what’s traditional and the trends. They feel more reassured they could have had a choice.” A major complaint, Cooper says, is that people feel like they weren’t given enough choices, not just in colors, but in finishes, too. Even if they don’t try something new, “they will feel good about the transaction and it enhances your image.”
The painting contractor has a lot to offer, insists Levey, but “one thing I never do is push a color. I’m trying to pull that out of my client. I’m trying to get them to get to their color selection. [Color] is such a personal thing, like music or picking your spouse. Color is really a huge thing in people’s lives.”
In a nutshell, Eiseman points out, “The more information you’re armed with to give you insight on how to make color recommendations means customers will be pleased and recommend [you] to others.”
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