How to Use Black and White in Oil Painting One thing that happens with mixing paint is people reach for white or black too quickly when they are mixing colors. The biggest thing to remember is white or black will desaturate your color mixtures very quickly. When mixing your colors mix your hue first remember the colors your mix together will affect the value and chroma of the final color mixture. Get as close to the color you need before you add white.…
Is That Color Warm or Cold You hear a lot about the terms warm or cool colors. There is a broad definition and a more detailed explanation for warm and cool colors. The basic definition for your primary colors are red is warm and blue is cold some refer to yellow as warm but I consider it a neutral color meaning it can lean either warm or cool. Next you have your secondary colors Orange is warm and Violet is cool but once…
The Chroma Scale Chroma is an important aspect of Color. Remember chroma and intensity mean the same thing, it is how bright or dull a color appears. By having a variety of intensities with your colors you increase the the depth of your color relationships in your paintings. You seldom hear mention of the chroma or intensity scale so let’s explore what it means. The Chroma wheel shows the primary colors decreasing in intensity or chroma down threw the chroma scale to a…
Color and It’s Multiple Personalities Color is has three very distinct personalities or characteristics. This is why color has so much complexity however by understanding these aspects of color and how to identify them you can better understand the colors you are seeing. Understanding is more than half the battle in the world of color mixing. The three aspects of color are hue, value and chroma. With the exception of black and white every color has these three aspects. So let’s shed…
Mixing Grays with Triadic Colors Control your mixtures with a better understanding of the color wheel Grayed or colors of lower intensity are important way of controlling you color. The more intense colors catch more attention when they are surrounded by colors with lower intensity. 80% percent of you colors in representational painting will contain colors of lower intensity or chroma another words “grayed” colors. Now when I say “grayed” I am not talking about battle ship grey. I am talking about any…
Plein Air and Outdoor Painting Approaches My Outdoor Painting Palette There are many great painting palettes. Certain palettes favor earth tones, others favor warm or cool color mixtures. I have used many different palettes, but the palette I have come to use most over the years is a warm and cool primary color palette. I mix secondary and tertiary colors from the primary colors. With this, I find I can achieve the widest range of colors. I can mix color schemes that lean…
This Will Help Keep Your Brushes in Good Condition When painting in oil always dip you brush into medium or thinner first before dipping into your oil paint that will keep you brushes from getting built up oil paint in the ferrule of the brush which will keep your brushes in great condition for years. After painting clean up with thinner and soap and water.
Mixing those Wonderful Grays Colors in nature are rarely straight out of the tube. Your primary and secondary colors are too intense to look natural. When painting, you are constantly modifying your colors and graying their intensity to create paintings that are harmonious. First, let’s look at the definitions of color. Primary Colors – These colors cannot be mixed. They are the colors from which all other colors are made. The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. Secondary Colors – These colors…