Chromastick Exposure Tuning

The key feature of the tool is the ability to adjust the plane of the blade according to its illumination.

Throughout history, artists sought to match color directly, but they invariably encountered a fundamental problem: the mismatch between the illumination of the paint and that of the subject. Without synchronizing them, paintings created through direct comparison turned out either very dark or very light, and this way of working lost its purpose.

Exposure tuning solves this problem. Adjusting the angle of the plane according to the amount of light falling on it makes it possible to synchronize the illumination of the paint with that of the subject, even when they are under different lighting conditions.

Artists rarely work under ideal lighting conditions, such as a consistently overcast day when painting en plein air in a field, where the illumination of the paint and the subject is practically identical. Far more often, they work under conditions in which the illumination of the workspace and the subject differs significantly.

For example, an artist is painting a still life. The artist works near the studio window, while the still life is positioned a little farther away. As is well known, illumination decreases not simply with distance, but with the square of the distance. This means that if you move twice as far away from the light source, the illumination decreases fourfold. If you move three times as far away, it decreases ninefold. Therefore, even a small difference in distance can produce a large difference in illumination.

If this difference in illumination is not compensated for, the artist will automatically transfer it into the painting when making direct comparisons. If the finished painting is brought next to the subject, it will appear much darker than the original.

Conversely, if the subject is more strongly illuminated than the artist’s workspace, for example by a bright lamp, the paint will appear darker than the subject. If this difference is not compensated for, the artist will be forced to lighten all the paint mixtures during comparison, and the finished painting will be too light and excessively whitened.

Adjusting the tool allows the artist to synchronize the illumination of the paint and the subject, even when they are under different lighting conditions.

Before beginning work, bring pure white paint on the Chromastick next to the lightest area of the subject. A piece of paper can be placed next to the subject. Then, by turning the tool’s blade toward or away from the light source, adjust the brightness of the white paint to approximately match the value of this lightest area.
Setting by white effectively works like manual exposure setting in photography, affecting the overall tonality of the entire painting.

The stronger the side lighting, the more the apparent lightness of the paint depends on the position of the blade. Even a slight rotation can significantly change the apparent color of the sample.

By rotating the brass sleeve, the plane of the blade can be precisely fixed at a specific angle to the light source, for example, a window, thereby adjusting the apparent lightness of the sample.

The tool’s brass sleeve has an internal thread and fits tightly enough on the handle to prevent this setting from shifting during the session. However, it is important to remember to hold the tool during each comparison with the reference mark on the sleeve facing the artist.

After the adjustment, the artist can begin working immediately: mix the required color on the palette and compare it directly with the color sample. If necessary, the color is adjusted to the desired degree of similarity or, using the color of the object as a reference, modified according to the task.

With this adjustment, the artist can consciously control the overall tonality of the painting or of its individual areas.

By controlling the angle of the blade, we can artificially “add” or “reduce” the light on the paint, thereby synchronizing it with the illumination of the subject.

This adjustment radically affects the final result of the painting. A simple inverse relationship applies here:

If we turn the plane with the paint sample toward the light, the paint on it becomes brighter. To match the subject visually during direct comparison, we will have to mix darker paint so that it matches the color of the subject. As a result, when working with the plane adjusted in this way, the entire painting will shift toward darker values.

If we turn the plane away from the light, the paint on it becomes darker. To match the subject, we will have to mix lighter paint. With this adjustment, the entire painting will be lighter.

A simple inverse relationship applies here:
More light on the tool — a darker painting.
Less light on the tool — a lighter painting.
This is clearly demonstrated in this excerpt from the video.

It is important to note that if the artist’s workspace is less illuminated than the subject being painted, direct comparison will not make it possible to match the color accurately. There will not be enough light on the tool, and the paint will appear darker than it should during comparison.

There must be as much light on the blade as there is on the subject, or more. The artist’s workspace itself and the painting can remain in shadow.

This technique can be adjusted even within a single painting. It is especially appropriate when painting en plein air. Objects in nature are three-dimensional, and if we match the shadow areas literally, the painting may turn out dark.

When working with shadows, the amount of light on the tool should be reduced by turning it toward the shadow. As a result, you will automatically have to lighten the shadow colors somewhat when matching them.
The same applies to areas of the subject that are too light. When working with such areas, the blade can be adjusted as far toward the light as possible, and during comparison you will automatically have to darken the paint slightly.

