Tania Winston, Complementary, Acrylic on paper, 18×24 inches, 2015
Alex Katz, Ulla in Black Hat, Print-Lithograph, 72 x 101cm, 2010
I really had fun trying to replicate this lithograph by Alex Katz. The only issues I had were that I ran out of the paint that I had mixed to make the background color and had to try to match the color with another batch, and I see my brushstrokes in my painting verses the original, which I don’t particularly like. I think next time I might use a different brush, or apply a few more coats. I do like the colors I chose, however, I wish I had done a lighter color on the background because I think it’s too dark. I might also try to use the violet and yellow complementary colors instead of the blue and orange.
This is a complimentary colored piece from Alex Katz with a woman in a large, floppy hat looking to the left with large sunglasses and a half-smile. There are lighting effects in the form of shadows cast from facial features and the hat. The sunglasses are also showing a reflection of this shaded area.
The complimentary blue and orange work well in this piece. The color relationships stay the same, and even though blue skin is not a natural feature, it is less jarring when the large orange hat and glasses are added for contrast.
The unnatural skin color still feels like it changes the feeling of the piece. Maybe it’s an uncanny valley sort of thing, but I find it really interesting. The shading under the facial features worked well with the colors as well.
I think that the piece works well to illustrate the complimentary color lesson. I think that the color under the hat could have been a bit darker like it was in the black hat. I think that it would have also been interesting to see a lighter color in the background, just as the original painting went from yellow to black. I think going from orange to a similar tone doesn’t have quite the contrast.