You have a yummy ripe red pepper you want to paint, how do you convince the viewer that it is round? Or make that storming cloud billow? Or that boulder carry its mass? Or that nose to bend?

We painters work on a two-dimensional surface, yet many of us rally to the challenge of creating a sense of three-dimension on this flat surface.

What do we need to do to ‘sell’ this idea to the viewer? Line and iconic shapes – such as an apple or a daisy – play a role in creating a sense of dimension. That is the easy way out. And in my mind, not as effective.Let’s talk about the importance of color in creating form.

The apple will be used as our example. Since it is a well known shape and resides in our visual dictionaries, the line drawing immediately tells the viewer what it is, but does it convey form? Does it convey any emotion or character? Sometimes we think adding a cast shadow creates dimension, but as you see in the sketch, it still reads flat.

To add some juice to this apple, I want to entice the viewer to feel its dimension. How do I do this?

First, I must identify the light source and where it is coming from. I see too many paintings where the artist has not taken the time to really identify from which direction the light is coming. (Tip: If you don’t do this, the viewer is confused and confusion is not convincing.)

Why do I need to know this? Because I then know where the light side of my subject is and its subsequent shadow side. I also know that the light side of the subject is of a different value and intensity in color than the shadow side.

So how many colors do I need to make this apple feel round? I know that I need at least two colors as implied above, but is this enough? How often have you painted a tree trunk, a cheek or an abstract shape that you want to look three dimensional yet only used two colors? Are we painters lazy or in too much of a hurry or assume the viewer understands? Perhaps.

The key phrase in the beginning of this article is “convince the viewer.” Ask yourself, do you truly want to make your subject/shape to reach right out to the passerby? Then you need that third color to make the bridge between the light and dark sides. This bridge color is called a half-tone by some, others refer to it as the base color. If you want that sense of form to be convincing, then you must mix this bridge color. (Pastelists must grab 3 different sticks.)

Again, how many colors does it take to make your subject or shape three-dimensional? THREE.

A minimum of three different colors as per this sketch. (BTW, a highlight is not considered the third color.) Consequently, you need to make three different mixtures. The style of painting makes no difference, the three different colors => light, base and shadow <= are necessary. (Watercolorists can just add water to lighten your color, but it is important to be consciously aware that you are creating a different color.)

The image below articulates these three colors on our apple. Below are some examples applying this concept.

Notice how the leaves below bend because if my use of three or more colors (and even the dew drops). Whether your style is to blend your colors or not, implementing this concept creates more compelling images.  This is a cropped watercolor painting.

As you peruse art magazines or walk an art exhibition, take an extra moment to notice how an artist created a sense of form. Which subjects/shapes are more convincing and compelling to you? Why? How many different colors did it take for them to create that sense of three-dimension? Does it convey more emotion or interest?

Your Color Challenge=> Paint a round subject you know well following the suggestions above. Then paint it two more times, while pushing your color scheme. Go ahead and paint a background as well.

To learn more color tips, join me for my upcoming Free Color Webinar, Thursday, May 23rd. You may register here.

If you know others that may benefit from this information, please share it. Thank you.

Where to begin when creating moon landscape painting?

As I have learned, a moon painting needs a warm underpainting. Why? To help make is glow and to create depth in the painting. This does not initially make sense, but it seems to work for me.

To add to the variety to the underpainting, I vary the colors from a very warm yellows to a cool reds using diagonal brush strokes. Prior to this underpainting, the panel had been textured with 3 coats of gesso that I apply organically with a large palette knife. This texture is quite subtle and adds to the intrigue of the painting.

At this stage of the painting, you can see that I have designated the “window” in which I am going to place my moon scape. Abstract shapes and textures are added around this window. “Lunar Glow” will be included in my “Windows Within A Window,” series of paintings. Notice that by colors are analogous to maintain color harmony in the painting. They also seem to convey a Hawaii feeling.

The moon scape image was inspired by photographs I took during the middle of the night while on the island of Hawaii in March.

At this juncture of the painting process, I am letting the painting “talk” to me as I add more abstract shapes. I am pleasantly surprised how the initial orange underpainting is glowing. I want to make sure that I keep it. There is always a tendency to add more layers when in fact it is not necessary! I have to remind myself to keep my brush/palette knife out of that area.

