It seems like there are 2 ways to consider color temperature. The first is how it affects a scheme on a psychological / symbolic level. You can develop a ‘cold’ and ‘warm’ schemes to create a psychological impact based on cultural archetypes of color associations. But this isn’t true color temperature. Rather it is the use of color association as it relates to psychological / symbolic experience with actual temperature based phenomenon, which happens to parallel the same qualities and terminology used to reference true color temperature. Fire is red / orange, and is hot, so the symbolic association is that red and yellow colors are ‘warm’. Ice is pure white and deep ice is blue, as is water and these are cold / freezing, so we call these colors ‘cold’ through phenomena association.

I think a ‘pure’ use of color temperature is much more a factor of the light source (by type) and the surrounding environments impact on that source. For example, as you discuss in the beginning of the video, it is the source of light and the impact of the environment that creates the ‘blue haze’ – the ‘cool’ effect. Full day sun is generally white light, and the molecular refraction that occurs to light as it passes through the atmosphere scatters blue light in particular to further create a ‘cool’ effect. Objects in the distance are seen through all this refracted light, and are diminished because our eyes are forced to absorb all the blue light in front, which appears to make the object darker.

What you are combining, I think, is color association semiotics with color temperature as a physical phenomenon.

A realistic use of color temperature takes into account the light source and the environment that affects it. For example sunset in a forest – you have heavily filtered light refracting a lot of red / yellow, but it is reflecting and sometimes passing through a lot of green, so you get a really interesting warm yellow green light source which should effect the way your model looks. Most people paint their figs with the standard sun halo – a 5600K to 7600K (full sun daylight) circle of light at about 70 degrees that completely surrounds the model.

A real trick for a painter would be to have a ‘cool’ scheme – say blue and purple, with some turquoise or white for contrast, as the color of the uniform / model, but it is light up by light that is warm – a red sun, or firelight… (I think Jennifer Haley is a master at this!) Of course this is pretty advanced technique, but it combines true color temperature with semiotic color association, and contrasts them. Of course you could combine a ‘cold’ / ‘cold’ look – a cold scheme lit by very cold blue white light (say artificial neon – or the light inside a craftworld). I would think this would lead to really pronounced shading / value changes, and also would be an example of where saturation would come into play as the ‘cold’ light naturally leached color from the ‘cold’ scheme.

Color association – Response based / psychological study
http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/index.html

Color Symbolism – Eastern and Western culture associations.
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/color2.htm

I am still learning a lot from your complimentary color shading techniques. I don’t think I would have ever thought to shade red with blue/grey, but it does look interesting. I like the effect. Its been a great series! Thanks very much.

Now go paint that Mumak (the one just behind you!), its dying for some paint!