Light it Up, Up, Up — The Power of Contrast in Art

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Celebrating Light and Dark

For those of us who love visual drama in painting, an explosion of color against darkness creates an almost entrancing effect and draws in your eye. This contrast of light and dark is one of the powerful ways to bring attention to your focal point. The viewer’s eye will follow this contrast, helping to draw his or her eye into  your art in a similar way fireworks keep us looking up at the sky.

We explore this exciting contrast with inspiring works from past winners of the Splash Competition. Splash is accepting entries now — if watercolor is your medium, submit your work as the deadline is almost here! And let these works inspire you to incorporate more contrast in your own art. Enjoy!

 

In the Rain by Rainbow Tse

Interesting, but also challenging, I often paint nightscapes because they bring out the light best. The contrast and vibrance come by very dark patches against areas of light.

The key to mesmerizing nightscapes is correct tonal value. When you concentrate on the lights and darks, you will begin to see the night taking shape.

— Rainbow Tse

Into the Light by Mark E. Mehaffey

Into the Light was based on a reference photo shot quickly into the light pouring through this large building’s front entrance. I heightened the contrast around the central figure and simplified all other details.

— Mark E. Mehaffey

Splash by Peter K. Lau

I used the largest brush I could find and started wetting at the top of the watercolor paper before I applied India ink, watercolor and, lastly, iridescent acrylic. The whole process is fast and loose. It is a study of light and dark value in its simplest form.

My understanding of value came from my darkroom days when I employed the Zone System for my black-and-white prints.

— Peter K. Lau

Last Light at Marco by Sandra L. Strohschein

Here the sunset itself is the focal point. In order to keep the light the focal point, I overpainted strong dark backlit shapes. The ratio of water in these warm and cool pigments is greatly decreased, resulting in darker value strength.

— Sandra L. Strohschein

Setting Sun by Anne McCartney

This piece lent itself to high-value contrast as its story is the fading light of the reflected setting sun amidst the dark waters and hills. The palette is fairly limited, so the values make it sing.

Don’t be afraid to go to the dark side; without the darks, it’s hard to see the light.

— Anne McCartney

The Moscow Nocturne No. 3 by Chien Chung-Wei

This subject makes use of backlighting, sunset and a night scene — a trifecta of expressive subject matter. These lighting effects are not very hard to produce (using masking fluid) but they are very eye-catching. The intense lights not only provide strong contrast but also awaken people’s realistic spatial memory.

I concentrated these bright lights, mostly streetlights and headlights, in the focal area. It is important not to paint too many details.

–Chien Chung-Wei