Colour Workshop
For beginning artists who would like to have better control over the colours they use when painting with acrylics or oils. Watercolours will yield similar results but are more dramatic with solid pigments.
Introduction to the colour wheel – Primary, Secondary, Tertiary,
Overview of relationships between colours
Analogous vs complimentary Monotones
Duotones
Triads - various combinations
Pigment found in nature will never be as pure as the colours found in light, because impurities will exist, no matter how small. The best that can be achieved is a close approximation to those subtleties and vibrancies. Our discussion will focus on these colours.
A color circle, based on red, yellow and blue, is traditional in the field of art. Sir Isaac Newton developed the first circular diagram of colors in 1666. Since then scientists and artists have studied and designed numerous variations of this concept. Differences of opinion about the validity of one format over another continue to provoke debate. In reality, any color circle or color wheel which presents a logically arranged sequence of pure hues has merit. PRIMARY COLORS
Red, yellow and blue
In traditional color theory, these are the 3 pigment colors that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues
SECONDARY COLOURS
Green, orange and purple
These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors. TERTIARY COLORS
Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green.
These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. That's why the hue is a two word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.
COLOR HARMONY Harmony can be defined as a pleasing arrangement of parts, whether it be music, poetry, color, or even an ice cream sundae.
In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it's either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that the viewer is not engaged. The human brain will reject under-stimulating information. At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can't stand to look at it. The human brain rejects what it can not organize, what it can not understand. The visual task requires that we present a logical structure. Color harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order.
In summary, extreme unity leads to under-stimulation, extreme complexity leads to over-stimulation. Harmony is a dynamic equilibrium.
Some Formulas for Color Harmony
There are many theories for harmony. The following illustrations and descriptions present some basic formulas .
A color scheme based on analogous colors
Analogous colors are any three colors which are side by side on a 12 part color wheel, such as yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange. Usually one of the three colors predominates.
A color scheme based on complementary colors
Complementary colors are any two colors which are directly opposite each other, such as red and green and red-purple and yellow-green. In the illustration above, there are several variations of yellow-green in the leaves and several variations of red-purple in the orchid. These opposing colors create maximum contrast and maximum stability.
A color scheme based on nature
Nature provides a perfect departure point for color harmony. In the illustration above, red yellow and green create a harmonious design, regardless of whether this combination fits into a technical formula for color harmony.
Color Theory 1 - Color as Light
(Additive Color Theory)
Red, Green, and Blue
(The primary colors of light)
The question:
Are black and white colors when generated as light?
The answers:
1. Black is the absence of color (and is therefore not a color)
Explanation:
When there is no light, everything is black. Test this out by going into a photographic dark room. There are no photons of light. In other words, there are no photons of colors.
2. White is the blending of all colors and is a color.
Explanation:
Light appears colorless or white. Sunlight is white light that is composed of all the colors of the spectrum. A rainbow is proof. You can't see the colors of sunlight except when atmospheric conditions bend the light rays and create a rainbow. You can also use a prism to demonstrate this.
Fact: The sum of all the colors of light add up to white.
This is additive color theory.
Color Theory 2 - Color as Pigment or Molecular Coloring Agents
(Subtractive Color Theory)
Red, Yellow, and Blue
(The primary colors of pigments in the art world)
Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow
(The primary colors of inks in the printing industry)
The question:
Are black and white colors when they exist as pigments or as molecular coloring agents?
The answer:
Black is a color. (Chemists will confirm this!)
Explanation:
Here's a simple way to show how black is made: Combine all three primary colors (red yellow and blue) using a liquid paint or you even food coloring. You
won't get a jet black, but the point will be clear. The history of black pigments includes charcoal, iron metals, and other chemicals as the source of black paints.
Therefore, if someone argues that black is the absence of color, you can reply, “What is in a tube of black paint?” However, you must add the fact that black is a color when you are referring to the color of pigments and the coloring agents of tangible objects.
Is white a color?
No white is not a color.
... but .... in some cases you could say that white is a color.
