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Design Color Techniques for Landscape Design

Plant Selection Description/ Purpose:

Implementation Adding color to a landscape design makes a

plan come alive! It also communicates depth,
Maintenance texture and interest to a plan, and helps the
viewer to better visualize the finished
landscape. The following report reviews color
palettes, explains various media available to
the designer, and presents tips for improving
technique for using color in landscape
designs.

SULIS Home Design Considerations:

The best method for adding color is to use a
simple color palette for each project and
emphasize only the essential elements within
the design, leaving details to the
imagination. Overuse of color may result in a
gaudy plan that is too busy and detracts from
the design itself. While surfaces in the
foreground need to be correctly rendered, in
the distance, these same materials will
appear only as values. Even highly textured
surfaces will appear white in bright sunlight.
An eraser can become the best tool in
eliminating extraneous details and adding Illustration by Gunda Luss
highlights.

Definitions of coloring terms:

Primary Colors Red (carmine), yellow and blue (phthalocyanine) from which all other
colors may be mixed.
Secondary Orange, green and purple, made by mixing adjacent primary colors on
Colors the color wheel.
Tertiary Colors Colors located between primary and secondary colors on the color wheel,
created by mixing any adjacent primary and secondary color.
Hue The clearest form of any color, without the addition of black, white or its
complement.
Chroma The intensity, strength or saturation of a color. The intensity of a hue can
be reduced by its complementary. For instance, the intensity of green can
be reduced by adding red -- the eventual result being a neutral gray.
Value The lightness or darkness of a color, E.g. light or dark blue.
Shade A color darkened by adding black.
Tint A color lightened by adding white.
Complementary Colors opposite each other on the color wheel. Mixing complementary
Color colors will produce gray.
Monochromatic A color scheme using values of only one color. Sepia (reddish-brown) is a
common choice in illustration.
Analogous A scheme using two or three adjacent colors on the color wheel.
Example: yellow, yellow-green, green or blue, purple, violet. This scheme
is equally useful in creating a simple palette for an illustration or a
garden design.
Warm colors Generally thought of as yellow, orange and red, which seem to advance
toward the viewer. However this distinction may also be made of blues
and greens. Example: ultramarine blue is 'warmer' than cobalt blue.
Willow green is 'warmer' than sage and Cadmium red is 'warmer' than
carmine.
Cool Colors Generally, blues, greens and violets, which appear to recede.

Sources: Architectural Drawing & Light Construction, Third edition by Edward J.

Muller, and Color in Architectural Illustration by Richard Rochon and Harold
Linton.
The Color Wheel:

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Figure 1: The Color Wheel

Relationships between colors are described by the color wheel. Used by artists of various
expertise, the color wheel introduces primary, secondary and tertiary colors as well as color
complements. The primary colors are red, blue and yellow, and cannot be created by mixing
other elements. Howevere, any two primary colors mixed together will yield a secondary color
- orange, green or purple. Tertiary colors are created by mixing a secondary color with a
primary color. For example, yellow-green is made by mixing the secondary color green with
the primary color, yellow.

Color Complements are color opposites and contract each other, creating a vibrant, active
color palette. They are located on opposite sides of the color wheel from each. An example of
a pair of complementary colors is purple and yellow.

Color Palettes:
Depending on time and design requirements the palette used may vary from monochrome to
complex. Outlined below in increasing levels of complexity are some options. The simplest
palette is monochromatic, that is, using tints of one color for the entire drawing. Sepia tone is
a classic example, although this may create a retrospective appearance.

Figure 2: Plan illustrated with sepia tone colors. Design and illustration by
Gunda Luss.
An analogous color palette uses colors adjacent on the color wheel.
Examples of analogous palettes: Figure 3:
Yellow, Yellow-green, Green Analogous color
Green, Blue-green, Blue palette
Blue, Purple, Violet
Yellow-orange, yellow, chartreuse

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Figure 4: A plan view using an analogous color pallete. (Design and illustration
by Gunda Luss)
A combination palette starts with an analogous palette and add a complementary color(s)
for more visual excitement. Some examples using Prismacolor markers as suggested by
McGarry and Madsen in Marker Magic are:

Lime green, Spring green Nile green, Malachite, Teal blue Fathom blue,
Dark green Fathom blue, Grape Grayed lavender, Hot pink

Non-photo blue, Light blue, True blue Cream, Warm gray 30%, Warm gray
Teal blue, Lime green, Flesh 60% + Non-photo blue, True blue

Figure 5: Combination color palette. Source: Marker Magic, pp. 80-81

Media
Although the following comments are by
individual media, These can be mixed. Pencils
work well with markers or pastels. Markers
and watercolor are relatively transparent
while pencil and pastel are not. Test the
desired effect on scrap paper first. In Step by
Step Process Including Tools & Equipment,
author Mike Lin has some of the best
technical suggestions. The following is a
summary of some Lin's key points plus added
observations:

Colored Pencil

Advantages:

user friendly
blends easily
easy to control
can create light or value changes
quickly.
wax based and thus do not reflect
light as well
resists moisture and fading.
fairly inexpensive

Disadvantages:

time-consuming to use because of the

fine point
a beginner may have difficulty Figure 6: Illustration using colored
creating smooth, even color. On pencils. (Illustration by Gunda Luss)
vellum, this effect is mitigated by
coloring on the backside of the sheet and by using a the colorless 'blender pencil'

For best strokes, color at a 45, forward or back depending on whether you are right or left

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handed.

