Opaque
Plural: Opaques
Opaque definition
An opaque pigment is a pigment that blocks light instead of allowing it to pass through. When mixed into paint, it tends to cover the surface underneath and create a solid, dense color.
- In the context of pigments and paints, opaque describes a pigment’s ability to prevent light from passing through the paint layer. Opaque pigments scatter and absorb light strongly, hiding the underlying layers, colors, or surface.
The opacity of a pigment depends on several factors, including:
- Particle size: larger or more strongly scattering particles often increase opacity.
- Refractive index: pigments with a greater difference between their refractive index and the binder scatter more light.
- Concentration: a thicker or more concentrated application usually increases opacity.
- Layer thickness: even a semi-transparent pigment can appear more opaque when applied in a thick layer.
Opaque pigments are commonly used when artists want strong coverage, solid shapes, and the ability to paint over previous layers without them showing through.
They are the opposite of transparent pigments, which allow light to pass through the paint film and interact with the layers beneath, creating effects such as glazing and optical depth.
Examples
Context
In painting, opacity and transparency are important properties that affect how colors behave when layered and mixed. Artists choose opaque pigments for direct painting, strong contrasts, and covering mistakes, while transparent pigments are preferred for glazing, luminous effects, and creating visual depth.
Opacity does not indicate the quality of a pigment. A transparent pigment can be extremely valuable because of its brilliance and mixing properties, while an opaque pigment can be essential for controlling form, value, and structure.
Core Principles
- Opaque pigments hide what is underneath; transparent pigments reveal and interact with underlying layers.
- Opacity affects layering: opaque colors are ideal for covering, while transparent colors are ideal for glazing.
- Opacity is different from saturation: a pigment can be highly saturated but transparent, or dull but opaque.
- Both opaque and transparent pigments are essential for controlling depth, light, and visual effects in painting.
Derivation
The word opaque comes from the Latin opacus, meaning “shaded,” “dark,” or “not transparent.” In art terminology, it refers to materials that do not allow light to pass through them.