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This is the final part of the four-part series on Color in Nature and Meaning of Colors, featuring Gray, White, Ivory, Brown, and Beige. Part I, II, and III can be found here:
Colors in Nature I (featuring Blue, Green, Turquoise, and Silver)
Colors in Nature II (featuring Red, Pink, Yellow, and Gold)
Colors in Nature III (featuring Orange, Purple, Lavender, and Black)
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“Northern Cardinal 9015″ by Sooper-Deviant
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GRAY
“Gray Tree Frog 8096″ by Sooper-Deviant
Gray is a neutral, balanced color. It is a cool, conservative color that seldom evokes strong emotion although it can be seen as a cloudy or moody color. The lighter side of black, gray is a cool color seen in storm clouds and some metals.
Like black, gray is used as a color of mourning as well as a color of formality. Along with blue suits, gray suits are part of the uniform of the corporate world. Dark, charcoal gray carries with it some of the strengh and mystery of black. It is a sophisticated color without much of the negative attributes of black. Lighter grays are similar to white. Gray tuxedos are common for men at weddings.
All shades of gray can be good, neutral background colors. Use lighter grays in place of white and darker gray in place of black. Taupe, a grayish brown neutral is a conservative, slightly earthy, warm shade of gray. Light grays with pastel shades of pink, blue, lavender, and green have a feminine quality.
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“Gray Wolf:: Caution” by fubecando
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WHITE
White is purity, cleanliness, and innocence. Like black, white goes well with almost any color. To the human eye, white is a brilliant color that can cause headaches for some. Too much bright white can be blinding.
In most Western countries white is the color for brides. In the East, it’s the color for mourning and funerals. White is often associated with hospitals, especially doctors, nurses, and dentists. Some cultures viewed white as the color of royalty or of deities. Angels are typically depicted as wearing white.
In most cases white is seen as a neutral background color and other colors, even when used in smaller proportion, are the colors that convey the most meaning in a design. Use white to signify cleanliness or purity or softness. Some neutral beige, ivory, and creams carry the same attributes as white but are more subdued, less brilliant than plain white. Use lots of white for a summery look. Use small amounts of white to soften a wintry palette or suggest snow.
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IVORY
Ivory is a soft neutral color that isn’t quite white and has some of the earthiness of light browns. Ivory represents quiet, pleasantness with a touch of luster. As a neutral, ivory is a calming color. It carries some of the same pureness, softness, and cleanliness of white but is slightly richer, a touch warmer.
The ivory tusks of elephants have long been prized and used in jewelry and the decoration of housewares and furniture. Pearl and opal, shades of ivory, are also precious stones.
The color ivory provides a calming effect. Use it to set a relaxed tone of understated elegance. Ivory with light peach, pale grassy green, and light browns has an earthy feel but softer than other natural palettes. Use a touch of ivory to lighten and brighten medium and dark orange, blue, green, purple, or turquoise.
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“White Like Ivory “ by SauriaMami
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BROWN
Brown is a natural, down-to-earth neutral color. It is found in earth, wood, and stone. Brown is a warm neutral color that can stimulate the appetite. It is found extensively in nature in both living and non-living materials.
Brown represents wholesomeness and earthiness. While it might be considered a little on the dull side, it also represents steadfastness, simplicity, friendliness, dependability, and health. Although blue is the typical corporate color, UPS (United Parcel Service) has built their business around the dependability associated with brown.
The color brown and its lighter cousins in tan, taupe, beige, or cream make excellent backgrounds helping accompanying colors appear richer, brighter. Use brown to convey a feeling of warmth, honesty, and wholesomeness. Although found in nature year-round, brown is often considered a fall and winter color. It is more casual than black.
Shades of brown coupled with green are an especially earthy pair, often used to convey the concept of recycling or earth-friendly products. Very dark brown can replace black, adding a slightly warmer tone to some palettes. Brighten brown with a mellow yellow or rusty orange. Go smart but conservative with a mix of brown and deep purple, green, gray, or orange-red.
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BEIGE
“Camel and Pyramid” by Wereldreizigster
Beige is a chameleon, taking on some of the attributes of stronger warm or cool colors it accompanies. On its own, the color beige is a calm neutral background. Beige is a neutral color with a bit of the warmth of brown and the crisp, coolness of white. It is sometimes seen as dull and boring unless coupled with other colors. It can be a relaxing color for a room.
Beige has traditionally been seen as a conservative, background color. In some cultures, beige garments might symbolize piety or simplicity. Traditional Saudi Arabia dress include a flowing floor-length outer cloak (bisht) made of wool or camel hair in black, beige, brown or cream tones.
Use the color beige to provide a calm, relaxing background. Small doses of beige might be added to separate two dark colors to help each stand out. Beige can take on some of the attributes of yellow or pink when touched with those shades. Try purple and pink with beige for a conservative but feminine look. Beige with greens, browns, and orange can create an earthy palette. Black lends a touch of strength and sophistication to beige. A touch of beige warms up a palette of cool blues without overpowering them.
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I really, really enjoyed putting together this series and I hope you all enjoyed reading it, and hopefully learned something new. I sure did! I’d love to hear any thoughts on this series or any input. Thanks!
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This is so nice. I really like the way you put this together. This is very informative. It is interesting that when I painted snow I had to use so much French Ultramarine Blue to reflect the sky. But the great thing about snow, it reflects all the colors around so any brilliant sunset or sunrise can reflect off the snow and be whatever you want. So white is like a chameleon in a painting.
Also many artist use it as an under painting. I have read books on how to do an under painting, and they basically use a lot of shading with various shades of white. Then when they put a thin layer of color they can build up a brilliant, luminous color that seems to have a glow from within. That is how I painted my peacock head and neck.
Scientists have discovered that a peacock has no color. The feathers vibrate and reflect off each other and you see the reflection or vibration that your mind calls a color. So what I did; I got this from a book, is; I painted a couple of coats of white letting each coat dry. I used a drying medium so I could paint on it again in a few days. Let each coat dry before painting another coat. Then I used turquoise mixed with a medium and put on a very thin coat of color. I slowly build up the color over a week or two. I use various colors. One layer turquoise, the next layer might be viridian. I build the shaded area with Prussian blue. I think I also did a complete layer with Prussian blue. I also used some dioxazine Purple in the shading.
That method is how I also build a beautiful eye; of course using the colors that I have decided the eye should be. (Ira’s pelican eye)
This is also why my paintings can take as long as a few months to complete. I have had a few that took a year. But it is worth the wait. (My Giraffe painting)
Two of my very favorite books that I have, and can’t live without are: Drawing and painting animals by Edward Aldrich, and Painting the faces of wildlife. I bought them on Amazon and read them continually for about a month. That is when I took the book to a teacher and asked her to show me how to mix the paint. I said all the paints are listed but not an measurement. So she also taught me how to look at color. I might mention also that the teacher said she does not paint this way but we read the instructions and basically it was the mixing of the paint I needed to know. Once I got that, I was off and painting. The book was so good with step by step, I can paint anything. I think Edward Aldrich is my favorite author. I now have read so many books that I incorporate things from all the books and have a style that is my own.
These have been wonderful and extremely informative posts. I am saving them for future reference. I did not realize that brown can stimulate the appetite. Suppose that is why I love chocolate? LOL Thanks for your comments, Ruth. We can learn so much from each other.
The white photos are my favorite. The owl and the whiteout are really cool. Thanks for sharing your insight.