Day three

How are we doing do far?

Yesterday you got your feet wet with mixing a little color.  Today we’ll delve a little as to where these mixed colors came from.

Before we begin I’d just like to share with you my adversity about using paints straight from the tube.  It’s true that manufacturers like to show off their ability to impress you with a variety of colors so that you spend less time mixing and more time painting.  Don’t get drawn into buying unnecessary colors that you could do a better job yourself in mixing yourself.

That’s why I use and recommend a limited palette-- two reds, two blues, two yellows, white and black.  Or, you can mix your own black using Prussian Blue and Burnt Umber.  You can also squirt a little Payne’s Gray on your palette as a black substitute.  But note that Payne’s Gray is a very dark BLUE, that looks like black, but it’s not.  Just mix it with a little white and you’ll see.

When I say two of the three primaries, I mean a Cadmium Red Light / Alizarin Red; Yellow Ochre / Yellow light; Cerulean Blue / Prussian Blue.  You can also use Cobalt Blue, too.

If you recall back in grade school someone showed you a Color Wheel.  There are a number of various color wheels on the internet.  Just Google the word and you’ll get a plethora of websites.  Open one up, print it out, if you like, and study it.

I know you remember that blue and yellow make green, and red and yellow make orange, and red and blue make purple.

But what do you get when you mix purple and yellow?  Or, blue and orange?  Or, red and green?  These are opposites on the color wheel.  Hmm.

Actually, they each produce a neutral color. The same color. It’s how they become compatible because they each have something of the other.

Some might think color wheels are just theory and not of any help.  When you start mixing from that limited palette you’ll better understand how color works.

I’m not going to take you by the hand to mix the colors for you.  It is YOU who will acquire the skills of mixing, only by doing it yourself.  I can give you the heads up, but you are the one who will put it into practice.

So, that is the challenge I put before you today.  It’s not difficult, rather fun and exciting as we learn new things.

--Adam