*White is never white.*

In this video, I’m exploring how light and temperature can completely transform the way we see and paint a white subject.

Using a side-lit black and white cat, I’ll show you how a seemingly simple white chest can contain a surprising journey of warm yellows, oranges, purples and cool blues — even when the overall value remains relatively consistent.

We’ll look at:

• Why white reflects the colour of its surroundings and light source
• How side lighting creates dramatic warm-to-cool temperature shifts
• How to create form in black fur using temperature and value
• Why temperature can do the work when value stays relatively constant
• Using complementary colours to create beautiful neutrals
• How to keep your colour mixes consistent in value
• Why squinting and checking your reference in black and white can help
• The importance of interpreting what you see rather than painting what you think you see

The key lesson is simple: *forget what you know and really look at what the light is doing.*

If you enjoy learning about colour mixing, temperature, value and realistic animal painting, I hope you find this video useful.

Don’t forget to *like and subscribe* for more painting tutorials and insights into my painting process.

Find lessons, workshops and examples of my work at:

https://sarahhallidayart.com/collecti...

https://sarahhallidayart.com


Thank you for watching! 🎨