Color Mixing
This is a detailed guide on how to paint color gradations. I wrote this in light of a recent painting, Morning Lookout (shown below). It’s a study of the early morning’s subtle color gradations, just before the sun peers above the horizon line. I cover: Color Gradation Meaning Color Gradation Techniques A Note on Different … Read more
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Successful use of color in painting requires a thorough understanding of both color theory and color mixing and application. I wrote about the theory in a previous post. This post will provide you with everything you need to know about color mixing and application. George Henry, River Landscape by Moonlight, 1887 Contents Basic Color Mixing … Read more
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A split primary color palette refers to a palette of colors with both warm and cool variations of the primary colors (being red, blue and yellow). The purpose is to mix a wider gamut of colors. I explain this in more detail below. Color Wheel Using Just the Primary Colors Mixing a color wheel using … Read more
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In this post I walk you through how to mix your own vivid orange using different red and yellow paints. The purpose of this exercise is to deepen your understanding of color mixing, color bias and the limitations of our paints. Joaquín Sorolla, Mending Sails, 1904 What Colors Make Orange? Let’s take a step back … Read more
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Black is a very polarizing color in the art world. Some people swear by using black, and others avoid it all together. In this post I want to try and clear up some of the confusion around black and provide you with some information on how to use it in your paintings and how to mix … Read more
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Muddy colors are one of the biggest frustrations for my readers. In this post I will break down what muddy colors actually are and how you can avoid them in your paintings. What Are Muddy Colors? The phrase muddy color is often used to describe grays, browns and other desaturated colors. You will frequently hear … Read more
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Green has always been a troublesome color for beginners. Why that is the case, I’m not sure. It may have something to do with a lack of understanding of how to mix color. Or maybe it has something to do with how we actually perceive green. As Pablo Picasso once said: They’ll sell you thousands … Read more
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