Blog post 4: How Does Colors Affect Our Mood?

"Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions."

-Pablo Picasso

Living in a world where colors come in different shades and values, remembering all sorts of colors available becomes hard.  Each shade and value may represent a feeling or two, but like features, colors follow the changes of emotions.

As a girl, the way I look to other people is  really important. For us girls, we make sure that we always look presentable to everyone. Our eyes, cheeks, and lips must look good. And one way to look nice is to apply some make-up. This article focuses on: the lips. Let's take a look on how these changes of emotions are applicable to a girl's lipstick color. 

Red, for example, is often associated with emotional intensity. This association is further established by our biological responses to the color. According to  an article "The Hidden Meanings in Lipstick Colors"  by Chloe Sekouri of Suite101, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. When a woman wears red lipstick, they actually gives the guys a "look-at-me" message. In relation to the real meaning of the color red, it shows the qualities of being fierce, strong, and unbeatable. So when a woman wears a bright red lipstick, it means she wanted to catch everyone's attention. However, this color only suits a certain skin color. An article by John Barrymore of How Stuff Works, "Matching Lip Color to Skin Tone" stated that Cherry red lipstick suits a lady with a very fair skin tone. It actually helps them accentuate their porcelain features.So ladies, take note of this tip!

Orange on the other hand, is actually an invigorating color. In fact, it is a jolly color that releases emotion, and communicates youthfulness, energy and excitement. According to the same article, when a girl wears an orange lipstick, she's trying to say that she is an adventurous one and is always confident. In relation to the real meaning of orange, it often attracts attention of the young. Maybe that is why the orange lipstick tends to be more applicable for young ladies.But did you know that this color doesn't really suit everyone. Yes, only ladies with beige skin tones are suitable for this lipstick color.

As how Chloe gave meanings to lipstick colors, the color brown, on the other hand, is a serious and down-to-earth hue that signifies stability, structure and support. For most of us, it is the color of security, protection and material wealth. I think this is because brown is an earth color, right? For ladies, this lip color makes them "perfect for work". It is usually the easiest to wear in glossy or creamy formulations. In relation to the real meaning of brown, it signifies that a lady is on duty and responsible. However, John Barrymore emphasizes that nude lipstick usually suits a lady with pink undertones. So if you don't have that skin color, then maybe take another look on you lipstick color preference because it might just ruin your whole outfit!

Above all these facts that I've shared, I know that color definitions still varies on each and every person. Others may see a color as a symbol for negativity, but others may see it the other way around. It's just that whether we like it or not, these colors truly affect our mood. It's up to us, people, on how to accept and handle all the factors and reasons why we feel the way we do. For girls, choose the right lipstick color for it conveys not only one but a lot of meanings to guys and to other people as well. Take a second look on your color preference so it won't destroy the whole you today. "Choose the right one!" :)

Blog post 3: Art Behind the Color Scheme

How is color related to some piece of art like the Expressionist and the Impressionist paintings? If you were the painter, how would you choose the right colors to use in your paintings? Before we get discuss about color scheme, expressionism and impressionism, let us take a look on how the three terms were defined by Merriam Websters.


Expressionism is a movement of German artists that began in the first decade of the 20th century that shows exaggerated color and form for the purpose of expressing emotion. On the other hand, Impressionism is a style or movement in painting originating in France in the 1860s, characterized by a concern with depicting the visual impression of the moment, especially in terms of the shifting effect of light and color.Color Scheme is the choice of colors used in design for a range of media.

According to an article found in Color in Art- Impressionism and Expressionism, Expressionist painters use color to evoke feelings. One example is a person's skin may be color blue to give the feeling of melancholy. An expressionist may change the color of an object depending on how he/she interprets a color. Actually, I've tried to research about the commonly used colors in expressionist paintings. But, I have found no result! In other articles, the vivid colors such as green, yellow, cyan and blue are used. In some other paintings, the simplest colors like white, pink and yellow are commonly used. This attempt made me more puzzled. Until I realize the true meaning of color schemes behind Expressionism. There is really no pattern of colors used in different paintings. I mean, the colors are chosen by how a painter interprets a certain hue. For example, red may symbolize war, hate and anger. But if a painter sees red as a color for sensation and comfort, he/she may use this color to express how intense the feelings are. There are different shades of red anyway!
If you were the painter, you must start by letting the subject matter of the painting determine the colors you select. Go with your instinct, not your intellect. Initially limit the number of colors you use to five -- a light, medium, dark, and two tones in between. Then paint with them according to tone not hue. If you want to use more colors,  start by adding complementaries. Use the color straight from the tube, unmixed. Don't second guess yourself until you've done quite a bit of painting, then step back and look at the result. 

The skin is green and her hands are quite big.
There isn't actually a green person so this girl can be anyone.

