Colors and values will look completely different when put into relation of other colors and values. It’s like timeless optical illusion with shadows (below). Not only can value change, but the color is affected too. At the core, color is just a change in temperature. Cool and warm. What seems like a warm color, may change cool against an even warmer color.
Watching countless videos and lectures on painting with light has been extremely pivotal to the painting process. There is so much to learn and practice, but the relation of value and color is one of the most important to always keep in your mind during the process.
There really is no secret to painting. It is just tools and skill that can be learned. Painting really is just the magic of visual illusions. Value and temperature.
The grey on a mid tone grey background. My palette has a grey backdrop to show true value and colors when mixing. But this value and color is changed when applied to my sky in the next image.
