EOC Learner's Journey Log
- Poulomi Sen
- Sep 27, 2020
- 6 min read
Color is part of the natural beauty that allows us to connect with the world around us. It not only allows us to distinguish between different objects we find in the world but influences how we perceive the world. They ignite emotions that we later associate with certain objects or specific memories. We use color not only as a visual reference to create flavor, but also as a conduit to evoke certain emotions. Through this project I received a grave insight about the vast world of colors, even though it was just an introduction, I feel it was like an overview of what it beholds.
Tonal Variation
I gained extensive knowledge about how color acts when it encounters different surfaces. I observed and understood how different density of paper can make a huge difference on how color acts on it. Color on 110gsm paper had higher absorbency and dried up fast leaving wrinkles on paper whereas the 200gsm paper had low absorbency but was easier to work with and color could be mixed and moved around on it. On gateway paper color was moderately easier to apply but the paper was not able to hold its form. The absorbing ability of the fabric was extremely high so when the paint was applied it dries immediately at the same time the paint did not lose its texture keeping it visually appealing. Tissue paper was hard to work with; without using water, color was easy to apply but dried up fast. As the concentration of water increased the paper started to disintegrate leaving a slight hue of the paint. The thickest stroke of paint on the plastic container had to be applied multiple times because of its surface texture. Glass has a smooth texture therefore paint was easy to apply compared to when water was added.
The importance of light was also interesting to observe. In the natural light the colors have its own natural shine whereas in white light the darker shades have a matt look to it and in yellow light the darkness of the colors increase.
While we were making swatches to match the objects color, I learn how different colors can be derived by mixing one or more colors, in the right amount. The gradation, Tint and Hue was also well learnt because of the experimentations we did with color swatches.
Symbolism and Association and Culture
The symbolism of colors often stems from religious, spiritual, social, or historical events. In the Indian culture, red is associated with a bride in a marriage as well as with goddess Durga whereas blue is associated with lord Krishna. White is the absence of color and is the only color widows can wear. It is the acceptable color at funerals and ceremonies that mark death in the family. It reflects the essential quality of the color itself, when a widow wears white, she disconnects herself from the pleasures and luxuries of active and regular participation in society and life around her. Saffron is a sacred color for Hinduism as a religion. Black is denoted as darkness and evil; however, the perception of these colors is not necessarily this, but every culture has their own perception and understanding.
Color as Visual Contributor/ Communication
Color improves recognition. Think traffic signs:
1. Yellow usually mean caution
2. Green signs give you directions
3. Blue signs usually provide general information.
There is also a psychological aspect to it where color conveys emotion. There is a definite psychology to color use – blue is stable and trustworthy, yellow is warm and cheerful, green is peaceful and healthy – and the appropriate selection can be used to our advantage when trying to convey a certain message. Overall, the world is color is as big as our minds can go to and the knowledge, we behold is just the beginning.
I also learn about Visual attention which is the ability of a vision system, be it biological or artificial, to rapidly detect potentially relevant parts of a visual scene, on which higher level vision tasks, such as object recognition, can focus.
All these skilled, talked about above, was aggravated even more due to our constant observations around color therefore our eye can catch the smallest of detail.
Views on Videos Seen During The Project
One of the more interesting videos that we viewed during the project was the play of color in cinematography.
Lawrence sher beautifully talks about the value of color in a movie and how it sets the mood for the viewers while watching the movie. He begins with describing the 3 main elements of color being: Color Hue, Saturation and Brightness. He further goes on the explain how to create depth through colors in cinematography. He mentions how complimentary colors are the best alternative in doing so, he then went on explaining how green can be used to create tension, envy and greed. From my own observation, in the show Game of Thrones, there was a character; one of the main ones, Lyana stark and she was a good women but people envied her and hence she was always shown wearing a green gown. Moving on Sher explained how warm colors can denote comfort, home, love and even tranquility. Taking the example from Game of Thrones again there was a scene contrasting to the mood set by the color; It was all yellow-ish-orange tones because everybody was celebrating the beheading ceremony but for the viewers and the characters it was a sad and devastating feeling. Lets take an example of the movie 3 Idiots; the whole movie has mainly warm tones but during the delivery scene its all blue and dark which increases the intensity of the scene
Process of enquiry
During the project we were familiarized with different approaches of inquiry and interestingly I feel they all are linked together giving us a better outcome as a whole. Through reading we were gaining theoretical knowledge as well as the facts and figures. This was then questioned if its relevant or not through observations done by us. Once we viewed it for ourselves we were discussing our outcome and sharing it with each others, which together led to sharing knowledge with peers and gaining what they have to offer. I feel each approach was very different and covered different aspects of the topic under study giving us the whole picture. Through the survey we could understand whether our notion of the color is similar to others. Following to that we immediately started asking 'why' which means more reading and research. Through self explorations, some outcomes were not the assigned color, but we understood the properties of how color functions when blended with one another.
Comfort
I personally, am very comfortable with research and the survey as well as the readings given to us, was the most fascinating and interesting part of the project. We gained the theoretical knowledge by researching about it ourselves and finding answers to our own questions which helps in the longer run too.
Struggles
I faced issues while making color swatches and mixing because I'm not that confident in using paint however, by the end of the project I can say that I've improved upon it.
Responsive Writing
To compile all our learning in 300 words was a major struggle. In the flow of writing I went way beyond the directed word limit. In order to overcome this issues I started writing value points of each sub-topic and elaborated on them instead of just writing in one flow. This way, the world limit was maintained and I knew what I need to write and elaborate on.
Group Work
(Mind Map Made In A Group)
I feel working in groups was the most exciting part of the project. The learning derived through it was way more in depth and fun. Usually when we do the same tasks alone it starts getting a little off-putting and our interest in doing the task decreases. I think it added on to my learning and gave more clarity about the topic being discussed as every action was quested and verified by other group members.
Glossary
New Way Of Learning
I feel that this new way of learning by doing is way more effective than what we had been doing so far. We have the evidence in front of our eyes and it sparks curiosity to find the 'why' behind every situation. For people like me who have stronger visual sense of learning, I feel every learning gathered is stuck with us for a longer period of time while being fun. I think we learn more than we normally do with book as everything is in front of your eyes and it stays in your mind as well while creating curiosity.
Key Learning From Project
I feel color is an aspect which makes or breaks our ideas of any composition or product we make or see. It is the first interaction one has with the product hence it is very important to know as much as we can about it in order to mold it when we require it. I think till now we had been using color subconsciously, without any particular reason, in all the projects we have done so far. Now that we know the basics, we can use it with technicality and understanding. All the activities done in the project holds significance for our greater learning about colors. We analyzed and interpreted how different people perceive color therefore in the future we can be used accordingly.
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