White Super Paint, Black Cats, and Colors We Don't Really See

"Big Blue Marble", NASA photo from Apollo 17

 As we transition back into a semblance of normality from the pandemic lockdown, we found ourselves with a few mismatched pieces that didn't quite fit in previous posts, some updates from recent news articles, and a few new questions from readers that we wanted to deal with before we launch several new topic threads in this blog. So, we've presented some of them here in the format of one of our seasonal Q & A posts.

 — J.D.

 

You mentioned a white paint that was somehow "super" in the Psychology of Color article. Can you tell us more about that?

Yes. Engineers at Purdue University have come up with an ultra-white paint. The process took nearly six years. The paint reflects approximately 98 % of sunlight, which has a major cooling effect. The idea is not new. People who live in very hot countries have used light-colored building materials or very white paints to cool their homes for centuries.  The engineers used a compound of barium and sulfur. This isn't new either.  The same compound is used in making photographic paper and in some cosmetics.

Painting roofs with this paint could cool houses and cars more efficiently than any type of air conditioning — and at far less cost. If used on a large scale on roofs and the tops of vehicles, perhaps even on ships,  total energy use could be reduced markedly.  Reduced energy use would reduce climate change over large portions of the planet.

Do you know that I had to look up more words in the dictionary to understand your article on The Psychology of Color than I have had to do for whole chapters of my high school textbooks?  I've got pages and pages of notes!!!! I don't know if I will ever use some of them but I will know them if I see them again!!!! Whew! Should I thank you or what?

No need to thank me. You did all the work. I am impressed and extremely proud of you. I hope you are equally as proud of yourself.  I had a group of girls in one of my classes who decided to learn a new word every day. They would get together at lunch to exchange lists.  By the end of the year they had fat notebooks, too, but they never attempted to do as much in as short a time as you have done — and it was a collective effort. May I suggest one more addition to your notebook? Write a sentence for each word that is not the same as the sentence you may have found in your dictionary, but that is just as accurate. Then you will truly have command of that word. Congratulations!

You showed a picture of a black cat but didn't talk about it. How did it happen that people thought it was bad luck if a black cat crossed your path? Do you know?

That is a long and complicated story, but I will try to give you a condensed version.  Cats, especially black ones, were revered as long ago as 3000 B.C. (BCE). They were often mummified after they died and placed in tombs. They kept the mice and rats out of food storage and were good companions. To kill one was a death sentence. The Japanese also held cats in high esteem.  

Then came the Middle Ages in Europe (500 to 1500 AD). a time when literacy wasn't widespread and superstitions flourished.  The Spanish appear to be the first to associate black cats with witches.  The Irish, Welsh, and Scots didn't seem to take the idea seriously, but the English and Germanic tribes did.  It is an English story that seems to have done the damage. It goes like this: a man and his son were walking along a path one evening when a black cat appeared on the same path. They threw rocks at it to drive it away and struck it hard on one leg. It ran into the house of a lone woman whom some people thought practiced witchcraft. The next day the man and his son saw the woman, who was limping. These two "geniuses" then told everybody that the limp was from a rock they threw at her the night before when she was in the body of a black cat. The story spread like wildfire and became the cause of the idea that it was bad luck to have a black cat cross your path.   During the long pandemic of Bubonic Plague, people killed thousands of black cats. Now that caused REALLY bad luck because the plague was carried by mice and rats, which those cats could have killed and kept the plague from spreading! The Europeans brought their superstitions to America, causing such disasters as the Salem Witch Trials, in which 200 people were accused of witchcraft — and 19 of them were hanged.

There is a story going around that it is difficult to get people to adopt black cats from shelters, but the statistics don't support it.  Of all the many cats my family has lived with, more were black than any other color.  A word of caution, though.  Black cats are still injured and killed at Halloween, so it is a good idea to keep yours safely indoors at that time.  Enjoy your black cats!

 

Some time ago, in the very first issue of this series on Color, we briefly discussed structural color and gave an example or two.  We discussed the fact that some of the colors we think we see are not really there. They are illusions produced by complex layers of structures. Since one of the colors we discussed in Part I of The Psychology of Color was Blue, this might be a good time to warn you that most of the things that we think we see as blue are products of structural color.  The sunny blue sky we see is one of them.  So is the deep blue of the ocean.  And the feathers of the bluebird are not really blue.  Which brings up several questions that I will try to answer briefly. (If you are really interested, there are many discussions of these topics on line.)

Why does the sky look blue to us in the daytime when outer space looks black?

