loO ON COLOUR. Part I. 



ground than blue, red, or yellow. There is also a difference 

 in the effect of colours on a ground of a darker or a lighter 

 tone ; and while light blue and light yellow on a ground of 

 a deeper tone look better than dark blue or dark yellow 

 on a light blue and light yellow ground, a dark red pattern 

 has a rather better effect on a light red ground. 



But the darker colours often bear a different relationship to 

 their respective light grounds than to white. 



These are a few of the instances in which the proportion g 

 of colours may vary very greatly. Sometimes, again, when an 

 effect of warmth is required, a greater quantity of red may 

 be admitted than is generally considered its due proportion ; 

 in some cases more blue is required than usual, to produce 

 a cooler effect, to balance other colours, or for some other 

 reason ; and much will depend on the introduction or exclu- 

 sion of other hues. Thus, when very little yellow is used, 

 more red may be admitted, and where much yellow, and still 

 more when much orange is introduced, the proportion of red 

 to blue must be diminished. A great quantity of yellow com- 

 pared to other colours is always to be avoided. Allowances 

 are also to be made for the juxtaposition of other colours. 

 I have just said that when a red ground has a small quantity 

 of white upon it, the red looks heavy, as in the specimen of 

 the flag before given ; but when all the red is interlaced with 

 a white pattern the red looks lighter, and a yellow so inter- 

 laced, gives to the red a scarlet hue. The reason is, that in 

 the former case the red looks heavy by contrast with the 

 lighter colour ; in the latter it borrows from its companion, 

 and to the eye is combined with it. (See Sects. VI. VII.) 

 The same consideration should be extended to other colours 

 under similar conditions. I have also shown that colours 

 should be of the same tone or intensity in a composition, ex- 

 cept in cases where a lighter tone is introduced in addition 

 to the deeper one, in order to give it increased brilliancy or 



