Tints, Tones and Shades in Acrylics

 In this article, Seattle-based artist Ari Glass will help you figure out how to mix the right colors from your paints. Tints, tones, and shades are variations of the hues found on the basic color wheel when white, black or both are mixed in. To help you get a better grasp, Ari Glass will explain these color concepts, and will also help you to understand why even complementary or analogous colors, schemes based on the color wheel, sometimes don’t match.

 

Explore the tonal range

Each color has a tonal range of tints, hues, and shades: a scale of brightness, from lightest to darkest. You should use tonal color for everything from the strongest lights to the darkest shadows. This way you will mimic the behavior of light on a certain object or space and create a three-dimensional effect with its depth.

1.       Tints: Tints are created by adding white to the colors. With this, you will be able to soften the shine of the acrylics and create different pastel tones, depending on the amount of white you use.

2.       Tones: You will get different tones by adding gray or a mixture of black and white to the colors. As you adjust the amounts of black and white in the mix, you will get different, more complex variants, explains Ari Glass.

3.       Shadows: You will get shadows when you add black to the colors. Contemporary artist Ari Glass recommends using black just a little, because it is a very dominant color and might end up completely overtaking the color of the shadow.

Let’s Practice

You can paint a painting in which each color is mixed with gray or black to create tonal effects of light and shadow. A photograph with harsh lighting as a reference image will give you plenty of contrast to experiment with. Choose the theme you want. To know if you are doing it correctly, photograph the finished color painting in black and white. This way you can see if the tonal range you have used is correct.

Shadows: Apply areas of deep blue to the background and the rest of the shadows. The attractive contrast of dark with powerful lights will define the shapes. For foreground shadows you can introduce softer tones with blends of blue and gray.

Tints: Add lots of light yellow tints to evoke a feeling of light. Use red and blue in between yellow to add interest. The tonal difference between tints and shades produces great contrasts and creates outstanding light effects.

Tones: Ari Glass suggests using subtle gradients of blue, yellow, and red. Use darker shades near the shadows and lighter shades that blend in with the inks on top. Experiment first on a palette, adjust the ratio of black to white in gray mixes to create different shades.

Secondary color mixing: Links primary colors by mixing secondary color tints, tones, or shades. Expand the range of red inks by adding blue to red to create pastel purples; or add a touch of red to blue-gray mixes for a greenish hue.