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    • Why does paint fade?
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  • Home
  • Color & Perception
    • CHROMA Topics
    • Color Spectrum - Light is Energy
    • Color in Light
    • Color in Nature
    • Color in Paint
    • Why does paint fade?
    • Color Names & Meanings
    • Color Phenomena
    • Color Perception is Individual
    • Color In Fashion
    • Color for your home
    • Color in Space
    • Color Blindness
    • Color Blind Interview
    • Synesthesia
    • Synesthete Deborah Borrowdale-Cox
    • Synesthete Stephen Orr, BH&G Editor
  • Circadian & Light for Health
    • Circadian & THERAPY Topics
    • Circadian Explained
    • Circadian Ganglion Cells
    • Circadian Melatonin
    • Circadian Animals
    • Circadian Research
    • Autism & Lighting for the Spectrum
    • Blue Light Dimming Apps
    • Red Night Lights
    • Vitamin D & Light
    • SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder
    • Alzheimers and Light Therapy
    • Photosensitivity - Light Sensitive Drugs
    • Red Light Therapy
    • Sleep & Lighting
    • Dreams and Second Sleep
    • NASA - Lighting in Space & Undersea
    • Jet Lag
    • Sunglasses
    • Chakras
    • Crystals, Minerals, & Gemstones
  • Lighting Design
    • LIGHTing Design Topics
    • UV Germicidal Disinfection Light
    • LED Lighting Facts Card
    • CRI - Color Rendering Index
    • LED TM-30
    • LED Kelvin Color
    • LED LPW
    • LED Flicker
    • LED Glare
    • OLED - Organic LED
    • Human Centric Lighting
    • Lighting with Daylighting
    • Lighting for Healthy Buildings & Zero Net Energy
    • Lighting for Healthcare
    • Lighting for Horticulture
    • Lighting for Hospitality & LED Retrofits
    • Lighting for Museums
    • Lighting for Seniors & Low Vision
    • Lighting Design Tips & Codes
    • Parking Lot Lighting
    • Solar Lighting for Humanity & World Health
  • Dark Sky Topics
    • Dark Sky & Light Pollution
    • Dark Sky - Ecology of Night Lighting
    • Dark Sky - Turtle Safe Lighting
    • Landscape Lighting
    • LED Street Lighting Retrofit in Davis
    • Dark Sky Ordinances
    • Dark Sky & Astronomy
    • Dark Sky Reserves
  • Lighting Research & Books
    • Lighting Research
    • Lighting Publications
    • Lighting Education
  • ABOUT ChromaTherapyLight
    • About Topics
    • About Trish
    • Contact & Disclaimer
    • Social Media
    • Newsletter
    • Guidelines for Guest Writers
    • Site Map
  • Davis Insectary Garden
  • Santa Barbara Mesa Insectary Garden

Color in Paint

​Disclaimer - 
Not intended
for medical advice, 
​consult your doctor.

Learning Objectives

  1. How is color in paint different than light?
  2. How is paint made?

How is pigment different than light?

We see color when light bounces off a surface, reflecting the colors back to our eyes, with the surface absorbing all other colors we do not see. This ability for us to see a color is limited by the colors available in the light source. The colors we see can be measured in 'wavelengths.'

Under daylight, we can see the colors of the 'Visible Light Spectrum.'  Under red light, only the red colors are reflected, all others appear gray, brown, or black. This is called 'color bias' in lighting terminology
​
When illuminating works of art, it is desirable to have a balanced source of light that will reflect all colors, as you would see them in natural daylight.

Special Effects with Color

Combine all colors in paint and you get black : Combine all colors in light and you get white.
The Primary Colors in paint are: Yellow, Blue, Red
The Secondary  Colors in paint are: Green, Orange, Purple
Colors that are opposite on the color wheel are called 'Complimentary.'
Value is the term used to describe the range of dark to light, often shown as 'grey scale'.
Saturation is the intensity or purity of the color.
If you place opposite colors of full saturation, next to each other, you achieve 'vibrating boundaries' or the experience that the colors are vibrating where the colors meet. See Color Phenomena for more.

​How can you predict how colors will look?