Another way of using colors in an expressionist painting is the shapes and forms drawn with emphasis on feeling at the expense of recording the subject's actual appearance. One example is a person drawn with really big hands that reaches up to express wonderment.

Below is a sample work of expressionist art.

How about the usage of color scheme in impressionist paintings? Are the color patterns the same with all paintings?

Unlike the expressionist paintings, impressionist used dabs of color, letting the brush strokes show. Paintings can be of any texture -- from disintegrated, to blurred an to smooth- polished look. Actually, impressionist paintings introduced new techniques, particularly in the use of small, broken patches of color to show sensations of the light on objects through the use of colors.

Painters created the effect of light by the use of light and dark tones. The dark tones in the shadows often deadened the painting, indicating the absence of light and color. As explained by Claude Monet, a famous impressionist painter, "The point is to know how to use the colors, the choice of which is, when all's said and done, a matter of habit. Anyway, I use flake white, cadmium yellow, vermilion, deep madder, cobalt blue, emerald green, and that's all." 

With that, I've realized that color patterns in this type of painting differs on how painters would like to be interpreted by the viewers. If the expressionist was about the painter's meaning of colors, the impressionist is about how the viewers would see the painting. As differentiated by ask.com, "Expressionism is a one-sided art form, it outlays twisted reality and the term frequently implies a moving anxiety. To the fundamental description of the technique of bold colors the two-dimensional and non-perspective style also refers to this. On the other hand, impressionism put importance on light in its varying qualities, brushstrokes, open work of art, movement, normal subject matter and strange visual angles."

Below is a sample work of impressionist art.

This apple is made up of different color strokes. The background is green, which is opposite red on the color wheel (complementary color). The shadow is made up of blues and purples. The table top is yellow, which is the complement of purple. All of these methods were devised by the Impressionist.

I find it really fascinating how colors come to life. The articles that I've read before doing this blog post has helped me know more about the application of colors in art. Colors can come to life by mixing it and experimenting on its meanings. As a painter, it's up to you on how to use and manipulate the canvas. Go on and try it yourself! :)

Blog post 2: Culture and Its Colors

When you type the word "color" in the Google search box, you will definitely find a thousand links available for you. A thousand? Yes that's too many and for sure, you won't finish reading them all. But let's break it down to a more specific aspect: Color and Culture.

What comes to your mind when you see a yellow bus? How about a red signage on the street? How do you feel when you are wearing a pink shirt? Or even a blue blouse. Do you feel the same with all these things? You don't feel the same, do you?

The feelings and meanings we give to each color differs greatly on the place and culture where you were raced. Some may say that seeing a yellow bus may give them happiness, or some other people may say that they remember the death of a loved one. Though the color yellow is used to represent joy and cheerfulness, it may look sad and mournful on places like Burma and Egypt. Quite odd right? But there are still a lot of meanings for the color yellow. Here are some:

Cultural Meanings of Yellow

In the Western culture, the color yellow represents happiness, joy, hope, cowardice, caution, warning of hazards.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern culture, yellow shows the value of being sacred and imperial. In some places like China, the color yellow also shows royalty and honor. And for some, it is a masculine color. In India, yellow is the Symbol of a Merchant. While in Japan, yellow shows courage, beauty and refinement, aristocracy and cheerfulness.

In the Middle East, yellow represents happiness and prosperity, too.

On the other hand, the color yellow shows mourning for countries like the Burma and Egypt. In Greece and France, it stands for jealousy and sadness. Yes, it's really quite confusing to know what yellow stands for. Especially when you're on a country-hopping, it would be really hard for a tourist to know all these cultural beliefs. And to think, we are just on the color yellow! Let us know now something about the color red.

Cultural Meanings of Red

In the Western society,  the color red represents energy, excitement, action, danger, love and passion. Red is also a warning to stop. Just like the red stoplight you see in the road. Anger is also represented by the color red. but even if this color shows more of a negative representation, this color also embodies some happy events like what the favorite event of all, the Christmas (combined with green), and the loveliest day of Valentine's Day. Red is the color of our heart, right? So I think that's where it came from!

Unlike the Western Society, the Eastern section uses the color red in positive things like prosperity, good fortune and joy. Would you believe that in some places, the gowns used by brides are red!?! Now that's odd. But for them, red is a symbol of joy. That may probably be the reason why they have red bridal gowns.

In China, red is their color of good luck and celebration. It also represents vitality, happiness, and long life. The Chinese also uses red as a wedding color and in many other festive occasions down to their funeral ceremonies. Very confusing, huh.