The earth has a thick cover of atmosphere that has been forming for millions of years.  The light from the sun hits molecules of various gases in that atmosphere and they fly off in all directions. The blue color of the sky is the result of this scattering. Because the Earth rotates,  the light changes as the planet turns away from the Sun each day, leaving the sky black at night. If you were on the moon, which doesn't have an atmosphere, the sky would look black both day and night.  Pictures taken by early astronauts show that very clearly.
 
Why does the ocean look blue when water doesn't really have much color?

According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Aimospheric Administration), it gets its color because of the way it absorbs sunlight.  It strongly absorbs long wavelength rays of the color spectrum as well as short wavelength ones, even into the ultraviolet range.  The remaining light that we see reflected from the ocean is mainly made of blue wavelengths.  Objects floating just under the surface, such as algae and mats of seaweed,  often give the ocean a green hue.  If you dive below the surface and continue down the water column, the water becomes darker and darker until all color disappears into the darkness.

Why does a feather look blue if it doesn't have any blue pigment in it?

Hyacinth macaw (public domain)

If you hold a feather of any bright color that does not have any pigment in it up to a light, it loses its color and becomes more or less white (sometimes a slightly dirty-looking white).  It becomes obvious that the color you originally saw on the feather was structural color. Move the feather back and look at it in normal light, and its color reappears.  The structure of the feather itself determines what color it appears without pigment.  Feathers that appear blue are covered with tiny air pockets that reflect short blue wavelengths.  These pockets are actually filled with liquid when the feathers form, but the liquid is quickly replaced by air.  If the pockets are arranged in a very regular way, the feathers will be a consistent color of blue like the wings of a macaw.  If the arrangements are not quite regular, the feathers may show several different blues. (Think of a blue jay's feathers.)

There are very few animals that are truly blue.  However, if you watch for our Frogs for Fun issue this summer, we will introduce you to a true blue one.

Do something colorful!

 

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The Psychology of Color, Part I

Dolls in ethnic dress (Photo by J.J.)

Today, with ethnic clothing and jewelry becoming more popular and special interest groups identifying themselves with banners and logos, color is more important than ever. In this article we explore human responses to the major colors.  A pigment squeezed from a tube onto a palette and not mixed with another one is the only color that is entirely neutral.  Once applied to a surface or mixed with another color, it acquires meaning. We will explore two very important colors which technically are not colors at all.  From a scientific standpoint,  black is the absence of color, while white is the presence of all colors. There are both positive and negative connotations attached to all colors.  

White is usually associated with purity, cleanliness, good hygiene, sterile surfaces. These have have been exceptionally important during the pandemic. White is the color most brides choose for their wedding gowns and parents for christening garments.  Snowflakes and fresh snow are a welcome white. Fluffy white clouds promise a pleasant day. Crisp white tablecloths and napkins lead to expectation of a good meal.  The white page waiting for words and the white canvas prepared for color can represent pleasant anticipation. White spaces may seem more spacious than they are. A new super-white paint is causing a great deal of excitement.

 

Fresh snow (photo by J.J.)

Damaged, dirty white wall (Public domain photo)

Yet white can have negative meanings. It is used as a mourning color in many parts of the world. It can have a touch-me-not remoteness. As a background it can make some bold colors look garish or pale ones look weak or dull by comparison. White surfaces don't stay white and may require a great deal of effort to keep clean and undamaged. That blank page or canvas can be daunting with a deadline looming when you have no inspiration.  Some people find white bland or sterile, while others react to it as cold or stark.  Since I use walls to display art and craft-work, I make the surfaces warmer than white with cream or ecru.

Red is an attention-attractor. It is visible against most backgrounds, especially if illuminated. That's why it is employed as stop-lights and DANGER signs all over the world.  It symbolizes strength, energy, and physical courage. It is a warm color associated with blood. Many sports teams use it in logos or on uniforms. It was long considered a masculine color, but that is no longer so true. It is a stimulating color, capable of raising pulse rate and even making a person feel that time is passing faster than it really is.  

On the other hand, it is also associated with anger and violence — even bloodshed.  Yes, it is possible to physically "see red".  I learned that when I was eleven and saw a boy gleefully stuffing a whimpering puppy into a small ground-pipe. My whole vision turned red.  I raced to rescue the puppy, determined to tear the boy limb from limb.  Fortunately for both of us, his big brother had longer legs than mine.  He shouted for me to save the puppy and sent his brother home with measured blows from his belt.  The puppy was whimpering,  shaking, and bleeding from several cuts. I finally got it out of the pipe and carried it to its home. It was immediately taken to a veterinary. It survived, but with a permanent limp.  I was so shaken by my own reaction that I worked very hard from then on to develop strong self-control over my actions.     

