I get more questions about mixing color than any other subject. I've spent several decades looking for ways to teach people how to think about color in a way that mixing becomes second nature. In
doing so, one thing I've discovered is that few painters really know the characteristics of their own tube colors.
Let's backtrack a bit:
We can see the hue relationships of color when light rays are shot through a prism. But this spectrum tells us about only the hue, not about how
colors around us behave in values and intensities (saturations).
When it comes to understanding the colors we paint with, the spectrum gives us very little information beyond how hues get plotted on
a color wheel. Very few pigments are available in those spectrum colors. In fact, the majority of tube colors used by most artists are very different from spectrum hues.
Take the color Transparent Oxide Red by Rembrandt, for example. Only slightly does it resemble spectrum red. The
computer's color reader shows it as a dark value, lower saturation red. The difference is caused by the composition of the pigments, the same kinds of variations we find in most tube colors.
Let's look at another one: Rembrandt's Yellow Ochre.
The color reader shows this one as a middle value, lower saturation yellow leaning towards orange. Look at how different it is from spectrum yellow.
Let's look at one more.
Green is one of the most challenging colors of all. Here we see the difference between the chrome oxide green and spectrum green. The color reader shows chrome oxide in the darker middle value and the low saturation ranges.
If we don't know the full nature of our tube colors, we will spend a lot of time guessing when mixing colors. One of the best ways to better know our
colors is to spend a few hours getting yourself informed about the characteristics of each tube color you use.
Back in 2015, the 5th Quick Tip we did (while we were still learning how😊), shows you how to chart your tube colors according to their three major characteristics. Recently, I've upgraded the intensity chart I used in the Quick Tip so am
including the upgrade here below the video, along with a value scale in case you don't have one.
By clicking on this wheel, you will get a PDF downloadable and/or printable version.
By clicking on this scale, you will get a PDF downloadable and/or printable version.
Now that you've got instructions and a color wheel and value scale to guide you, it's time (if you've not done so already) to really get to know your tube
colors.
Have yourself a delightful weekend!
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