A Splash of Colour! Personal and Practical Approaches to Colour Mixing [25]

There is so much to mixing colour… it is one of the pure joys of painting, but it can be a little overwhelming. We share some ideas about our own colour habits and ways you can re-invigorate your own colour mixing.

This week

Louise has found someone to help with the technical aspects of her online course, and is now working on a marketing plan. Alice has been fuelled by discovering where her mystery buyer came from and the power of follow-up.

How do you choose colour for your palette?

This week’s main topic was inspired by a question from Janes_artscapes on Instagram. She asks:

“I was hoping you could talk about colour mixing as opposed to buying already mixed colours. I want to invest in new paint, I’d just like to hear your opinion on different paints & colour mixing”

Jane

Find Jane’s work here: www.instagram.com/Janes_artscapes

This question led us into a discussion of colour and the way we use it in our work. For both of us, it is quite an important focus, but our preferred palettes are quite different. We discuss the emotional resonance of certain colours; the power of surprising ourselves with something different; the freedom that can come (paradoxically) with a limited palette; and mixing colours versus using them straight from the tube. We also discuss the relativity of colour, and Alice shares her approach of choosing one hero colour for each painting.

In the end, colour is an incredibly personal thing, and each artist approaches it in a different way. Some artists study colour theory, some spend hours mixing in a sketchbook, and some choose colours totally intuitively. And this is perhaps the most important point to come out of our discussion – we both believe that your use of colour should be guided not be rules or by what you think other artists would do, but by your own preferences and your goals for your work.

Would love to know your colour habits and any tips you have to use different colours – or what favourites you simply couldn’t do without! Let us know in the comments below….

Audience Question

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Alice has been painting and is experimenting with a different way of working on canvas. Louise was energized by a blustery, cold, grey walk on Sandside beach in Cumbria.

Mentioned: 
Alice’s painting tutorial as guest artist for the True Colours membership is now available!

This includes filmed lessons guiding you through the making of two paintings, discussing colour choices, including collage and how to allow the painting to lead your intuitive decisions. You can join just for a month, or for longer if you’d like new monthly painting projects.

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Credits
“Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License