Purple, with its many hues, can entice and intrigue,
pacify or excite. Set a halcyon mood with a bouquet
of lilacs and orchids. Tease the palette with rich wines
and an array of plums. Here we provide you with
some of the subtler violet varieties for a serene scene.
Perhaps a bit ironic, but our featured illustrator
this issue finds inspiration in popular culture, hiphop,
graffiti, comics, films and fashion. Not what
you’d initially envision when picturing a clear, quiet
composition. Yet Max Gregor achieves just that in his
illustration of a feminine portrait.
“My mother studied Cherveul, a color theorist
who inspired a number of the impressionists,”
explains Gregor. “From the age of 12, I had the
principles of color harmony drilled into me. When I
work, it’s purely a visual reasoning I use in my choice
of color. I see a good color scheme as payment for
the viewer taking the time to look at my work.”
“I don’t use many pigments in my work, three
or four at the most. I hold tone and saturation as
the more important tools,” says Gregor. At times
his work is organized with a definite plan: “I’ll do a
series of roughs and collect photo references.” And
yet, he says, “Others are of the moment and evolve
organically.” He doesn’t believe there is one best way
of working, “it’s just down to what suits the image.”
Gregor recommends using Corel Painter 10 for
its range of mark-making tools. He says, “You can
create a looseness in your image that you just can’t do
with vectors.” He also works in Photoshop: “It has a
few tricks that Corel doesn’t yet possess.”
Slender lines
So the legend goes
Harmonious hues
Lavender landscapes