Pink is a special tint of red.  It is associated with femininity, romance, love, physical beauty, delicacy, and — by extension — the continuation of the human species.

From the male point of view it has often been considered demeaning to masculinity. It has been interesting, therefore, to notice that the English Premier Football League (that's "soccer" on this side of the Atlantic) has apparently been experimenting to see if some colors tend to weaken the performance of athletes by forcing them to play in certain colored uniforms. Goalies, especially, have been noticeable in pink, a sickly yellow, and lavender. This has been going on most of the season. I tend to ignore it.  One morning, however, I was confused by the action on the field until I realized that the referee and his crew were wearing vivid purple uniforms. My immediate reaction was: "That's just wrong!" But I soon got used to it and it didn't appear to affect the game.

Sunset photo by J.J.

Orange is generally viewed positively.  It is a good "attention-getter". It expresses energy and enthusiasm. Strong and bright, it implies happiness.  Found in sunrises and sunsets, it glows with beauty and vigor. It makes us think of the smell of citrus fruits.  It is most likely to be seen in autumn, when it is associated with autumn leaves, pumpkins, and — of course — Halloween.  Nevertheless, it can be controversial.  People usually love it or dislike it. Sometimes it seems too bright, to the point of being overwhelming.  Others find it harsh or crude.

Elegant leather loveseat (public domain photo)

Brown is regarded as a part of the orange color family.  Its association with natural earth gives it a sense of solidity, security, strength, dependability and comfort.  It is an integral part of Nature.  We associate it with the soil in our gardens, the ground under our feet, the warm fur of our pets.  But brown can be sophisticated, too.  There is at least one shade of brown that complements almost every color.  This makes it important for clothing, rugs, upholstery, etc. In marketing, it suggests reliability (think UPS,  Hershey's chocolate, etc.)

"War Machines," photo by J.D.

Yet it can also provoke negative emotions.  This is especially true when it is used in large amounts.  It may remind people of the desert, which can be stark, vast, empty, devoid of life.  Or it may summon up a sense of fatigue associated with the endless work of tilling the soil.

Yellow can be a controversial color.  Its connection with sunlight is undeniable and provides associations with light, warmth. activity, stimulation, strength.  It appeals more to extroverts than to introverts, promoting self-confidence and self-esteem.  Many psychologists believe it is the strongest of all the colors in its influence — both positively and negatively.  Personally, there are yellows I don't care for, but they don't upset or depress me.

Conversely, people who already suffer from low self-esteem may find it cause for what self-esteem they have to plummet, even to medically dangerous levels. It has long been associated with cowardice, for example.  It may promote anxiety and feelings of failure.  Introverts may find it depressing or discouraging.

Healthy rainforest (public domain photo)

If any of the colors promotes balance, it is green — the color of growing plants.   I grew up on a farm, took botany courses, worked in the college herbarium and have been planting things all my life. Of course green is my favorite color!  It represents renewal, growth, strength, endurance, health.  And don't forget balance. That is a much more important psychological concept than people realize.  This pandemic has unbalanced populations, civilizations, cultures, economies and — most important  — lives.  Eventually there will be new balances, but they may be very different from what we experienced before.

The case against green features such concepts as monotony, long stretches of sameness, blandness, stagnation.  One very real problem is invasive non-native species.  There are far too many places where such species, both on land and in the ocean, have taken over an area and overwhelmed native species. There must be a constant battle in such places to eradicate or at least control such species.  Fires, floods. and droughts create similar problems.

 

Invasive kudzu near Atlanta (public domain photo)

Blue is considered an intellectual color.  Just as red is associated with the body, blue is associated with the mind.  We don't expect a physical reaction to blue like the visceral one that often goes with red. Blue symbolizes seriousness, study, thoughtful consideration, calmness and concentration.   It is generally conceded that more people choose blue as their favorite color than any other hue.  

On the negative side, blue may be considered aloof, unfriendly, disinterested, haughty, or boring.  Blue objects may seem farther away than they are. I like light blues, and wear all shades of the color, but I have a distinctly physical reaction to dark blue rooms. They make me feel physically cold.  I could never spend any length of time in a dark blue room, nor would I have one in my home or workshop.   

Violet is another of the controversial colors.  It is situated between blue and red on the color wheel and the blue-violets are distinctly cooler than the red-violets.  Violet tones are made by mixing blue and red and the proportions of each determine the appearance and effect of the hue. From a positive viewpoint, violet may represent spirituality, luxury, status, introspection, wisdom.  But when we lived in Panama many women wore violet as a mourning color.  Because it is the closest color to the end of the spectrum — next are ultraviolet emissions not visible to the naked eye — it is sometimes associated with time, space, and the Cosmos itself. Negatively, it may produce a feeling of anonymity, inferiority, or exclusion.