Tips for coloring

1. Work from top to bottom;

2. Work from dark values to light;
3. Work from large areas to small;
4. Work from soft elements to hard;
5. Color trees before buildings to avoid a hard edge;
6. Draw repetitive items serially for maximum consistency;
7. Work from coarse to fine.

Source: AIA Architectural Illustration by Paul Stevenson Oles

According to Paul Stevenson Oles, the following colors comprise a good basic palette (listed in
order of importance):
1. Burnt umber 9. White 18. Yellow ochre
2. Indigo blue 10. Sienna 19. Slate gray
3. Ultramarine 11. Dark brown 20. Warm gray light
4. Canary yellow 12. Sepia 21. Warm gray medium
5. Dark green 13. Raw Ochre 22. Apple green
6. Non-photo blue 14. Sand 23. Olive green
7. Scarlet 15. Flesh 24. Grass green
8. Black 16. Vermillion 25. Light green
17. Terra cotta

Note: Colors above are based on Prismacolor product names.

A colorless blender 'pencil', which may be used to minimize undesired texture, is also
available under several different brand names. The blender works equally well on plain paper
and on vellum but it will not blend as thoroughly as the marker blender.

Markers
The large nib and free-flowing color of
markers make them the quickest way to add
some sparkle to a plan, elevation or photo
view. When using them on vellum, as with
pencil, it is best to apply to the back side of
the sheet. This produces a softer more even
tone and prevents the smearing of inked
lines.

There a number of marker brands but they all

have some limitations in a good selection of
green tones. Using a blender marker, that
has no color of its own, is a useful way to
increase the range of the markers available.
The blender does not have any effect on
marks made on plain paper. Use it only on
vellum and clean the tip on scrap paper
between colors.

In rendering a 'photo' view it is best to have

three tones in rendering foliage: the base
color, the highlight and the shadow. It is
possible to effectively render an object with
the base color, a blender for highlights and a Figure 7: Using markers for a pond
dark gray for shadows. illustration. (Illustration by Gunda Luss)

Figure 8: Pencil illustration showing 3 shades of green (left) compared to green,

dark gray, and using a blender. (Illustration by Gunda Luss)
Ink- Dyes

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Most often used for separate illustrations on illustration board, this technique could also be
done on a small piece of watercolor paper and 'cut into' a vellum sheet for a photo view. Inks
and dyes produce a brilliant color but are not light-fast and will fade so, not good if you plan
to keep it for years. Use the watercolor technique and materials noted below.

Water Color
Using watercolors to illustrate a design
requires a bit of practice and the largest
up-front expenditure of time and money.
Good brushes are expensive as is good
paper; however, it is worthwhile to use good
tools because it makes the job easier. Better
paper, such as Strathmore or Arches is
much more forgiving and will take more
working over than cheaper kinds. Watercolor
paper needs to be 'sized' before use. This
means taping the edges to a board with
masking tape and wetting the entire surface
with water. Let it dry and then proceed. Draw
the view lightly in pencil, put in the color
washes next and finally add the detail with
your favorite ink pen or marker.

To inset a photo view, done on watercolor

paper, into a vellum sheet, cut both at the
same time with a sharp Xacto blade and
metal straight edge to get a perfect
alignment. Tape in place from the back.

Figure 9: Example of using watercolors

to illustrate a landscape design.
(Illustration by Gunda Luss)

Pastel
This medium is harder to control than other media but offers clear brilliant color. It can be
used to create an impressionistic 'photo view' or used to add color where you would normally
use a marker. Apply the color on the back side of a drawing on vellum by shaving off a small
amount and rubbing with a finger. Spray illustrations with a fixative to prevent smearing.

Other useful techniques

Transferring
Tracing
Carbon paper
Use a fine point pencil or a ballpoint pen with or without ink as a stylus. Attach the top
edges securely to keep in register and to allow for peek at the progress. Or make your
own by blackening the back the back of your rough drawing with a soft black pencil.

Edgers: It is hard to control the length of a stroke. If it necessary to have a clean edge
in the illustration or around the edges, the following items may be helpful: Drafting
(not masking) tape, a simple card, an eraser shield, a triangle, a clear scale or a ruler.

Negative pencil. An electric eraser can be a handy tool for removing pencil marks from
larger areas, but if a white line is needed to indicate mullions, flagpoles, masts, or
cables against a dark background, a useful method is scoring. On thin paper a resilient
underlay may be necessary to prevent buckling. The stylus may be a leather tool or an
empty ballpoint pen. Simply draw wherever the white lines are needed. Then carefully
stroke across the surface - the indented lines will remain white.

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Figure 10: Example of using a stylus to 'draw' white lines and illustrate hard
features such as walls and patios. (Illustration by Gunda Luss)

References:

Albers, Josef, Interaction of Color, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1971

Lin, Mike, Drawing and Design with Confidence. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York, 1993

McGarry-Madsen, Magic Marker, The Rendering Problem Solver for Designers. John Wiley &
Sons, Inc., New York, 1993

Muller, Edward J. Architectural Drawing & Light Construction, Third edition. Prentice Hall, NJ,
1985

Oles, Paul Stevenson Oles, AIA Architectural Illustration, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company,
New York, 1979

Rochon, Richard and Linton, Harold, Color in Architectural Illustration, Van Nostrand Reinhold
Company, New York, 1989

Paul Stevenson, Drawing the Future, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York, 1988

Shen, Janet and Walker, Theodore D., Sketching and Rendering, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New
York, 1992

This report was developed by Gunda Luss, student, University of Minnesota Department of
Horticultural Science.

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