The July/August 2024 subject of Artists Journal options articles that discover varied subjects relating to paint. For instance, we requested three artists and workshop instructors: What can an artist do to develop colour confidence? Right here have been their responses:
Experiment fearlessly. Play with colour, loads. Be taught the fundamentals of colour concept even when it’s simply utilizing a colour wheel. Do much less worrying that you just may make ‘mud’ and simply see what occurs while you mix colours or place them subsequent to one another. — LYN ASSELTA
Use a restricted palette. If you remove the pointless choices and simply have a purple, a yellow and a blue, you’ll simplify your life. And, you’ll discover ways to create lovely mixtures of colours with out having to depend on the myriad tubes of paint accessible on the retailer. — KATHLEEN DUNPHY
Get a colour wheel. I like to recommend getting the Stephen Quiller colour wheel. Then, use it to determine the place your favourite colours fall on the wheel. It helps a lot to have true primaries and secondaries that blend to a fair, balanced impartial. You will be assured you’ll make an exquisite sky if you happen to lay down a pale wash of Winsor orange to present clouds a heat glow, after which paint your sky colour with a cobalt blue, with out worrying that you just’ll create an unintended greenish tint the place these colours overlap. — DAN MONDLOCH
We requested, and also you answered!
We additionally took the query (What can an artist do to develop colour confidence?) to our broader Artists Community viewers, and we’re blissful to share a collection of the various, many incredible bits of recommendation you provided!
Apply every day. Make 6×8 colour sketches from 6×8 worth sketches, every day. After 30 days, place them facet by facet after which rejoice in your success! — EVE MILLER
Research colour concept. After which make tons and tons and tons of colour research utilizing totally different colour schemes based mostly on what you discovered. — KRISTIN WHITNEY
Discover! Attempt new colour mixtures. Research previous masters. Discover out which colours pop. Combine. Swatch. Repeat. — JUDY WOOD
Play with colour in a brand new medium. I’m an oil painter, however once I began exploring pastels, I discovered new colour mixtures and felt a lot freer to experiment—which in flip helped my oil portray. — LAURA BLACKWELL
Make use of enhances. Know you could tone down any colour by merely including a contact of its complementary colour. — MARY ANN WILKISON
Make colour charts. These charts will aid you make colour choices. Very worthwhile! — PAT WATTAM
Think about Values. Perceive that if you happen to get your values proper, you should utilize virtually any colour with that worth. So, you should utilize the colours that you just love. — BETTY SCHRIVER
Know which sort of artist you might be. In case you are extra process-oriented, dive deep into colour concept and colour wheels, and so on. In the event you favor a extra intuitive type (as I do), then play loads. Attempt issues. Threat failure and be taught from it. You possibly can see the 2 approaches within the recommendation shared right here. It’s good to have a little bit of each, however understanding which path is most pure to you’ll aid you select your steps. — LAUREL LAKE MCGUIRE
Choose some colours on your palette and follow them for some time. Be taught the mixes you can also make and the way your colours relate to 1 one other in a portray. Shade research are one other confidence booster. They can assist decide your colours previous to beginning your portray. — LORRAINE WATRY
Be taught out of your likes. Take a look at artists whose artwork attracts your eye and research how they use colour. — ANA HURM
Attempt a colour train. Put an image (or journal web page) in a plastic sleeve and attempt to combine the colours you see. Take a look at out your colours by placing swatches on the plastic and evaluate outcomes. If it’s proper, swatch out that colour in a journal alongside along with your color-mix recipe. This actually trains your eye and builds confidence. — JODI OHL
Apply copying works from the masters. And use a grey palette for oils to get a greater really feel for saturation and hues. — JAN GEE
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