Cultural Meanings of Pink

Does wearing a pink shirt makes you feel more like a masculine or more like of a feminine? Well, I'll have it both ways. Naturally, pink is a color of femininity. But in some places like Belgium, pink is used for baby boys, too! Pink is said to symbolize love and romance, caring and nurturing, and is used for both male and female. Did you know that in Korea, pink symbolizes trust, too? How amazing! One definite color can represent a lot of meaning.

Cultural Meanings of Blue

Blue is generally the safest color to use worldwide. Why? Because blue has somewhat related meanings throughout the globe.

In the Western section, the color blue symbolizes trust and authority. It also shows the quality of being conservative, corporate, peaceful and calm. It also stands for immortality, heaven and spirituality.  But on the other hand, blue also represents depression and sadness. Blue used to be a masculine color and of course, it is used for baby boys.

The colors presented above are just some of the infinite colors we have in the world. Yes, infinite because between all the colors we see are so many lines we cannot see with our naked eye. According to a statement: "Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there." I totally agree with this, especially when it comes to colors. Behind all the colors we see are nameless hues we cannot mention. Look around you, be observant and see how many colors can you name. Yellow, red, pink, blue, orange, green, brown, black... There are so many colors around the world. Try and you'll be amazed with yourself! :)

Blog post 1: Color- How It All Started

Have you ever stepped in a very dark room where there are no doors and windows? If not yet, then close your eyes. Does it make you feel inconspicuous? How about in a room so white that seem so spotless? Does it make you feel like you're in heaven? Or does it even give you a feeling of cleanliness and purity? Yes, colors affect us in countless ways- mentally and physically, and consciously and subconsciously. So when you are asked to enter a room painted with a certain color, you may have a roller-coaster of emotions depending on what color is set on your surroundings.

Colors are seen e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. From the farthest trees and clouds, down to the tip of every strand of your hair, there is color. Just imagine a world with no color. For sure, life would really be boring and there would be no excitement at all. It's just so amazing how colors came to life. But where did colors really came from? Is it something that man has made? Is it something that man has invented?

Well, honestly speaking, no. Color has already been there for us. Remember that the rainbow is one of the ten things that were created at twilight on the eve of the first Sabbath. To some articles that I've read, they find it considerable that man was color blind until Noah's generation. After the great flood, it was said that it was the first time that man had seen a rainbow.What man did was to discover it and give meanings for each hue in the rainbow.

As I was going through articles related to the origin of colors, I saw a certain article that seems so childish but was really informative. The website was www.crayola.com and the title was "Color- What is Color?" As defined, color is the aspect of things that is caused by differing qualities of light being reflected or emitted by them. Scientifically speaking, to be able to see color, you have to have light. When light shines on an object, some colors bounce off the object and others are absorbed by it. Our eyes only see the colors that are bounced off or reflected. The sun’s rays contain all the colors of the rainbow mixed together. This mixture is known as white light. When white light strikes a white crayon or marker barrel, it appears white to us because it absorbs no color and reflects all color equally. A black crayon or marker cap absorbs all colors equally and reflects none, so it looks black to us. While artists consider black a color, scientists do not because black is the absence of all color.

At the age of 23, Sir Isaac Newton started a study of color and developed the useful Newton color circle which gave insights about complementary colors and additive color mixing. He later realized that some colors such as magenta and purple could not be produced as spectral colors.He then demonstrated this fact with experiments on the dispersion of light in glass prisms. I find this experiment such an amazing one because it gave birth to the recognition of every gradation of color in the spectrum.

Some articles that I've read were about the Ancient Egyptian Mythology. The article described how color became an integral part of their history. It was said that in Ancient Egypt, the color of something was a clue to the substance or heart of the matter. In their art, colors served as clues to the nature of the beings depicted in the work.

The colors green (wadj),  red (desher), white (hedj and shesep), black (kem), yellow (khenet), and the Egyptian blue (irtiu) were the main focus of their myths. Every color represent different aspects and levels of power, attitude and way of thinking.

The color green represents vegetation and new life.
The color red was for life and victory.
The color white suggested omnipotence and purity.
The color black shows death and night.
The color yellow share the qualities of being eternal and indestructible.
The color blue symbolizes water and sky.

As I go on with my research, I have found different meanings of these colors, depending on the place and culture of a certain country. But why did I choose to discuss a bit about Ancient Egyptian Myths? Simply because somehow, it was a basis for how each color is given its representation. The meanings of colors that you can find today are somewhat related and similar with the ones of Egypt. Although color meanings differ from culture to culture, the Egyptian Myth was the first to use and give life to colors throughout history. Silly it may be, but the Egyptians were one of the first people to use color in depicting life.

These pieces of evidences I have shown about colors are just some of the parts of history. We may not have a "complete" set of information of when or where or how colors originated, but at least we do have proofs of its history. Let us appreciate every single detail of it for these are knowledge you can surely impart on other people, too. Start asking yourself. "When will I make my own history?" :)