Murex shell (public domain photo)

You are probably familiar with the phrase "royal purple".This refers to a dye, made from the bodies of certain mollusks, that was used to dye the clothing and possessions of ancient royal families. It was so expensive to produce that it was actually worth more than gold. No one outside family members was allowed to wear it or use anything dyed with it.  The punishment for breaking that rule could be imprisonment or death. The first rulers who were supposed to have worn garments dyed with royal purple were the semi-legendary King David and his son, King Solomon. Just recently a sizable piece of cloth in extremely good condition was unearthed at an archaeological site south of Jerusalem.  Scientists had already found fossils of the marine mollusks and ceramic containers colored by the dye.  Now they hope to find out how the fibers were spun and woven.  Radiocarbon dating has already confirmed that the cloth dates back to the time of King David.

Grey is physically neutral.  It is the only color which has no psychological properties. But that doesn't mean that everyone reacts to it in the same way. On the plus side, grays can support just about any hue.  But, unless the tone is right, grey may dampen the effect of the other color.  When the world turns grey, we are instinctively conditioned to prepare for the coming night or the looming storm.  Grey may be associated with monotony, depression, worry, weariness or old age.

Black is treated differently in various parts of the globe. In much of Europe and North America it is a "power color".  Priests, government officials,  prominent men in all walks of life wear black business suits and tuxedos.  Women choose "the little black dress" for important occasions, thinking it is slimming (it isn't) or that it will get them noticed (it makes them unobtrusive). An extreme cut,  new style, or bold dash of color is necessary to be showy, even on a red carpet.  Many designers and clothiers use black to advertise.

It is often the color of sorrow and mourning.  It is associated with mystery — even magic.  It certainly has negative connotations.  Consider the negative meanings of the following terms: blackball, blackmail, black market, black mood, black-hearted.  The greatest mystery of all is the vastness of outer space, where black holes swallow stars.

NASA Computer simulation of a black hole "eating" a star

Look for Part II later this year. Be colorful!

And sometimes, black is comforting...

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New Geometric Patterns

A couple of years ago we began drawing some small, simple geometric patterns which could easily be repeated to make larger, more complex designs.  These were designs that could be adapted for many different crafts — not just needlecrafts.  Designs could be repeated a number of times just as they were in the picture, or they could be reversed, rotated, even taken apart and put together in new configurations.

Let's look at the three patterns at the top of the page. Here is the first one, a very simple design in a single color on white. In the larger version, the original pattern has been rotated to make a design of squares. This one can be continued outward as far as you want to go.

Now let's consider the pattern at the other end of the line. You may remember this one.  Later we showed you how to change the design from a square pattern to a rectangular one by elongating the internal squares either vertically or horizontally.

Vertical & horizontal  versions

I was trying to make two points. First, that, since this was an all-over pattern, it was not necessary to start in the middle of the canvas. I started the piece on the left at the upper right-hand corner of the design and expanded it both horizontally and vertically as far as my canvas segment allowed. Second, the pattern can be worked to fit rectangular projects. They do not have to be square, as the 4-way bargello designs do need to be.  I suggested that viewers might want to do a sample using the 3-stitches-over-4-threads formula that I used for this sample, which elongates the squares into rectangles vertically. The third sample elongated the squares to rectangles horizontally. The result is definitely rectangular — and large. It is probably not a good design for a 4-way bargello unless you are using much smaller squares of canvas. It would probably work on # 14 needlepoint canvas, however.

The middle pattern can be repeated just as it is, of course, but I want to play with it a while. How you approach this pattern depends on whether you want to place the emphasis on the heavier "North/East/South/West" part of the square pattern or the more delicate diagonal components. I will start with the heavier aspects. Here is the result. You can change this from a square pattern to a horizontal one by simply adding another repeat of two of the smaller squares to any side of the original.

I returned to the design, this time concentrating on the slender lines that formed the diamond shapes inside the frames.

These designs made from the small corner squares have proven to be popular. For that reason, I am giving you some more of them to work with. In each case, the original square that was rotated is shown in its proper position and is emphasized by a black outline.

Suppose you are ready to enlarge a design but are not sure how to proceed.

