Opaque, Transparent and Translucent: The Importance of Opacity in Paint
So, you’ve noticed while looking at Nova Color’s paint selection that there are some technical terms listed on the container, and you need some clarification. Terms like “Opaque”, “transparent”, and “translucent” are often used to describe paint but how to utilize this information can be a bit tricky to fit on the label. Well, we’re here to help clear the air. If you’d like a thorough explanation of how to think about these paint properties, keep reading.
The basic difference:
These terms essentially describe opacity or the amount of light able to be reflected from the pigment. Pigments are, by their nature, usually more opaque or more transparent. Transparent colors can be made more opaque by the addition of #118 Titanium White or other opaque colors or by applying additional coats of paint.
- Opaque colors tend to cover most of the area painted so that little to nothing of the previous surface shows through.
- Translucent colors tend to be between opaque and transparent colors.
- Transparent colors tend to “show-through” the surface below.
- Opaque colors can be made translucent by the addition of a clear medium such as Nova Color #204 Matte Medium, #205 Matte Varnish or #206 Gloss Medium & Varnish.
How to make the most of these properties:
Thinking Light to Dark
When approaching the translucent paints, it’s recommended to layer the paint from lightest to darkest as the paint will layer well this way since it is partially see-through. If these were layered dark to light instead, the lighter pigment wouldn’t have the coverage necessary to show up on top of the darker pigment.
Oops a Mistake? Use Opaques
When needing to make marks that are crisp, graphic or detailed it will be better to use opaque colors. These will generally only require one layer of paint for coverage. Since the paint is at full opacity it will provide a fuller coverage than what you would see in transparent or translucent paint.
Adding Color Shifts with Glazes
When using transparent paint (but really any paint that you can make more transparent/translucent) can be used to subtly shift color to another hue. This is ideal for softer transitional shading and more complex/ layered colors. For example, if you wanted to add a blush to a person’s cheeks, you could use a very transparent red or pink to build the depth of color on the face with each layer.
Bringing these ideas together
Using these three ideas in combination might look like painting a plant in soft and gentle sunlight with a bright blue rim light. So, you could build up your main fill light with varying hues of transparent yellows and oranges. Then, by thinking from light to dark, add in more opaque and translucent greens on top of the yellows and oranges to show the form of the plant. Then finally, for the final pop of color, a bright opaque blue can be added on one side of the plant along with a subtle blue glaze to tie the look together.
Mixing with Opacity
When mixing two transparent colors, the same principle of light vs dark must be considered. For example, if mixing a dark purple (such as #103 Carbazole Dioxazine Violet) and a brighter red (such as #129 Quinacridone Red), starting with a larger portion of the red color first will make sure the purple doesn’t overpower the red pigment. If two colors are closer in value and transparent, (such as #115D Phthalo Blue and #181 Quinacridone Violet) can have a more even proportion of paint to get a good middle mix between the two.
When mixing a transparent or translucent color with an opaque color, the opaque color will always be more prominent. So, if you want to get a green that is evenly mixed between a blue(translucent) and a yellow(opaque), (#122 Ultramarine Blue and #102 Cadmium Yellow Medium) you will need more of the translucent color than the opaque color or the green will be much lighter than if you were to mix instead two opaque colors (#127 Cerulean Blue Hue and #102 Cadmium Yellow Medium).
Also, in addition to keeping in mind the proportions of paint the outcome is that the two opaque paints will make an opaque paint, while the translucent/transparent paint mixed with an opaque paint will always make a translucent paint. (More opaque than before but with a lower opacity than it had before)
In conclusion...
Selecting which colors to use to mix, layer and apply strategically can be a bit of a challenge at first, especially if you’re used to a digital medium, but mastering these ideas will help your art no matter the medium. Knowing how pigments, and their corresponding opacity, will affect each other can help you paint and mix with more forethought and less guesswork.