The sky has been darkened with dark cool reds and warm purples. The Hawaii rocky shore is also being developed.

Note that I have not painted in the full moon until this later stage of the painting process.  I continue to add layers to the night sky trying to create that full moon glow.

A key is often included within my abstract fused with realism paintings. It’s a piece of intrigue as I like to ask the viewer questions with my paintings. Circular shapes have been added to the painting to echo the moon shape. Many of the textures are created by scraping across the painting surface very lightly with a palette knife; this is where the gesso texture really plays a role.

Color wise, I am careful to keep the colors related using an expanded color scheme of analogous colors. I have added a tad of bright blue in strategic spots to add a little bling and to keep your eye moving around the painting.

As I finish “Lunar Glow,” I apply additional thin layers of paint to calm some areas down while bringing out small ares of glowing color to add to the depth of the painting and to create unity throughout the picture plane. Certain shapes, such as the key, are not as obvious so that you ‘find’ it versus having it jump out at you.

Did I capture that sense of moon glow? Where does your imagination go while looking at this painting?

How can artists assist collectors and potential buyers in purchasing our paintings?

Art marketing gurus offer us many options about how to sell our work and, of course, several do work, but I want to help buyers with a more realistic visual tool. I want to inspire their imagination to envision one of my paintings in their home or office. I thought it would be intriguing to display my work in various interiors so that they could ‘see’ a painting on their wall. Some people call this putting your art ‘in situ.”

How was I going to do this in our digital world? In the ol’ days, people saw paintings on gallery walls and that made the visual transition easier. I wanted to create a separate page on my website similar to one I now have. View here to see my current in situ page.

My first attempts involved taking photographs of paintings in our home and friend’s homes. This seemed okay for awhile, but I found it unsatisfactory and I was not receiving the response I was hoping for from my website visitors.

To no avail, I had even asked owners of my paintings to take photographs of my paintings in their homes/offices.

Then I learned about Google Images while also improving my skills using PhotoShop Elements (version 5).

My process involves:

• Having a good digital image of my painting
• Finding an appropriate photograph of a home or office interior;
• Working with PhotoShop Elements (version 5) to marry the two together.

Once I have decided which painting I am going to insert into an interior, such as “Moon Window” below, I then head off to Google Images => http://images.google.com/.

*** News Update! *** Due to the comments posted on this blog, I am now going to use free or no cost photos that are designated as such. I wrongly assumed that the images I located on the above website were copyright free.  I have found photo sites that I can use without fear of copyright infringement, one is www.shutterstock.com, though you will need to create an account. Go to their miscellaneous category and then in their search box, start with the key word ~ interiors. ***

My next decision involves deciding which key words to use in locating the living/conference room I might like. Examples of key words I have used are:

• Photos of blue contemporary living room
• Photos of traditional green sitting room
• Photos of fireplace in contemporary red room
• and on and on……

More options pop up than you can begin to imagine. I look for photographs that are:

• Free, though you can purchase a photo for pennies (I never use a photo with a watermark);
• Straight on in perspective (You cannot skew your paintings in version 5 of Elements but you can in version 9);
• Have a minimal amount of clutter;
• Compatible with my painting’s colors;
• Have a large area on a wall in which to insert my painting;
• Have a size and resolution that is not fuzzy (for example a 1 inch wide image at 72dpi does not work well);

This is one of the interior photos that I chose with “Moon Window.”

I then download several photos of interiors into my “Room Folder” for that painting.

TIP: I tried organizing all of my in situ images into a  separate folder, but have learned that it is easier to keep the finished interior images in the same folder for that particular painting.

Then I download the room photo into PhotoShop.  Then begin playing with the image. Simultaneously, I have also downloaded the image of my painting into PhotoShop; this allows me to compare to two to make sure they are compatible.

TIP: Duplicate or copy it so that you have a clean copy.

TIP:  Use a relatively small file for your painting image, such as one that is about 300-500 pixels wide and a dpi of 125-225.  A large file gets too unmanageable and you end up creating a file that is way too large for web use.  It is critical that all artists learn how to downsize your images for your art marketing efforts. Here is another downsizing resource.

When you compare my final in situ image for “Moon Window,” you will notice that I erased distracting items from this interior scene, including that wall art at the end of the hall.

Once I have inserted my painting, I then create a sense of depth by putting an edge or frame around the painting. Being aware of the light source in the room, I then create a cast shadow.