This approach makes it possible to keep the midtones consistent with the subject while avoiding excessive blackness and loss of detail in the shadows, as well as overexposure in the light areas. (More about dynamic exposure tuning here)

Thus, the tool must be adjusted stably to the particular situation, and this is fundamentally important. The constant vertical orientation and the fixed angle of the tool’s blade relative to the light source ensure systematic comparisons and create identical conditions for each of them throughout the entire session, making it possible to achieve a high degree of accuracy when working with color.

Before starting work, the tool needs to be synchronized with the subject. This adjustment gives the artist an important choice: they can consciously decide whether the entire painting will be dark or light.

By adjusting the white paint to match a white area of the subject, for example a piece of white paper, the artist sets the upper point of the painting’s tonal scale. White in the subject becomes white in the painting, and all the other tones are then established relative to this point.
Need to make the painting lighter — darken the blade.
Need it darker — lighten the blade.

In practice, I recommend setting the white paint slightly lighter than the white in the subject. With this setting, the light areas can be painted not with pure white, but with livelier mixtures in which the hue remains distinguishable.

Once the tool has been adjusted, you can begin working — the color can be compared literally and directly. The range of our paints is sufficient to match all the colors of the subject (there are exceptions with highlights and very deep shadows, but these can be handled by lowering or raising the tonality of those areas. More about dynamic adjustment here).

It is important to note that if the artist’s working area is less brightly lit than the subject, direct comparisons will not allow accurate work with tone. There will not be enough light on the surface of the tool, and during comparison the paint will appear darker than necessary. The same applies when working under backlighting.
There must be as much light in the working area as on the subject, or more.

Working in sunny weather presents a fairly difficult task for the artist. This is due to the enormous tonal range created by sunlight.

Our world is three-dimensional, and light is distributed extremely unevenly across three-dimensional objects: one side may be dazzlingly illuminated by sunlight, while the other is immersed in deep shadow.

The tonal difference between the brightest planes of objects facing the sun and the deepest shadows in sheltered areas can easily reach ratios of 1000:1 or more. This creates an enormous tonal range that our painting, being a flat, two-dimensional surface, simply cannot reproduce. Unlike a three-dimensional tree or bush, it has no relief and therefore cannot simultaneously have areas brightly illuminated by the sun and areas immersed in deep shadow.

However, by adjusting the tool’s orientation relative to the light source, we can significantly expand the tonal range of the paints so that they correspond more closely to the subject during comparison. Instead of a fixed setting, we have to use a dynamic setting that changes as we work.

To do this, the illumination of the tool needs to be adjusted to the illumination of the specific area of the subject. The blade is rotated until the paint sample on it comes close in tone to the area being compared.

To match the color of shadows, we reduce the illumination on the blade as much as possible. Under these conditions, the paints on the tool will appear significantly darker. This produces the effect we need: in order to match the shadows in the subject, the artist will automatically have to make the paint on the palette lighter, which helps avoid creating dull, “black holes” in the shadows.

When comparing with the lightest areas of the subject, we turn the plane of the tool’s blade with the paint as fully toward the light as possible.

The color and saturation of the midtones are found somewhere between these two extremes.
The lighter the object we are painting, the more light should fall on the blade. And vice versa.

In practice, the procedure is as follows: the artist mixes an approximate tone and approximate color for the chosen area on the palette. Then the paint is brought up to the subject on the blade, and the plane is rotated to find an illumination at which the sample falls into place tonally in the required area. At that point, the color and saturation can be compared and adjusted to the required values.

It is important to emphasize that in plein-air work, the direct comparison method remains a compromise. Dynamic adjustment makes it possible to compare color and saturation accurately, while the tonality of each area is established by the classical method of relationships on the palette and then refined in the painting.
(More about dynamic adjustment here)

When painting outdoors, it is important to take the character of the lighting into account.

When we paint en plein air during periods of strongly colored light, in the morning, in the evening, at sunset, or even in the shade of greenery, everything takes on a common hue. Most often, it is warm: yellow-gold, orange, or amber.