Oil and Acrylic Color Pigments There are many factors in achieving clean colours in oil painting. Different manufacturers use different pigments and additives in their products. Impurities become evident when trying to mix two apparent primary colors together. Cadmium red, for instance, is a widely used pigment. Ultramarine blue is another such pigment. Both would appear vibrant seen side by side. Mix the two together, however, and a vibrant purple will not result, as you might expect. Mix Cad Red Light with Ultramarine blue and quite a different result occurs. Mix the same two colours from two different manufacturers and the result will be different again. The same is true of other combinations but the reason for our discussion is to know when and how to mix those combinations to give you the results you want.
Primary Color: Colour that cannot be made from the mixture of other colours. The true primaries are red, blue and yellow.
Secondary Color: This is produced from the mixture of two primary colours. These are purple, orange and green
Tertiary Color: Produced by the mixture of a primary color and a secondary color. For example, mixing red with yellow will produce orange; mixing orange with blue will produce a brown depending on the quantities of each mixture.
Interesting greys and browns can be achieved by mixing all three primaries in varying quantities. The use of black and Payne’s Grey will be discussed at length.
How to Mix clean vibrant colours
Discussion of Hue, Saturation, Luminosity
Mixing tools, overview of different types of Brushes and Palette knives Brushes, overview showing samples of different types of acrylic & oil brushes (Bright, Flat, Filberts, Rounds)
Brushes are the most important part of my equipment. I have difficulty painting with cheap brushes. A good brush for oils retains its shape when loaded with paint and will bounce back to its original shape after each stroke. A cheap brush may not return to its original shape after each stroke.
Different Brush Hair for Different Purposes: Bristle vs. Sable
How to hold a brush: As if you were holding a small bird with one hand. Not too tight so as not to crush it, not too loose so it can’t get away.
I use two different types of brushes when I paint. For the under-painting I use a wide bristle brush, usually a wide flat (#12) to fill in the large areas on the canvas. I like using bristle brushes in their various shapes and sizes for most of the painting, only changing to sables when the small details are included near the finish. Sable brushes are for details such as the small intricacies in the eye when painting a portrait.
Some brush manufacturers make brushes that imitate the qualities of Bristles and Sables. They are usually less expensive and are made with nylon, horsehair and mongoose. Experience with less expensive brushes will soon convince the serious artist that in order to make the process of painting more pleasurable, good brushes are indeed the best route to take.
When painting with oils and acrylics we use the long handle brushes. When painting with watercolours, we use the shorter handle brushes. The reason for that is two fold. With the longer handles we can stand back from the painting and see more of the overall work. The shorter handles are better for close up work such as using watercolours
Brushstrokes – achieving the look you want in your painting
Painting with a Palette Knife
Choose a from a selection of good palette knives before you start painting. Palette knives differ in size, flexibility and quality. My favourite all purpose knife has a wooden handle with a blade about 2” long in the shape of a tear drop (blunt at the end, about ⅝” at the widest near the handle. Look for a palette knife that offers some flexibility in the blade and has a comfortable handle.
Mix the paint you intend to paint with., pick up paint with your palette knife by sliding the knife under your paint. Using a palette knife is similar to using a butter knife to use on a piece of toast.
Hold the knife the same way you hold a brush. To add paint to a canvas, "butter" the canvas with your knife.
Various techniques for using a knife: make small dots by using the tip of the knife and fine lines by drawing with the edge. Be careful not to cut through the canvas as they can become quite sharp over time and use.
I like to use my knife to enhance the texture of my painting. After I have painted the broad areas with a brush, I load my palette knife with a lot of paint and apply wet paint to wet paint on the canvas. By wweeping the knife across my canvas, I can create ridges, multicoloured strokes and all sorts of texture.
Following the technique of dark to light I add layers of color with my palette knife. By applying the lighter colors on top of the darker colors, you can layer colors on top of each other without damaging the layers underneath.
Sometimes the effect is not working the way I want it to be. Then I scrape the paint off the canvas with my palette knife. You can use this technique to erase mistakes or to add texture or detail. Use the blade to scrape larger areas and the tip for smaller areas.
Be sure to clean your palette knife when you finish painting for the day. The beauty of palette knives is simply wiping the paint off with a cloth, making sure that you wipe until no more paint remains and the knife and handle are dry.
