15. 
cool 
used, 
never 
bold- 
It is the color with 
many of our spring 
Normal Blue 
Blue is classed as a restful, also as a receding, and a 
color. It is unobtrusive wherever 
especially in its lighter tones. We 
think of associating this color with 
ness or obtrusiveness. It is 
which nature paints many ot our 
flowers, as the bluebells, blue violets, 
bluets, larkspur, skull-cap, harebell, and 
many others that may be readily recalled. 
Nature, however, seldom uses color in its 
purity, and none of these flowers are good 
illustrations of normal blue, most of them having a violet hue. 
Light blue is so nearly allied to white that it is often added to white 
to increase its whiteness. Painters and decorators, and even laun- 
dresses make use of blue in this way. 
While light blue so much resembles white, dark blue has just the 
reverse effect, and approaches black more nearly than any other 
color, and in picture painting and decorating it is often used instead 
of black. 
Used in dress, the lighter tones of blue are suitable to most 
blondes, as it adds just a suggestion of warmth to the complexion; 
for the same reason it is not suited to brunettes, since their complex- 
ions already possess enough orange color. The cause of this, and 
general effects of this sort, will be better understood by referring to 
the observations made by Sir David Brewster, on the subject of accidental 
colors. He says, 'If we place a red wafer on a sheet of white paper 
and fix the eye upon the red spot, and then turn the eye to white 
paper, we shall see on it an image of that spot of a bluish green color. 
The reason of the bluish green image of the red being seen, 
Brewster shows to be that "the part of the retina occupied by the red 
image is strongly excited or deadened by its continued action, the 
sensibility to red light will therefore be diminished, and the deadened 
part will be insensible to the red rays which form part of the white 
light from the paper, and the paper will appear of that color which 
arises from all the rays in the white light, but the red, that is 
bluish green." 
The complementary color is always projected for a brief time upon 
the object at which we look after the eye has been fatigued with 
some other color ; consequently in the case of blue in dress, after 
looking at the blue color, its complementary color, orange, will be 
mingled with the color of the object looked at immediatelyafterward. 
To draw the Exercise. 
After the color has been studied, the square should be folded for 
its diagonals, mounted in place and drawn. 
Normal Violet 
This color varies but little from purple, being but slightly bluer in 
hue. In pigmentary colors it is produced 
by mixing red and blue. Scientifically it is 
the last of the six prismatic or normal colors. 
There are many familiar flowers that will 
recall this color and help to impress it, al- 
though it will be difficult to find any objects 
in nature that show it in its intensity. Of 
the flowers that may be mentioned are the 
violets, asters, morning-glories, irises, helio- 
tropes and lilacs, all of these, however, are 
modifications, either in tone or hue of the pure violet color. 
As our main purpose at present is to impress the exact color of vio- 
let, it will be helpful in this direction to keep the color before the 
pupils until the study of the next color is taken up. This may be 
done most easily by having a large tablet of the color, mounted upon 
white or gray paper, hung in a conspicuous place. This large tablet 
may be made by mounting four or more of the small tablets side by side. 
Violet is a color that is more easilymanaged in a combination than 
some of the other colors, and is often used in dress when subdued in 
tone or hue. 
The following combinations are considered allowable: 
Violet and green yellow, or yellow green. 
Violet and orange, orange yellow, or yellow. 
Violet and orange and green. 
Violet and gold, or gray. 
Violet also harmonizes with several other colors when more than 
two enter into the combination. Violet does not combine well with 
red or purple ; blue and violet also go badly together, without the 
presence of another color. 
Concerning the positive colors, Rood says: "When the colors are 
arranged according to the order in which they exhaust the nervous 
power of the eye, it is found that green leads the list; violet, blue vio- 
let, and blue follow; then comes red and orange, and last of all yel- 
low. This is also about the order in which we are able to enjoy (or 
tolerate) positive color in painting." 
To fold and draw the Square. 
After the color has been studied the square should be folded to 
form its diagonals and diameters; these should next be carefully 
studied as to position, and the relation they hold to one another; 
then the square should be mounted in place and drawn. 
I 