This light falls on both the landscape and the paint, whether it is on the palette or on the tool’s blade. As a result, the eye is no longer comparing the actual colors, but colors illuminated by this dominant tone.
For example, in the light of the setting sun, a white wall appears yellow, and we mix paint that “matches” it. But at that moment, both the wall and the paint are flooded with the same warm light. When we later look at the study under ordinary daylight, everything appears dull and gray, without that same golden atmosphere. The study has to be corrected.

This effect occurs not only when using the direct comparison method. The same thing happens when painting in the usual way, “by eye.” This is not a flaw in the method, but a general property of a colored environment: it deceives both the eye and the paint at the same time.
Experienced artists are aware of this trap. Under such conditions, they deliberately intensify the dominant hue.

Conclusion: under strongly colored lighting, its dominant hue must be consciously intensified in order to preserve the overall color effect under neutral lighting. This applies to every method of working, both direct comparison and ordinary painting “by eye.” Simply put: if you see yellow, intensify the yellow. If you see pink, add even more warmth. This is the only way to preserve the impression of light when the painting is placed in a neutral environment.
More about this effect in this video

When painting en plein air on a cloudy or overcast day, we should choose a well-lit place for the workspace. There must be no shortage of light. It is important for the space behind or to the side to be open to the sky. When choosing a place to paint, it is useful to carry a piece of white paper to find a location where the light on the paper is sufficient in comparison with the lightest areas of the subject.

As when working in sunlight, the illumination of the tool must be adjusted to the brightness of the particular area being compared.
To paint the lightest areas, turn the plane of the tool as far toward the light as possible. In this case, we can easily match all tonalities with our paints, except for a white sky or certain bright highlights.
Since paint cannot compete with objects of this kind, the brightest areas of nature will have to be painted one or two tonal steps darker, which is natural in sound painting practice.

To paint the shadow areas, reduce the illumination of the plane of the blade as much as possible, that is, turn it into the shadow. This prevents the shadow areas in the painting from becoming too black.

The color and saturation of the midtones are found within the middle range.

When working in bright plein-air light, it is useful to keep in mind from the outset how the study will look at home, where the light is much weaker. This applies above all to the shadows.

It is useful to make the shadows in the study lighter and at the same time give them more color. Outdoors, shadows may appear fairly light and saturated, but under the weaker lighting of the studio these same colors will become significantly darker and more muted. Therefore, literally copying the shadows often results in gray, heavy areas in the study in which the color is lost. On plein air, it is better to make the shadows noticeably lighter and more colorful from the start than they appear in the subject.

Midtones are usually rendered most naturally. Both hue and saturation are clearly visible in them, so in realistic painting they can most often be taken close to the subject in saturation, unless there is a specific reason to intensify the color.

The lightest areas can be painted as they are, but it is important not to reduce them to whitish mixtures and, whenever possible, to preserve and even slightly emphasize their color.

In sunny weather, all of this becomes especially important. The stronger the contrast in the subject, the more carefully the artist has to watch the shadows above all, preventing them from losing color and sinking into blackness. And this is not a peculiarity of the direct comparison method, but a general problem of plein-air painting: what looks bright and convincing in strong outdoor light may appear too dark and muted indoors.

An important point: it is better not to bring the Chromastick directly up to a very bright area of the subject during comparison, for example, a brightly glowing cloud in the sky. Backlighting can overwhelm the sample. It is better to compare the color of such objects beside them rather than directly against them. Alternatively, the other hand can be used as a darkening background. This technique works well both when painting from life and when working from a computer screen.

And one more thing: if the subject is extremely high-contrast or is backlit, there is a tried-and-tested solution. You can photograph the scene you like and continue working from the photograph in the studio.

In a photograph or on a screen, the tonal range of the scene is compressed to the range available to our paints, so direct comparisons become possible again.

When working from a tablet, phone, or computer screen, it is important to disable the device’s automatic brightness and any other settings that automatically change the color of the screen. The screen brightness should also be adjusted so that pure white in the image is no brighter than the white paint placed on the Chromastick.

When working from a screen, it is important for the lighting in the room to remain reasonably stable. The screen maintains a constant brightness when automatic brightness is disabled, whereas the paint sample responds to changes in the room’s lighting and changes its tonality. As a result, changes in lighting can cause discrepancies during color matching.

The white of the screen may have a bluish cast. This is not important, but it must not be brighter than our white paint. In this case, our paints can easily cover the entire tonal range of the image. The tool accurately captures not only color and saturation, but also tone, since the range of oil paints fits within the tonal range of the image on the screen.

