Color Decoder
QUICK TIPS
Red is effective for modifying colors in the green family, because the two colors are complements. On the left, I’ve taken
two values of red—a dark, warm version, and a light, cool one—and have used them to modify two different values of a
yellowish-green. The first row shows how a dark warm green can be modified; the second, a light yellow-green.
On the right, I’ve taken the same two values of red and have used them to modify two different values of blue-green
(Blue Earth’s turquoise). The first row shows how a dark turquoise might be modified; the second, a light turquoise.
Using one value of red to modify the same value of green results in a smooth, optical blending of color. On the
other hand, using one value of red to modify a very different value of green results in a rougher blending.of a noble woman excavated by scien-
tists. (Fittingly, the structure is called
the Temple of the Red Queen.)
Cinnabar also is used to make
vermilion, a brilliant red favored
by the Renaissance painter, Titian
(Venetian, 1488–1576). The Spanishconquest of the Aztec Empire brought
cochineal, an even more intense red
made from a New World insect, to
Europe, where it became the color of
choice for dyeing the robes of cardi-
nals. This dye, also called carmine,
was used by most 16th- and 17th-century painters, including Tintoretto
(Venetian, 1518–1594), Rembrandt
(Dutch, 1606–1669) and Vermeer
(Dutch, 1632–1675); however, it’s
notoriously fugitive and not lightfast,
as is madder, another favorite red,
which is derived from a plant.Reds can be bright,
intense colors; pale,
cool tints; or deep,
rich almost-browns.
This set of Blue Earth
reds on a sheet of
Kitty Wallis Belgian
Mist sanded paper
shows the range from
light to dark, intense
to dull. Darker reds
are made from a
single cadmium red
pigment; lighter reds,
by adding white plus
red-orange. More
neutral reds are made
by adding chromium
oxide (a green).20 Pastel Journal JUNE 2019