Introduction to the colour wheel – Primary, Secondary, Tertiary,
Overview of relationships between colours
Analogous vs complimentary Monotones
Duotones
Triads - various combinations
Pigment found in nature will never be as pure as the colours found in light, because impurities will exist, no matter how small. The best that can be achieved is a close approximation to those subtleties and vibrancies. Our discussion will focus on these colours.
A color circle, based on red, yellow and blue, is traditional in the field of art. Sir Isaac Newton developed the first circular diagram of colors in 1666. Since then scientists and artists have studied and designed numerous variations of this concept. Differences of opinion about the validity of one format over another continue to provoke debate. In reality, any color circle or color wheel which presents a logically arranged sequence of pure hues has merit. PRIMARY COLORS
Red, yellow and blue
In traditional color theory, these are the 3 pigment colors that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues
SECONDARY COLOURS
Green, orange and purple
These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors. TERTIARY COLORS
Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green.
These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. That's why the hue is a two word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.
COLOR HARMONY Harmony can be defined as a pleasing arrangement of parts, whether it be music, poetry, color, or even an ice cream sundae.
In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it's either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that the viewer is not engaged. The human brain will reject under-stimulating information. At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can't stand to look at it. The human brain rejects what it can not organize, what it can not understand. The visual task requires that we present a logical structure. Color harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order.
In summary, extreme unity leads to under-stimulation, extreme complexity leads to over-stimulation. Harmony is a dynamic equilibrium.
Some Formulas for Color Harmony
There are many theories for harmony. The following illustrations and descriptions present some basic formulas .
A color scheme based on analogous colors
Analogous colors are any three colors which are side by side on a 12 part color wheel, such as yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange. Usually one of the three colors predominates.
A color scheme based on complementary colors
Complementary colors are any two colors which are directly opposite each other, such as red and green and red-purple and yellow-green. In the illustration above, there are several variations of yellow-green in the leaves and several variations of red-purple in the orchid. These opposing colors create maximum contrast and maximum stability.
A color scheme based on nature
Nature provides a perfect departure point for color harmony. In the illustration above, red yellow and green create a harmonious design, regardless of whether this combination fits into a technical formula for color harmony.
Color Theory 1 - Color as Light
(Additive Color Theory)
Red, Green, and Blue
(The primary colors of light)
The question:
Are black and white colors when generated as light?
The answers:
1. Black is the absence of color (and is therefore not a color)
Explanation:
When there is no light, everything is black. Test this out by going into a photographic dark room. There are no photons of light. In other words, there are no photons of colors.
2. White is the blending of all colors and is a color.
Explanation:
Light appears colorless or white. Sunlight is white light that is composed of all the colors of the spectrum. A rainbow is proof. You can't see the colors of sunlight except when atmospheric conditions bend the light rays and create a rainbow. You can also use a prism to demonstrate this.
Fact: The sum of all the colors of light add up to white.
This is additive color theory.
Color Theory 2 - Color as Pigment or Molecular Coloring Agents
(Subtractive Color Theory)
Red, Yellow, and Blue
(The primary colors of pigments in the art world)
Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow
(The primary colors of inks in the printing industry)
The question:
Are black and white colors when they exist as pigments or as molecular coloring agents?
The answer:
Black is a color. (Chemists will confirm this!)
Explanation:
Here's a simple way to show how black is made: Combine all three primary colors (red yellow and blue) using a liquid paint or you even food coloring. You
won't get a jet black, but the point will be clear. The history of black pigments includes charcoal, iron metals, and other chemicals as the source of black paints.
Therefore, if someone argues that black is the absence of color, you can reply, “What is in a tube of black paint?” However, you must add the fact that black is a color when you are referring to the color of pigments and the coloring agents of tangible objects.
Is white a color?
No white is not a color.
... but .... in some cases you could say that white is a color.