Here too, however, it is important to remember that comparisons with the brightest areas of the image are better made beside them rather than directly against them. This prevents the sample from being darkened by the backlighting from the screen.

One of the most useful features of the tool is the ability to match colors from the palette accurately. For example, when we are painting from imagination or finishing a work.

Matching paints from the palette is also useful when working from life. This applies when the main relationships of the subject have already been transferred to the canvas and we simply want to refine the painting within the relationships already established.

In all these cases, the tool needs to be adjusted for working with the plane of the painting. If your canvas is not positioned strictly vertically on the easel, as is most often the case, the Chromastick needs to be readjusted.

For example, the canvas on the easel or pochade box may be tilted and receive a large amount of overhead light on its surface. We need to equalize the amount of light falling on the painting and on the vertical plane of the tool.

To do this, apply any color of paint to the canvas and, by turning the blade with the same paint toward the light source or away from it, adjust the tonality until the two colors are as close as possible in perceived lightness.

After that, you will be able to judge with high accuracy how a color mixed on the palette will look on the surface of the painting.

This very important feature of the tool allows the artist to understand immediately whether the paint needs further adjustment and to determine which area of the painting it is best suited to.

With this way of working, the Chromastick makes it possible to compare paint mixed on the palette accurately with areas of the painting that have already been painted.

This makes it possible not only to find the required color, but also to see immediately how it will work in the context of the entire composition or of a particular area.

As a result, the artist no longer needs to test the paint constantly on the canvas itself, which can lead to the accumulation of unnecessary layers, “mud,” and a loss of freshness in the brushstrokes.

This makes it possible to achieve an accurate match with the area of the painting and also to understand which other part of the painting this color might suit. The tool helps solve the problem of harmoniously “integrating” new strokes into the overall color structure of the painting while avoiding accidental mistakes.

This is precisely how bolder solutions can be found. The Chromastick removes uncertainty: before applying a stroke, you can already see it “in action.” If the color resonates, it works. If not, it remains on the palette.
The tool allows the artist to work with color thoughtfully and search for the most resonant color solutions.

Another advantage of this method is the ability to find a use even for the most unexpected or seemingly unnecessary colors on the palette.
Sometimes, after mixing paints, colors remain that seem inappropriate or muddy on their own. But when compared directly, it may unexpectedly turn out that precisely such a color is perfectly suited to a particular area of the painting.
Thus, this method helps not only to use paint more economically, but also to make the painting more complex and richer in color nuances.

If you are working from a printed photograph, everything is straightforward: place the reference close to the canvas and perpendicular to your line of sight. Matching color from a printed photograph is as simple as possible. Color, saturation, and tone can be matched quite accurately when necessary.

The tool can be adjusted as needed. If the photograph or the work you are copying is, for example, too light, you can increase the illumination of the tool by turning the blade toward the light. This will produce the required result: your painting will be in darker tones.

Colors in a photograph are often less saturated or, conversely, excessively bright because of the way the camera works and the effects of post-processing. Photographs are usually very high in contrast: the camera may “blow out” the light areas and “crush” the shadows, causing detail to be lost.

These limitations often call for a creative transformation of the photograph. This is precisely where the direct comparison method can become an indispensable aid, allowing the artist to work with color thoughtfully.
For example, the dead shadows often found in photographs can be enriched by adding complex reflected colors, while the flat, whitened areas caused by overexposure can be given greater definition and color density. It is precisely these kinds of changes that can transform a flat, banal photograph into a painting.
An example of such a “transformation” can be seen in this video.

Copying other works is equally straightforward. When the character of the lighting in the studio changes, everything changes together: the illumination of our workspace, the photograph, the palette, the still-life setup, our painting, or the photo. Even if artificial lighting is switched on, nothing needs to be changed: everything will remain connected by the same color cast and amount of light.

During the learning stage, copying the works of masters is one of the traditional and useful practices. Direct comparison works very well for this purpose.

This method can also be used effectively when working with a so-called “color donor”: when the artist uses the color scheme of one work to create another.
In this case, a photograph or sketch serves as the basis for the drawing and composition, while the color solution is borrowed from another source, for example, from the work of a recognized master or a classical painting.

