Color Theory - Contrast of Extension

Color Theory - Contrast of Extension

Video lesson by Vladimir London

In this video lesson, you will discover what the contrast of extension is, and how to use it in painting.

When we take two different colors in full saturation, one color may appear stronger than the other. The strength of color can also be referred to as its 'weight'. For example, two equal-sized swatches, yellow and violet, have different strengths. The yellow swatch appears stronger, or as we may say, 'heavier', than the violet one. To be visually in balance, the violet swatch has to be bigger in size. The Contrast of Extension deals with the relative proportion of areas filled with different colors, in order for those colors to look in balance.

The values of visual strength, or weight, of colors from strongest to weakest are as follows:

• The light-value of Yellow is 9
• Orange is 8
• Red and green are 6
• Blue has a light value of 4
• Violet is dark, so is therefore 3

Since saturated yellow is visually three times stronger than violet, for these two colors to be in balance, yellow has to occupy three times less space on an artwork, so as not to overpower the violet color.

According to the light values of the orange and blue colors, the orange color is twice stronger than blue; therefore, to be in balance, orange has to take half the space in an artwork than the areas painted in blue.

Red and green colors have equal weighting, so should one color take more space in an artwork, it will overpower the other.

According to the Contrast of Extension, the color wheel of primary and secondary colors should look as follows:

• Yellow should occupy 3 parts
• Orange should occupy 4 parts
• Red should take up 6 parts
• Violet should take up 9 parts of violet
• Blue should occupy 8 parts
• Green should cover 6 parts

A color circle that follows this will look visually in balance, with every color being equal to all other colors, in terms of the space it occupies. These types of relative proportions are called 'harmonious' proportions, which means that any two colors used in proportion to their weights will look harmonious and balanced.

Let's see how the Contrast of Extension applies in painting...

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