Oil and Acrylic Color Pigments There are many factors in achieving clean colours in oil painting. Different manufacturers use different pigments and additives in their products. Impurities become evident when trying to mix two apparent primary colors together. Cadmium red, for instance, is a widely used pigment. Ultramarine blue is another such pigment. Both would appear vibrant seen side by side. Mix the two together, however, and a vibrant purple will not result, as you might expect. Mix Cad Red Light with Ultramarine blue and quite a different result occurs. Mix the same two colours from two different manufacturers and the result will be different again. The same is true of other combinations but the reason for our discussion is to know when and how to mix those combinations to give you the results you want.
Primary Color: Colour that cannot be made from the mixture of other colours. The true primaries are red, blue and yellow.
Secondary Color: This is produced from the mixture of two primary colours. These are purple, orange and green
Tertiary Color: Produced by the mixture of a primary color and a secondary color. For example, mixing red with yellow will produce orange; mixing orange with blue will produce a brown depending on the quantities of each mixture.
Interesting greys and browns can be achieved by mixing all three primaries in varying quantities. The use of black and Payne’s Grey will be discussed at length.
How to Mix clean vibrant colours
Discussion of Hue, Saturation, Luminosity
Mixing tools, overview of different types of Brushes and Palette knives Brushes, overview showing samples of different types of acrylic & oil brushes (Bright, Flat, Filberts, Rounds)
Brushes are the most important part of my equipment. I have difficulty painting with cheap brushes. A good brush for oils retains its shape when loaded with paint and will bounce back to its original shape after each stroke. A cheap brush may not return to its original shape after each stroke.
Different Brush Hair for Different Purposes: Bristle vs. Sable
How to hold a brush: As if you were holding a small bird with one hand. Not too tight so as not to crush it, not too loose so it can’t get away.
I use two different types of brushes when I paint. For the under-painting I use a wide bristle brush, usually a wide flat (#12) to fill in the large areas on the canvas. I like using bristle brushes in their various shapes and sizes for most of the painting, only changing to sables when the small details are included near the finish. Sable brushes are for details such as the small intricacies in the eye when painting a portrait.
Some brush manufacturers make brushes that imitate the qualities of Bristles and Sables. They are usually less expensive and are made with nylon, horsehair and mongoose. Experience with less expensive brushes will soon convince the serious artist that in order to make the process of painting more pleasurable, good brushes are indeed the best route to take.
When painting with oils and acrylics we use the long handle brushes. When painting with watercolours, we use the shorter handle brushes. The reason for that is two fold. With the longer handles we can stand back from the painting and see more of the overall work. The shorter handles are better for close up work such as using watercolours
Brushstrokes – achieving the look you want in your painting
Painting with a Palette Knife
Choose a from a selection of good palette knives before you start painting. Palette knives differ in size, flexibility and quality. My favourite all purpose knife has a wooden handle with a blade about 2” long in the shape of a tear drop (blunt at the end, about ⅝” at the widest near the handle. Look for a palette knife that offers some flexibility in the blade and has a comfortable handle.
Mix the paint you intend to paint with., pick up paint with your palette knife by sliding the knife under your paint. Using a palette knife is similar to using a butter knife to use on a piece of toast.
Hold the knife the same way you hold a brush. To add paint to a canvas, "butter" the canvas with your knife.
Various techniques for using a knife: make small dots by using the tip of the knife and fine lines by drawing with the edge. Be careful not to cut through the canvas as they can become quite sharp over time and use.
I like to use my knife to enhance the texture of my painting. After I have painted the broad areas with a brush, I load my palette knife with a lot of paint and apply wet paint to wet paint on the canvas. By wweeping the knife across my canvas, I can create ridges, multicoloured strokes and all sorts of texture.
Following the technique of dark to light I add layers of color with my palette knife. By applying the lighter colors on top of the darker colors, you can layer colors on top of each other without damaging the layers underneath.
Sometimes the effect is not working the way I want it to be. Then I scrape the paint off the canvas with my palette knife. You can use this technique to erase mistakes or to add texture or detail. Use the blade to scrape larger areas and the tip for smaller areas.
Be sure to clean your palette knife when you finish painting for the day. The beauty of palette knives is simply wiping the paint off with a cloth, making sure that you wipe until no more paint remains and the knife and handle are dry.