What Are Opaque Colors?
- To fully understand what opaque colors mean, you must know the definition of opaque.
According to dictionary.com, opaque means "not transparent or translucent; impenetrable to light; not allowing light to pass through." It can also mean "not shining or bright; dark; dull." - In art, an opaque color generally means a color that does not let any other color show through.
In the art field, you are likely to hear about a color's opacity or transparency. If it has 100 percent opacity, it means nothing will show through. If the opacity is 75 percent, it indicates that the color is mostly opaque, but does let some background through. If opacity is 50 percent, then that means transparency is also 50 percent.
Transparency is the opposite of opacity. In watercolor, one of the most transparent (and therefore least opaque) colors is cadmium yellow. If painted over another color, you will always see the other color and sometimes not see the yellow at all. - Do you know the opacity of your colors?Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
A good way to determine a color's opacity in any art medium is to make a straight line on a piece of thick white paper with black waterproof India ink. Let the ink line dry. Now, paint or draw swatches of color over the line like hatches. Once the colors dry, opacity can be determined. If you cannot see the black line below, the color is fully opaque. If you can only see the black line and not the color, the color is fully transparent. Most colors will fall somewhere in the middle. - If you plan to paint blue over yellow to get green and your blue is opaque, the yellow will not be able to show through enough to create green. In watercolor, a more opaque blue will make a sky look dull and heavy. A less opaque bluelike cobalt will let the white of the paper show through and create a light, airy feel.
- Are your clothes opaque or transparent?Martin Poole/Lifesize/Getty Images
In fashion, opaque colors can mean one of two things. Either colors that are dark and dull or colors that do not allow light to pass through. Black is typically an opaque color, but if the fabric is very thin, it will still allow light to pass through.
An opaque yellow shirt or a transparent yellow shirt may differ simply based on the fabric composition. A good indication of opacity in clothing is holding up the fabric in direct sunlight with your hand inside. If your hand can be easily seen through the fabric, it is not opaque. Closely-knit wool sweaters tend to be very opaque, no matter what the color is. Thin cotton shirts tend to be more transparent.