Below is another example showing you the before and after room. As you might notice, I will take colors from my painting and brush them into small areas within the room. This helps to integrate all of the interior elements. Cropping is also something I do often.

This is the conference interior room that I chose for “Alice’s Key.”

Here is in my in situ image for “Alice’s Key.”

How long does this take for each painting? About 20-30 minutes. Currently, I am looking for someone to help me with this task.

I also use these images in an 8.5″ x 11″ portfolio to show. It is fascinating to see their wheels begin to turn as they imagine one of my paintings in their home or office.

What do you think of this idea? Are you ready to give it try? Let me know how is works for your art marketing. If you have done something similar to what I have explained, please share them with us.

It is a luscious spring day in Ireland. Before you is a stellar 180 degree panorama of rolling hills and vegetation. You are inspired to pull out your paints to capture this idyllic scene. You bring out the easel, get your canvas/paper secured, squeeze out your pigments and then the big question hits you, “What do I use to mix my greens?” Followed by a groan or “There are such subtle differences in the greens. Which colors do I use?“

Or let’s say you return to your studio having had a great time at the farmer’s market filling up your basket with fresh green peppers, cabbage, kale, green beans and lettuce. These nutritious and gleaming vegetables were hand picked specifically for a still life. Again, the question leaps up about which colors to use to mix your greens.

Do you dread mixing greens? Why do you think greens are so difficult to mix and convey accurately in painting?

In my “Paint with Color Confidence” online color classes, I love to teach how to mix greens. Why? Because students unlock a mental and technical block to mixing green. It is also fun for me to see light bulbs turn on with smiles as the green ‘problem’ disappears.

Where to begin? First, remove ALL of the tubes of green from your palette because you are going to be using a yellow and a blue to mix your greens.

Second, now pick out a very lemon yellow tube of paint. This could be cadmium yellow light or aureolin or hansa yellow or simply lemon yellow. It is important that it is the one yellow you have that appears almost greenish. The other way to determine the correct yellow is to NOT choose a yellow with any orange or red in it, such as cadmium yellow.

Third, for your blue, choose a blue with a lot of  green in it or a cool blue. This could be Prussian blue, pthalo blue or Winsor blue. You do NOT want to choose a blue with red in it, such as French ultramarine blue. Another characteristic of your green-blue, is that it must be of a dark value. Hence, cerulean blue would not be a good choice because it does not create a dark value.

Fourth action is to begin mixing the yellow and blue in various ratios. In other words, add a little blue to a larger quantity of yellow, then add more blue, etc. Then mix an equal amount of yellow and blue to find the middle green. Below is an example if a green scale I mixed.

Why do you think the greens you have mixed are so bright and spring-like? When you mix a green-yellow with a green-blue you will notice that neither pigment is contaminated with red. Since red is the color complement/opposite of green, the lack of it creates a bright spring-like green. If you mix a green with a blue or yellow with some red in the pigment, the green will be dulled.

Now, how do you use these same two tubes of paint to generate warmer greens for your painting? Take out your orange tube of paint, such as cadmium red light or cadmium orange. Now mix a little of this orange with your original mixtures of greens. Below is an example of the greens I created after mixing a little orange. Aren’t they nice warm greens? Notice that using a blue with a dark value allows you to mix dark greens. Can you begin to see why you do not need tubes of greens in your palette?

To warm your original greens up even more, try mixing them with burnt sienna.

Do you see how easy this is to do?

Here is an example of a green chart I created just using FOUR tubes of paint. I call them green chromatic scales because the steps in the color changes remind me of musical scales. Let’s see you paint a green chart or painting using your own pigments. Enjoy!

Do we  artists dance with colors? I think we do, at least I know I do. And as with any dancing partners, some partners dance together better than others.

The color dancing partners I am referring to are the color complements (also called color opposites) that are essential in understanding color mixing & experiencing success. As you probably know, the 3 color complements ‘dancing partners’ are:

Painters must memorize these partners to maximize their color skills. Another way to remember them is by starting with one primary, such as red, and then ‘mixing’ the other two primaries in your head. In this case, yellow + blue = green. Hence, green is the color opposite of red.

Note: Primaries are colors that we cannot mix.

