Color
For me, color has always been exciting. I am a color junkie! I love it and have never been afraid of working in it. I started out by purchasing every color that appealed to me, regardless of the medium. It was like being a kid in a candy store. I wanted it all. As I have learned through years of teaching, working in color doesn’t come easily to everyone. And buying everything that’s available does not make you a better colorist. Understanding how color works is what makes a difference.
Limited Palette
The easiest and most economical way to begin working with color is to start with a limited palette. I recommend, for instance, limiting yourself to six to twelve colors, regardless of what medium you work in. The primary colors—red, yellow and blue—cannot be mixed from other colors, but they can be used to theoretically mix every other color. Start to dissect, identify, and classify color by asking the following questions:
• Is the color clear, bright, and vibrant?
• Does it fall somewhere in the midrange?
• Does it appear muddy, neutral, or muted?
In this example, I have digitally created six bright, clear, vibrant colors: two yellows, two reds, and two blues. As you can see, not all “primary” colors are the same. They are affected by the basic properties of the core pigment. I like to start with colors that are the brightest, because I can always mute or tone them down. You can’t, however, make a color brighter by adding anything to it. Yellows are either green-yellows or orange-yellows. Reds are either orange-reds or violet-reds. Blues are either green-blues or violet-blues.
Testing Colors & Making Color Charts
Every time I purchase a new color, I test it to identify its clarity or neutrality, as well as what else might be in the color. I created templates for myself on the computer, and then I print the template on either watercolor or drawing paper and do a series of tests, depending on the medium. Below is an example of my template, and what it looks like in action. You can create something similar, or come up with your own version.
Adding More Colors
I think it’s essential to start with two yellows, two reds, and two blues. The number and variety of colors that can be mixed from this limited palette is amazing. Here are some other colors you might consider adding to your collection:
Yellow Ochre This organic, muted yellow tends to be on the slightly orange side. It’s one of the oldest natural pigments found in prehistoric cave paintings.
Burnt Sienna This natural, organic pigment is orangey-brown. It tends to be transparent and strong. I use it in conjunction with blues to create deep, rich browns and blacks.
White Use white to lighten colors, as well as make colors opaque.
Neutral Grays There are many varieties of grey. Some are more brown or orange, and some are more blue. I prefer a neutral gray on the blue side. This color is sometimes called Payne’s gray or neutral tint. When purchasing a color, look at the manufacturer’s chart to see what it says about the color so you have a visual idea before purchasing it.
Granulating Paints Granulating watercolors can add dramatic effects to a painting with very little effort. The trick is to use them with lots of water and lots of paint. This landscape was done using only one color, Moonglow by Daniel Smith.
Favorite Colors I find it impossible to not have my favorite color, purple, in my box of colors. I know how to mix various shades of purple, but I can’t resist having it on its own as well. If you have a favorite color or colors, it is always a great addition to your palette!
Pick and choose your colors wisely. Go for the best and brightest colors you can afford. Look for artist- or professional-grade colors that are lightfast. Avoid buying sets unless you get a super sale, as many colors will never be used. Select reputable manufacturers that sell individual colors to cut down the cost when replenishing supplies.
Color Mixing
Color Saturation
Each color has a saturation level. This means that it reaches a level of coverage and depth on the paper without being mixed with anything else, similar to working monochromatically in graphite—each pencil has a different saturation level. A 9H pencil saturates to a pale grey, while a 9B pencil saturates to almost black.
Yellow has the lightest value and saturates quickly. The tonal range for yellow is 0% to 30%. Extending the range of yellow requires the addition of another color. In this example, a neutral was added to both yellows. The end of the scale for each yellow results in a mixture that is no longer yellow. Violet-blue has a much darker value and broader tonal range. When a neutral is added to extend the range, the color is altered but still a violet-blue.
Mixing Greens
Nature artists routinely go for every green paint, pencil, or pastel imaginable. You can mix easily mix a huge variety of greens using the two yellows and two blues in your limited palette. Generally, if you want a bright, clear green, combine green-blue with green-yellow. Adding violet-blue into the mix adds a bit of red. When any combination of red, yellow, and blue are put together, the colors begin to go muddy, darker, and neutral.
Creating Recipes
For this kind of exercise, I created another type of template. I mixed all the colors on the palette, starting with the yellows and slowly adding the blues. I wet the paper first and then added paint, starting with the darkest value and adding water to dilute the paint for the lighter values.
I do this kind of color mixing for all projects, whether in watercolor, watercolor pencils, colored pencils, gouache, or pastels. Keeping a color mixing journal will add to your swatch library and help build confidence. For my journal, I use loose ring binders and keep my swatches on the ring. Like a chef or baker refers to the recipe box, when I’m working on a new illustration I can pull any card and look at my notes to recreate the color. I encourage you to create your own system, and add to it as you increase your color inventory.