Take a clean sheet of graph paper and mark its center both horizontally and vertically. Repeat your desired pattern (diagram above) on top of the horizontal line, starting just to the left of the vertical line. Now repeat your pattern in reverse to the right of the vertical line. Turn the paper upside-down. Repeat what you just did below the horizontal line above the horizontal line now. Now you have a 4-way starting pattern.  Each colored square represents a stitch or a square of stitches in your pattern. Empty squares can be worked in white, black, beige, etc. Work the four parts of your design in the center of your canvas, then decide how you want to "grow" your finished pattern.

The samples I usually show on these posts are done on #7 plastic canvas. I recommend this for practice and to make pattern samples that are meant to be filed in a box for future reference. If you are working in tent stitch, this is the pattern square, with one stitch for each square of the pattern. It is also done on #7 canvas. These patterns are very versatile. If you do latch-hook, for example, you can use a pattern like this one by putting in a knot for each square of the pattern. This would work as both a four-way pattern, perhaps for a pillow, and an all-over one for a mat or rug. Beading and mosaics could also be done with such a pattern.

When working a multicolored pattern like this, I recommend using a separate needle for each color. This cuts down on the time spent in threading needles and decreases yarn waste. Secure each color often on the back of your canvas. Do not carry long strands of yarn across the back of your canvas while moving from one colored segment to the next.

This two-color pattern is suitable for an all-over design, but perhaps is not as good for a 4-way design.

A word of caution about colors. What I see on my screen in the office is not necessarily what J.D. sees on his screen in the workshop or what you will see on your device. And if you are printing something out, there are even more possible differences. Use your own color choices on any of these designs.

Before we leave the 12-square designs above, here are the three designs as I have expanded them to 16-square designs.

The first one is done in the same way I changed the smaller squares to 12-squares. I took more liberties with the second one, repeating some parts of the design and modifying others. Bear in mind that none of my designs are the only way to "grow" the designs. You need to find your own ways to do that to make designs that please you. I have taken even more liberties with the third design, repeating none of either the dark or light elements exactly as I expanded the design, while keeping the "feel' of the design.

Letter chart

There is another way to record graphed designs, and this one can be done in any color combination that you desire.  Instead of filling in colors on a design sample that you like, put in alphabet letters for each of the colors that you used.  You can then experiment with different color combinations and record alphabetically the ones you want to keep. This diagram will show you what I mean.

Each of the little squares in the design could represent a single stitch on canvas or even-weave fabric, a square of upright gobelin, a much larger square of fabric, or even a floor tile. Let's revisit one of those designs. Instead of taking one of the little squares as the basis of our design, this time let's consider the entire three-inch square as a single, repeatable part of our design. I chose to make this design in analogous colors (colors next to each other on the color wheel) because I wanted to make some points about color combinations. Analogous colors reflect wavelengths of colored light that are closely related Since these colors are closely related, we are pretty well assured of a pleasant design. I chose blue-green, blue, and blue-violet for my color combination, but you need not use those colors if you want to try others. For a trio of warm. bright colors, you might choose red-orange/ orange/ yellow-orange (the exact opposite of the three I chose), for example.

Notice that I have used one light color, one medium color, and one dark color (a tint, a tone, and a shade) in each design. I do this to make it easier to place each color when I begin "growing" the design. Each color is in the same set of squares on all three versions of the design; only the intensity of the colors changes. As you can see, which color is emphasized most does alter the design — a fact you will need to consider not only when "growing" your design, but also before choosing the yarns, fabrics, paints or other materials for your final project. Changing the positions of the colors as well as the intensity will give you even more varied results. I "grew" all three of the blue-green/blue/blue-violet designs. Here are the expanded designs.

Annake at work

Somewhere in the midst of all this, J.D. slipped up behind me and snapped this picture of my worktable, with the designs in progress. (He says he wanted to show you how much work I do before I publish anything for my readers. I think he just wanted to show what a mess my worktable usually is!)

This design technique is called tiling. It is an ancient art form used originally for creating inlays and mosaics. It was used in Mediterranean civilizations long before those of the Greeks and Romans. The earliest known mosaics were made in Mesopotamia before 2,000 BC (BCE)  Just recently there was news of a remarkable mosaic discovered in the ancient city of Hippo.

Of course, I do a lot of preliminary work on the computer to save time.  One place where this comes in handy is in choosing the background color for a geometric center design.  What J.D. does is put up the center design on screen and then "flood" the background of the design with a variety of colors to see how they compare. J.D. did this electronically.  Here are the ones we liked best.

We often show pieces of finished work without showing the design patterns.   Here are three that are suitable for tiling in one or more of the ways we have discussed in this article.

So far we have worked with patterns based on small squares or rectangles because they are so easy to duplicate on standard graph paper. When we return to this topic in the future, we will discuss other base shapes like triangles and hexagons.

Have fun with your design experiments.

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