Capturing a Mood

Many times the most captivating characteristics about a subject is the feeling invoked in the viewer. For example, the energy of a bustling street scene or the serenity of a peaceful meadow can be captivating. So how do you translate the mood of the scene to the screen? In general, warm colors portray a sunny, upbeat mood, whereas cool colors seem more calm or mysterious. For example, a sunlit field of bright yellow flowers seems cheerful and invigorating, where is a quiet harbor blanketed in blue-gray fog appears serene and still.

In this rendering, of an unused roof deck, I wanted to create a mood of a hot summer day. The building owner wanted to convert the roof deck into a patio space. The concept was to convert a cold space into a warm space, which I accomplished by using color.

Here, is the same rendering, only using cool colors, to create a more mysterious mood. I created a night scene, but I changed the ambient light, and kept the warmth contrasts of the artificial lights.

So, as you can see, just by the use of color I can change the mood and invoke a whole different feeling.