Staying with the musical theme, I encourage my online color students to paint chromatic scales using two color opposites pairs. You can see all of the lovely colors that can be mixed with these ‘dancing partners’ in the example below.

Of course the mixtures will vary significantly depending on the primaries you use and the colors you use for your secondary colors. But that is the fun of exploration and discovery! No?

I recommend beginning by creating a chromatic scale using the color opposites you are most familiar with, then try out a few new dancing partners.

How do you know if a pair of color opposite  dancing partners are truly color opposites? I ask, because an artist can create chromatic scales with virtually any two colors; that does not make them color opposites.

True complementary colors or color opposites cancel each others’ hue and the resulting mixing is either a brown or a black. As seen in the below example. The middle mixture of the two colors does not show any evidence of the original two hues.

If the resulting mixture is a green, then those two colors are not complementary colors. Green is often the color that artists mix when certain oranges are mixed with a blue. This means the ‘orange’  you are mixing with has too much yellow in it.

See example below where I mix cadmium orange with French ultramarine blue. (The color mixtures are yummy but these two colors are not true color opposites.)

When you take inventory of all of your colors, you will begin to see that there are many many possibilities of potential color complement ‘dancing partners.’  Try out a pair of color opposites that you have never thought of before. Painting these chromatic scales will enhance your color skills.

As many of my online color class students experience, you will create colors you have never mixed before and you will happen upon some happy surprises. You will also begin to see how entire paintings could be be created just using these two colors.

Color challenge => What are the true color opposites of cerulean blue and thalo blue? Or lemon/hansa yellow? Answer below in the comment box.

View my demonstration on how to paint a chromatic scale by clicking here.

You are invited to attend my next Free Color Webinar by registering here.

Often, as an instructor of color & color mixing, I am asked, “Which colors are warm and which are cool?”

There are actually two different answers to this question. Why? Because there is the big picture answer and then its subset. Over riding  this question is => WHY is this so important for artists?

I know that once I knew the warm and cool of each of my primaries, the unwanted mud in my paintings essentially went away. Confidence in my color mixing also soared!

Most of us are familiar with the color wheel and the hue families of: yellow, green, blue, violet, red and orange. If you draw a line through the middle of the color wheel, much like the one below, you can delineate warm versus cool colors.

The Big Picture Answer:

Warm hues => yellow, orange, red

Cool hues => violet, blue and green

 Now, let’s take it a step further. There are warm and cool colors of EACH of the hues available to us. For example, we have warm & cool yellows, warm & cool reds, warm & cool blues, etc. It does seem like an oxymoron, but it is not.

The Smaller Picture or Subset of the Answer:

In the figure below I show you the “subset” of warm and cool colors:

Within your array of tubes of primary colors, you have your own unique set of warm-yellows, cool-yellows, warm-reds, cool-reds, warm-blues and cool-blues.

Note: It is easiest to start out SEEING the warm versus cool biases of your primary colors before you tackle SEEING the biases of your secondary colors.

How do you determine the bias of your primary colors? There is only ONE WAY to do that. You have to paint a color swatch of each of your primary tubes of paint.

You cannot memorize them based on what someone else has said. It is critical that YOU SEE them through YOUR eyes using YOUR tubes of paint, because it is YOUR visual voice that you are expressing.

Gather up all of your tubes of paint and sort the primary colors into hue families of yellow, red and blue.

This figure of yellows below ~ painted swatches of various tubes of yellow ~ gives you an example of what your chart of primary colors could look like. It is always helpful to label each swatch.

Now, study the array of your yellows (and eventually your reds and blues as well) and you will begin to SEE which bias each of the yellows carries. It is only by comparing them side by side that you can SEE the differences.

Do you see any duplicates? Do you seem to be missing a warm yellow ~ one with some red in it ~ OR missing a cool yellow ~ one with some green in it? If so, then you need to purchase what you have missing.

If you want to stop mixing mud or are attaining unsatisfactory color mixing results, you must know the warm and cool biases of your tubes of paint.  Let me pose this question:  If you mix a yellow with some red in it with with a blue that has some green in it, what is going to happen? What will your color mixture be? Knowing the answer is why this concept of warms & cools it is so important for artists.

Submit your answers below.

PS There is a disagreement as to which blues are warm and which are cool. The key is that you SEE the green-blues versus the red-blues.