The appearance of pigments, paints, and dyes is dependant on the lighting. 
In retail stores, it is not uncommon for customers to take merchandise to a window, "To see how it looks in natural light." You can't beat Mother Nature. And it is hard to replicate the sun.
Visit the Light section to learn more about color bias of various light sources and how you can achieve the best possible color rendering within your budget, code, and energy constraints.
Be clear on your assumptions and expectations.

Use Color as a Wayfinding & Branding Tool

Picture
National Geographic Magazine's yellow frame and binding immediately tell you what you need to know, you are looking at the original authentic brand.
Companies use color for brand recognition such as Target's red circle or Best Buy's blue font. 
The Starbucks Coffee green circle is easily recognizable from a distance, because of the consistent use of color. The red Coca Cola script is known worldwide as their logo. ​
Hospitals and parking structures use paint color as a wayfinding tool. 

Color for Decoration

Visit our page on Color Selection for your Home

Learn more about paint

We humans can see over 7 million colors!
Sherwin Williams has a series of paint and application educational programs available for free on their CEU (Continuing Education Units) website.
https://www.swceulearn.com/library/


Footnotes

Photo Credits

  • Rainbow Paint Brushes Cynthia Essiambre​
Picture

Related Topics

Color Phenomena, Color in Light, Why Paint Fades? Light Sources, Color Blindness, Synesthesia, Light Sources, Lighting for Museums

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  • Home
  • Color & Perception
    • CHROMA Topics
    • Color Spectrum - Light is Energy
    • Color in Light
    • Color in Nature
    • Color in Paint
    • Why does paint fade?
    • Color Names & Meanings
    • Color Phenomena
    • Color Perception is Individual
    • Color In Fashion
    • Color for your home
    • Color in Space
    • Color Blindness
    • Color Blind Interview
    • Synesthesia
    • Synesthete Deborah Borrowdale-Cox
    • Synesthete Stephen Orr, BH&G Editor
  • Circadian & Light for Health
    • Circadian & THERAPY Topics
    • Circadian Explained
    • Circadian Ganglion Cells
    • Circadian Melatonin
    • Circadian Animals
    • Circadian Research
    • Autism & Lighting for the Spectrum
    • Blue Light Dimming Apps
    • Red Night Lights
    • Vitamin D & Light
    • SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder
    • Alzheimers and Light Therapy
    • Photosensitivity - Light Sensitive Drugs
    • Red Light Therapy
    • Sleep & Lighting
    • Dreams and Second Sleep
    • NASA - Lighting in Space & Undersea
    • Jet Lag
    • Sunglasses
    • Chakras
    • Crystals, Minerals, & Gemstones
  • Lighting Design
    • LIGHTing Design Topics
    • UV Germicidal Disinfection Light
    • LED Lighting Facts Card
    • CRI - Color Rendering Index
    • LED TM-30
    • LED Kelvin Color
    • LED LPW
    • LED Flicker
    • LED Glare
    • OLED - Organic LED
    • Human Centric Lighting
    • Lighting with Daylighting
    • Lighting for Healthy Buildings & Zero Net Energy
    • Lighting for Healthcare
    • Lighting for Horticulture
    • Lighting for Hospitality & LED Retrofits
    • Lighting for Museums
    • Lighting for Seniors & Low Vision
    • Lighting Design Tips & Codes
    • Parking Lot Lighting
    • Solar Lighting for Humanity & World Health
  • Dark Sky Topics
    • Dark Sky & Light Pollution
    • Dark Sky - Ecology of Night Lighting
    • Dark Sky - Turtle Safe Lighting
    • Landscape Lighting
    • LED Street Lighting Retrofit in Davis
    • Dark Sky Ordinances
    • Dark Sky & Astronomy
    • Dark Sky Reserves
  • Lighting Research & Books
    • Lighting Research
    • Lighting Publications
    • Lighting Education
  • ABOUT ChromaTherapyLight
    • About Topics
    • About Trish
    • Contact & Disclaimer
    • Social Media
    • Newsletter
    • Guidelines for Guest Writers
    • Site Map
  • Davis Insectary Garden
  • Santa Barbara Mesa Insectary Garden