This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: [GWL]: Color

Nan Sterman wrote:

> I was asked a question today that I have asked myself many times...
> where is there a database of color descriptions?  I so often want ot
> describe a color but just can't seem to find the right descriptor.
> Anyone got any suggestions other than the pantone colors?

Nan,

You are asking one of the most difficult questions in the plant world.  The
standard for plant  and flower colors is the (expensive, printed) Royal
Horticultural Society Color Chart:

http://www.rhs.org.uk/about/mn_pubs_new_colour_chart.asp

Because there was so much disagreement over color names and such a wide
range of finely nuanced variations, the color names in the early editions of
this chart have been replaced with numerical values in the most recent
editions.

Richard Dufresne (the Salvia Man) has prepared a good summary of the issues
affecting color and the various systems at:

http://www.eclectasy.com/gallery_of_salvias/colchts1.htm

Over the past forty years I have studied and taught various courses on color
(in fine art, garden design, flower arrangement, interior decoration, stage
and garden lighting, etc.).

Depending upon what kind of color descriptions you wish to employ (literary
or poetic, psychological, exact scientific description, decoration, etc.)
you will use different color vocabularies, which all suffer from
inexactitude because of the difficulty of translating a visual and
psychological sensation into words.  Personally, after exploring all these
systems and vocabularies, I find that using a basic 18-color wheel,
consisting of 3 primary colors (red, blue, yellow), three secondary colors
(violet, green, orange), and two tertiary colors between each primary and
secondary (orange-red, red-orange, yellow-orange, orange-yellow,
yellow-green, green-yellow, blue-green, green-blue, violet-blue,
blue-violet, red-violet, violet-red)--each further graduated inward through
various shades to black and outward through various tints to white, is still
the most direct and precise method.

I cannot overemphasize the complexity of this subject.  Exploration of the
following site will give you some idea of the range of topics that arise
with regard to color:

http://www.colormatters.com/

There are a very large number of sites devoted to color on the web--most
devoted to color in web design, which are largely technical and I doubt they
will interest you.  However, a general, basic site that I find particularly
well organized is:

http://library.thinkquest.org/50065/

particularly, the site map at:

http://library.thinkquest.org/50065/sitemap.html

with numerous paths you can follow to find particular aspects of color that
interest you.

I would recommend some books that have good introductions to color theory,
but you have previously related your difficulties with libraries and print
sources, so I shall refrain from adding a bibliogaraphy until asked to
provide one.

John MacGregor
jonivy@earthlink.net

 

============================================================
Proflowers -  Get a FREE glass vase ($9.99 value!)
when you send one dozen Autumn Roses for just $29.99!
We ship direct from the grower. Save 30-55% off retail
prices.
http://click.topica.com/caaaegYbUrGSSbVSZwBf/Proflowers
============================================================

Pass the word to garden writers, editors publishers, horticultural businesses about our list.

==^================================================================
This email was sent to: topica.com@spamfodder.com

EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bUrGSS.bVSZwB
Or send an email to: Gardenwriters-unsubscribe@topica.com

T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail!
http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register
==^================================================================
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index