How many times have you heard an artist or art teacher state, “Understanding values is the most important aspect of your painting that you need to master.”

Do you or have you ever tired of hearing this? I know I did. As a recipient of this frequent mantra, I also would become frustrated because these speakers rarely communicated how to learn this all important skill. They only talked about what color values are.

Value is a vital vocabulary word and concept in the world of color mixing and color theory. Understanding it begins with painters learning to hone their ability to SEE colors.

When you look at a subject, be it indoors our outside, are you taking the time to study the different hues? For example, spend a few minutes looking at the sky around you. Look at one section of the sky from top to bottom and back. How do the blues change in color? Is it different at 8am versus noon versus 4pm? Note these differences.

Now take a few more minutes to look from right to left a few times. How does the color change when you scan the horizon?

SEEING color is a skill that can be developed when you take the time to really LOOK. I love seeing a full spectrum of blues ~ from a green blue to a red blue ~ when I look out over the Colorado landscape. How about where you live? Do the color change depending on where the sun is in the sky?

What do we mean by VALUE when talking about color?

This characteristic refers to how light or dark a color is. Sounds easy doesn’t it?

It is if you are only working in the gray scale from white to black (see below). However, when a hue , such as blue or yellow, is thrown into the mix, it becomes a challenge. The translation from a gray scale to a value scale of reds is not always easy to grasp.
This is a 7-step value or gray scale
We need light and dark colors in our world. Just imagine if everything in nature or every thing in your home was one value – pick any of the values above. There would be no stimulation, no contrast and our moods would be impacted significantly (For example, Do you like continuous gray days?)

There is one main reason why it is difficult for artists to learn to SEE the different values in ALL of the colors we use or want to replicate. Not all hues are equal or the same when it comes to values. It is the lighter colors – such as yellows and oranges – that are the most difficult to see because they can NEVER become dark. In other words, a yellow or orange or a lime green cannot be as dark as black.

Again, this seems easy to understand but I know it took me a long time to fully process and particularly to execute with my paints.

The photo below is an excellent example showing you how to determine the value of a color. With a commercial gray scale up against the sky, it shows you how you might be surprised at the value of the blue sky. Squint your eyes and compare the upper part of the sky with the printed gray scale card.

When the gray on the gray scale I am holding and blue merge as one, then you have identified the correct value. How often do we paint skies way too lightly because we did not mix the value of the blue correctly?

Why do you need to see and know the value of a color? Because when mixing your colors on your palette, you are doing so in isolation. In other words, often the colors surrounding the subject you are painting ~ in this case the sky ~ are not on your canvas/paper or the final color has not been established.
In the images below, you can see an example of how yellow can be difficult to evaluate.

Every late September, I take-off with my dog, water, food, camping lounge chair, sketch book and camera, in my 4-wheel drive to “chase the gold.”  Often I am gone all day. No, I am not talking about those nuggets of gold that the earth garners, but the glorious golden aspen leaves that shimmer and twinkle like fairy bells high in the mountains.

This year, I found myself enamored not only by the vistas that display quilt-like fabrics of greens, oranges and yellows across the mountains, but I began to focus on the aspen leaves and trunks up close. Soon I discovered that not all aspen leaves are the same shape! Notice the various round, triangular and heart shapes. Also notice the different yellows which was more evident in reality.

What was I going to paint after this exhilarating time chasing gold? I decided to take on the challenge of the contrast in values ~ the lights and darks ~ that make the golden leaves glow in the sunlight.

“Rocky Mountain Gold” – 20×16 oil

I also love the blues from the Colorado sky that serve as a backdrop to the aspen leaves.

Squint your eyes and notice the use of lights and darks. What values do you see in the aspen leaves, the blues, the background, etc?

What value did you expect the yellow leaf to be?
This black and white photo of “Rocky Mountain Gold,” shows you the range of values I used. Knowing and seeing your values in a painting is vital to creating a compelling composition.

Is there a monetary value of the word “VALUE” when talking about color skills?  Yes, it is priceless! Without contrasts and moods, our paintings will not attract viewers or buyers.

Oh, how I love teaching color so that artists can bring more beauty into the world! My next online class will begin in Feb. 17, 2013.

You are also invited to enroll in my upcoming FREE Color Webinar on February 6th co-hosted with Carolyn Edlund, ArtsyShark Founder.

