Seeing MORE Color on Overcast Days

We had a strange experience here in Brisbane over the last week or so. Ex-cyclone Alfred hit our coastline. It was initially a category two tropical cyclone but was downgraded to a tropical low by the time it hit the mainland. In any case, a rare event for us. We spent a lot of time ... Read more The post Seeing MORE Color on Overcast Days appeared first on Draw Paint Academy.

Mar 20, 2025 - 13:30

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We had a strange experience here in Brisbane over the last week or so. Ex-cyclone Alfred hit our coastline. It was initially a category two tropical cyclone but was downgraded to a tropical low by the time it hit the mainland. In any case, a rare event for us.

We spent a lot of time cooped up inside, but I did fit in a few runs around the neighborhood during the aftermath. It was as you’d expect—wind, relentless rain, fallen trees, flooded roads, and no open sky in sight.

The sky may have been gray, but the rest of nature was bursting with color. It reminded me of a lesson learned from the late Richard Schmid many years ago: That we tend to see more color on overcast days, not less.

This goes against common sense. Surely less light equals less color, right? Not necessarily.

Most colors are at their strongest around the middle of the value range. As they get lighter and approach white, they get weaker in saturation. To see what I mean, take a saturated color like cadmium yellow and mix it with titanium white. It will get lighter in value but weaker in saturation.

On a bright, sunny day, there’s so much light that the colors tend to be tinted. But on an overcast day, the light is diffused by the clouds and is much softer. There is enough light to see everything clearly, but not so much that it makes all the colors appear tinted.

Relativity also comes into it. The colors of trees, grass, and flowers can really “pop” with the gray backdrop of an overcast sky.

There’s also something to be said for getting out there on overcast and dreary days (provided it’s safe to do so, of course). It always seems to spark my painting inspiration. Perhaps it has something to do with being exposed to the elements and really experiencing some of nature’s power.

Happy painting!

Dan Scott