Painting Purple

[Paul Kernan]

I've started painting my first flat (samurai) in oils and in the process I want to paint two tones of purple. The first is a reddish purple for the overshirt and a deeper bluish purple for the pants. I understand that yellow to orange would be the complimentary colours. However, I need some additional advice.

I am using Winsor Violet for the shirt. Brushed out this gives a tint toward the magenta side. What would you suggest for shade and highlights?

Second, I have experimented with the blues/violets and still have not found an acceptable tone. I'm open to suggestions on base, shade and highlights. May end up scrapping this idea and opt for a straight blue

Cheers
Paul

 

[Einion]

The first is a reddish purple for the overshirt and a deeper bluish purple for the pants. I understand that yellow to orange would be the complimentary colours.

No actually it's green! Remember these are mixing complements we need to concern ourselves with, not visual complements; they can be quite different.

I am using Winsor Violet for the shirt. Brushed out this gives a tint toward the magenta side.

From memory Winsor Violet should be made from PV23, Dioxazine Purple. Does your tube list the pigment? Even the 'red shade' of Diox isn't magenta-ey IME, but pigments do vary and if you're not painting over white it will depend on what colour it's applied over.

What would you suggest for shade and highlights?

Low-key or clean and vibrant?

Einion

 

[Paul Kernan]

Einion:
Thanks for the correction. As for shading/highlighting, let's go with clean and vibrant.

I asked the same question elsewhere and it appears that purple could be a non-starter. There maybe a question of accuracy. I checked the references I have and although there is use of purple in the lacing of armour, what I initially assumed was purple clothing may in fact be the colour quality of the photos
BTW, the colour I am after is the same as the face icon!
Cheers
Paul

 

[Einion]

Einion:
Thanks for the correction. As for shading/highlighting, let's go with clean and vibrant.

In that case I'd use straight white for the highlighting.

I don't think you'll really need anything for shading if Winsor Violet is being used straight as it's nearly black at full strength, but if you need to then I'd just add in some black.

I asked the same question elsewhere and it appears that purple could be a non-starter. There maybe a question of accuracy.

The Japanese definitely had violet fabrics, but for period garb it could often have been duller than one might expect.

I'd tend to err on the side of caution for this kind of colour without specific references to point to, so I might try:
midtone - Winsor Purple and a little Chromium Oxide Green to dull, lightened with a touch of white;
highlights - more white added to the above mix, possibly with a little more green;
shadow 1 - a straight mix of Winsor Violet and Chromium Oxide Green;
shadow 2 - if you need to go darker than shadow 1 then add a little black to that mix.

Einion

 

[ivopreda]

Paul

In oil coulour Reddish purple can be painted also with alizarine crimsom. As all red can be darked using green shade ( complementary colour) or blue for a more deep shadow.
My highlights are normally done with a bit of flesh coulour. If the painted coulor became too much pink is sufficent (when the colour is completely dry) to give a subtle wash of pure alizarine.
Adding more blue the coulour became more violet (red + blu = violet)

Finally there isn’t any better solution than try, coulour tha can be good for me cannot give the same result for other...

Ciao

Ivo

 

[Paul Kernan]

Einion and Ivo:

Many thanks, gents. Time to break out the paints
Cheers