What color question do you have? Please submit your color question in the comment section below.

This is an interesting question because most of us would quickly respond with, “No.” or “Is that possible?” And then some of us may wonder, “Could there be a controversial color amongst those yummy crayons I drew with many years ago?” The answer is, “Yes.” It is the color YELLOW.

Perhaps, a better way to respond to the question, is to say, “The color YELLOW can be interpreted both negatively and positively.”

I have heard people exclaim, “I love yellow because it is sunny, bright and cheers me up.” BUT, if you research the psychological meaning of yellow, you will read that the color yellow can produce feelings of anxiety, angst, caution and loneliness. When you think about it, how many hospital walls are painted yellow? OR Why are our street signs that convey warning painted in yellow? Notice that construction sites use yellow, as per the image below, to warn passers-by.

I have even heard gallery owners state that they cannot sell paintings dominated with the color yellow. Personally, I experienced the following statement during an art fair, “That painting has too much yellow. I don’t like yellow.”

As with any color, the impact it has is always relative to where it is used and the other colors surrounding it. Our bright, highly intense yellow road signs standout because of the colors that typically surround the signs — green, brown, white, gray, etc. A soft, buttery, somewhat neutralized yellow can be appealing, particularly if it is surrounded with like colors.

On websites, in artwork and in retail and office based businesses, be aware of your yellows. Do they sooth or do they agitate?

Have you ever heard of simultaneous contrast? Or the Frenchman Micheal Chevreul?

Did you know that scientists from all kinds of expertise – chemists, physicists, psychiatrists, opthamologists, neurologists, mathematicians, etc. – have been analyzing and explaining the phenomenon of color for centuries? Color taps nearly all of our senses and it is both subjective and objective, hence, it has always been a field of study that fascinates people across the board. 70% of artists surveyed say that color is the most difficult art element to use effectively. It is illusive in many ways, yet so marvelous.

Can you imagine a world without color?

Back in the late 1700′s, Chevreul identified the pricinple he called simultaneous contrast. Definition: Color is impacted by the colors adjacent to it. It is critical for every artist to understand this phenomenon. Below is an example. I have painted the same yellow, red and blue squares with the same medium and strength of color. Notice how each of these colored squares appears to change based on the lightness and darkness of the colors surrounding them. Have your eyes been tricked, you may ask? Perhaps.

Now, notice how the same light-blue (painted alone below the squares) is impacted by the pale-yellow versus the dark-blue surrounding it.

These are only a couple of examples of how our perceptions can seemingly deceive us. Our eyes are not betraying us, it is the brain that compensates and/or becomes distracted by surrounding elements. It is a fascinating, if not magical, phenomenon.

Hence, you are NOT crazy. That lovely, seemingly perfect color you mixed on your palette may not work when you apply it to your painting because of the adjacent colors. By the way, simultaneous contrast occurs everywhere => with fabric (quilts, clothing, upholstery), house paint, furniture, etc.

Ask Carol Color Questions:

Today’s question is: What are analogous colors?
Analogous colors are colors that are immediately next to or adjacent to one another on the color wheel. When an artist paints using analogous colors – and the same applies to interior design and textiles – a sense of harmony is conveyed. Beauty is also easiest to achieve working with analogous colors because there is no discord; all of the immediate colors share a hue.

When you look at the above 12-Hue Color Wheel, choose any 3 colors that are adjacent to each other and recall an image using those colors. Go ahead and branch out using 5 colors that are immediately next to one another and conjure up an image. What do you see in your mind’s eye?

How do I apply the use of analogous colors? For example, if I were painting a red ball, I would use orange and orange-red for the highlighted area of the ball and red-purples for the shadow side instead of mixing white with red for the light side or mixing black or blue for the shadow side. This strategy works particularly well when painting flowers or glass because the resulting colors are clean and bright.

“In Homage to Uncle Howard,” shows you how purples were used in the shadows and, yellows and oranges were mixed for the areas in the sun light. Black was never used and very little white. I wanted this painting to glow because of my warm feelings for my great uncle.

"In Homage to Uncle Howard" 16 x 20 oil by Carol McIntyre, click to enlarge

During Celebrate Color: Painting With Color Confidence, my intensive online color course, we go in-depth on how to implement analogous colors in your paintings.

What color question do you have? Please submit your color question here. Thank you!