Is there a good book on the science of light for artists?
abstraction.
You would focus not only on light but on technique and method including color temperature.
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Color temperature is the distortion / response of all colors when viewed under a particular light source.
One instructor who addresses color temperature is David Hardy of Oakland, CA, he wrote:
"One can achieve a good painting utilizing meaningful tones and exclude color temperature; however, one cannot achieve effective color temperature in the absence of good, solid tonal construction.
Artists classify light sources as either warm or cool. Sunlight and most incandescent light are considered warm; light from the sky and most fluorescent light are considered cool. All shadows assume an opposite temperature from that of the light source. Therefore, warm light produces cool shadows, and cool light produces warm shadows.
This approach, however, is highly simplified and does not attempt to relate the attendant phenomenon found with all light: alteration of color temperature. Strong light exerts the least amount of color distortion. Middle tones in warm light grow darker, color intensities grow more neutralized and, where there is less warm light, colors will seem to grow cooler.
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In the diffusion edge, where light meets shadow, there is a prismatic color reversal. For example, in sunlight the diffusion shadow edge takes on the temperature of the warm light source. Graduating from the diffusion edge deeper into the actual shadow the lighter parts of the shadow (excluding any reflected or secondary light) will be perceived to be cool. The darker more protected parts of this "cool" shadow will be the warmest in tone. With a cool light source the reverse of these will be true.
Written and contributed by David Hardy, Oakland, CA., ed. Georgia Griffin. Further Reference: "Taking the Temperature" by David Hardy, American Artist Magazine, August 2002
Another article written by Bill Indursky of NYC covers A more technical essay on the definition of Color Temperature -- It includes graphics so I will enter the article as it begins and then provide a link to the completed text:
"Color Temperature:
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For the painter, the term color temperature is used to identify RELATIVE warmth and coolness in the color/light spectrum as it appears in the real world and is represented by paint.
For example, yellow pigment is usually considered a warm color but it can have relative levels of warmth and coolness. This same principle works for LIGHT and how we see it. Warm light can have relative warmth and coolness even if the light source is warm or cool. Simple rules like a warm light source = cold shadows is over simplistic and will not let the natural or realist painter to represent the real world situation accurately. The color of light we see depends on amount/strength/distance of light, color/saturation/temperature (warm or cool in the spectrum) of light, and the type/color/reflectivity/texture of the surface it falls on.
A real life situation can be broken down as follows:
Let’s start with a theoretically NEUTRAL white light. It is not warm or cool but perfectly balanced, casting onto a 50% non-reflective non-textured material gray ball sitting on a 50% non-reflective non-textured material gray floor with the light at an angle to cast a shadow (fig. 1b) The only variable in this case is the AMOUNT/STRENGTH/DISTANCE of the light and the TYPE/COLOR/REFLECTIVITY/TEXTURE of the surface. The more light the more bright/white. The less light the more dark/black. (fig. 1a) This is what artist usually refer to as VALUE.
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continued at: http://www.gottliebstudios.com/color_temperature
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