This approach is especially useful for learning because it allows the artist to work with proven, harmonious color solutions.
By applying the direct comparison method in this kind of work, the student can accurately identify and transfer color relationships from the donor work, analyze how the master solved similar problems of lighting and overall color, and study the principles of color harmonization in successful works.

This approach is especially useful for learning because it allows the artist to work with proven, harmonious color solutions. The method helps avoid typical mistakes in color matching and makes it possible to create convincing color solutions even without extensive experience in working with color.

It is important to remember, however, that using this method is not simple copying, but a creative reinterpretation of the material and color. The artist must thoughtfully adapt the borrowed color scheme to the particular features of their own composition.
This is a fairly difficult task for a beginner, but the result can be a completely new and independent work.

The artist’s own successful work can also be used as a “color donor.” Sound, successful color solutions can be further intensified, emphasized, and transferred to a new work with a different subject.

Working with color can be broadly divided into three approaches:
Precise transfer of the colors of the subject
Selective work with color: intensifying or weakening individual colors
Complete artistic transformation: creating the artist’s own palette
An important advantage of the direct comparison method is the ability to transform color creatively, making it more deliberate and artistic.

When an artist works in the traditional way on an ordinary palette, this is difficult to do. Colors are perceived in isolation, while simultaneous contrast, color constancy, and so on interfere. More details can be found in the article The Direct Comparison Method. This creates uncertainty: it is unclear how the paint will look on the canvas and whether it will fit into the painting.

The first strokes on the canvas do not provide any more clarity. Will they be painterly and harmonious? Surrounded by the white canvas, the colors also appear isolated and are difficult for an inexperienced artist to interpret.

Direct comparison removes this uncertainty. Even a beginning artist can immediately see in which direction to “nudge” a color to make it more artistic: make it brighter so that it becomes more resonant or, conversely, subdue it to emphasize what is most important. The uncertainty disappears, and the process becomes lively, conscious, and interactive.

When the paint is brought next to the subject, the artist can sense whether the color will fit into the painting, just as a musician intuitively recognizes the right note in a melody. Some colors sound natural, while others are completely out of place. This becomes obvious precisely at the moment of direct comparison. Such nuances cannot be felt on the palette, but through direct comparison an experienced artist can see whether a color will “work” or not.

Direct comparisons make it possible to sense intuitively which colors and hues will work in the painting. The tool helps test these decisions in real time without applying the paint to the canvas.

The tool will help the artist choose colors consciously and boldly, even when they do not correspond to the subject. Sometimes an unexpected color that might seem strange on its own works in the painting, giving it depth and expressiveness. This approach allows the artist not merely to copy the subject, but to work with color consciously and intuitively find color solutions that help make the painting lively and cohesive.

Conclusion.

The stability of the comparisons, together with the synchronization of the illumination of the paint and the subject, makes possible a method of working that differs from the traditional approach based on the approximate matching of color relationships.

However, it is important to emphasize that the purpose of the Chromastick is not limited to copying or achieving an exact color match. The color of the subject is a point of reference. Using it as a basis, the artist can consciously intensify, subdue, shift, simplify, or complicate colors according to their artistic intention. Such a modification of color becomes not an arbitrary departure from the subject, but a conscious decision grounded in the actual source color.

The Chromastick will be especially useful for beginning artists and those who study independently. At an early stage of learning, relying on the natural color helps to “train the eye” and prevents typical mistakes from becoming ingrained: excessive saturation, excessive use of white, muddiness, or persistent color-temperature imbalances. Color matching gradually changes from an intuitive and often arbitrary process into a conscious, controlled action. More details here.

The most important point: in learning, direct comparison is most fully realized as a tool for self-assessment, not as a method of mechanically matching color. The artist should first try to find the required color independently on the palette and only then compare it with the subject. The discrepancy may be unexpectedly large. At this point, it is important for the student not merely to correct the mixture, but to understand what the mistake was.

For a self-taught artist, this kind of self-assessment can, to some extent, replace the constant feedback of a teacher. The artist begins to analyze their typical mistakes and better understand the characteristics of their own color perception.

Every direct comparison is a small lesson during which the artist learns to see color objectively. This skill becomes embedded in memory, forming a rich, realistic palette. Over time, the artist begins to sense intuitively what the true color should look like, even without directly comparing it with the subject. By mastering the method of direct comparison, the artist will gain a strong foundation on which to build realistic and expressive works.