Color Mixing Part 3: A How-To Guide

Putting Theory Into Practice

Theories are wonderful. They are a culmination of a series of "what-ifs." Without theory life would be a continuous stream of reactions with surprises waiting around every corner (much like driving around this area). The natural progression of a theory is to put it into practice. In our last lesson I began talking about just this. In this lesson I will get a little more specific about color mixing.

Palette Layout

The most important part of laying out a palette is that it be layed out the same way each time. It is important that it makes some sense, either basing it on the spectrum or color wheel (see previous post) or based on practicality. This will help prevent a loss of concentration from having

to constanly search for your colors.

Below is a common palette layout that is based on the color wheel.

Think Pairs

It is safe to assume that most subject matter that is painted representationally will have a dark and light side, it is the primary way in which we create form in a painting.

What I would like you to remember is to always mix your colors in pairs. A color for the light side and the corresponding color for the dark side. This also applies to cast shadows.

Let's Get Our Hands Dirty

Let's go over some common color mixing scenarios step-by-step. We'll start out with our old stand-by, the lemon:

1. Look: Look at your subject. This sounds like a given but you'd be surprised how many students don't.
2. Closest Color: Ask yourself which color on your palette is closest to the subject color. Think about it this way, if you had to describe the subject with only one paint color which would you choose*. You're looking for a starting point. In the case of the lemon you would probably choose Cadmium Yellow Light.
3. Base Color: Pull a small amount of this color into the mixing area. Now, to get this color closer to what you need it has to be adjusted. Rarely does a color work straight from the tube. We adjust a color along the color wheel, one way or the other. Assuming you've chosen the right color you will need to add one of the analogous colors (see previous post). On the palette it may its neighbor. This mixture is your Base Color. In the case of the lemon however, Cad. Yellow Lt. itself is pretty close.
4. Divide: Divide yourt base color into two small piles. One side will be your light color the other will be your dark color.
5. Light Side: To the light color you will probably only need to add a small amount of white.
6. Dark Side: To the dark side you add its compliment (see previous post). This is the most confusing step for most beginning students because it is so counter intuitive. That is to say that the compliment is probably the last color that you would think of. In the case of our lemon the compliment is violet. This is mixed using Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson. Things to remember about this step: a) Your goal is to come up with a dark version of the base color so if you're coming up with a violet on the lemon's dark side you need to add more yellow. b) Just because you've added violet it does not mean that you've added the right violet . What this means is that if the dark side of the lemon turns green then there's not enough red, so, add more Alizarin Crimson. Conversely, if the dark side turns orange, there's not enough blue, so, add more Ultramarine Blue. c) Most importantly, NEVER add the compliment to your light color to make it a dark and, you guessed it, NEVER add white to the dark color in hopes of getting the color for the light side. There are colors used in each that are incompatible with the other. Doing either of these two will only result in mud not to mention extreme frustration and a waste of paint.

For Those Who Prefer Diagrams

Are you confused yet? No?

Lets try mixing colors for an orange.

How about a lime?

In our next lesson I'll discuss some of the quirks in color mixing. They may not seem to follow the rules but its all in how you look at it.

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* Some paint colors are darker than others. This may cause students to choose the wrong color because the right color looks too dark. For instance, in my landscape class it is common for new students to choose Cerulean Blue for the sky over Ultramarine Blue merely because it is the right tone. To help avoid this and to become generally more familiar with your paint, lay out a small amount of each color on your palette then add white to them as needed to make all the colors equal in tone. Remember you don't need to add white to the Cad. Yellow Lt..

(c) 2010 Holm. All Rights Reserved.

Color Mixing Part 2: Palette v. Color Wheel

The Paint

In our last lesson I talked about the theory of color mixing. Now let's begin to discuss the nuts and bolts of it and how it relates to theory.

I generally use, what is called a limited palette. All that this means is that I use a limited number of colors, seven (and white) to be exact. Although anyone who has had me as an instructor knows that I usually only talk about six (more on that later). The seven colors are representative of the spectrum or color wheel but none of them align precisely with its colors. Remember in the previous lesson that I mentioned that in theory, primary colors are ones which can not be mixed? Well, in practice it's another story. First let us list all seven colors:

1. Alizarin Crimson
2. Cadmium Red Light
3. Cadmium Yellow Light
4. Yellow Ochre
5. Viridian
6. Cerulean Blue
7. Ultramarine Blue

......and Titanium White.

The seventh color is Yellow Ochre which is an earth tone. I don't use many earth tones. I believe in using the brightest colors that I can find. The reason is that it is easier to make a bright color dull than it is to make a dull color bright. If you start with earth tones inertia dictates that you will probably end up with what I call a brown painting. Most students tend to mis-use earth tones -- Black for shadows, Umber's for ground, Sienna's for tree trunks or anything made of wood. The only earth tone that I use is Yellow Ochre and I use it sparingly. Only as students get further along do I even "allow" them bring it into class. There are many reasons for the aversion

to earth tones which I'll probably address in future lessons (in live class sessions my aversion to earth tones usually results in an inadvertent and more than likely inappropriate response. Please feel free to imagine your own expletive).

Aligning Your Paint Colors with The Color Wheel

Now let's talk about aligning your palette to the color wheel. Because none of these seven paint colors falls on any of the primary or secondary colors it would help to know just where they reside. Below is our color wheel with the paint colors situated between the primary and secondary colors.

Brand Differences

Please note that this diagram shows where my colors fall, not necessarily where your colors will fall. It depends on the brand of paint you use. I currently use Utrecht but at one time I used Winsor & Newton. I remember that WN Cadmium Yellow Light was a bit warmer than Utrecht. They also offer a Cadmium Yellow Pale which was a little cooler than Utrecht Cadmium Yellow Light. You may also have noticed that most of the paint colors are located on either side of a primary colors in pairs. If you mix the paired paint colors a certain way you should be able to come up with that primary. For instance, if you mix Ultramarine Blue with Cerulean and you get Primary Blue (shooting that "Primaries can't be mixed" theory all to hell). The only stand alone color is Viridian. This is on my palette for practical reasons which I will discuss in the next lesson.

Why We Do This

Even though this alignment is rather subjective it is a necessary process if, for no other reason, than that it will get you thinking about the properties of your paint. The most important reason is that it is helpful to know what the compliment of each of your paint colors is. This will give you an idea of which direction to move a color. Not just in theory but in practice.

One of the most common mistakes that a student will make is to assume that a paint color is what it is called. For instance, Cadmium Red Light is not so much a red as it is a reddish orange, Alizarin Crimson is more of a reddish violet than red. Another common mistake that I see regularly is when a student over simplifies the process and assumes that each color on their palette has a ready-mixed compliment, resulting the question: "Why is the dark side of my lemon turning orange?" The answer is: "Alizarin Crimson is not the compliment of Cadmium Yellow Light." Alizarin Crimson may be a violet of sorts but not necessarily the right one. See the diagram below.

Best Guess

Color mixing is, in the end, a lot of guess work. There are too many variables to reasonably come up with a concrete formula from which to work. That said, there are methods and procedures for color mixing that can make it much more of an educated guess so that you're not starting from square one each time you need to mix something.

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In our next lesson I will discuss one simple method for color mixing. It is, by no means the only way to do it, but, it may be a good place to start. In future posts I will also discuss some of the quirks of color mixing and answer the question "How does Titanium White fit in to all this?"

Ah, patience.

(c) 2010 Holm. All Rights Reserved.