Colour mixing and and use of complements. Skin and tones. Characteristics of pigments.

 

Charles Reid Watercolours

Charles Reid was an icon of American figurative Watercolour. Straightforward and gestural, he often shunned many convectional watercolour techniques, taking a direct, almost arbitrary approach to form and colour: splashes of high chroma colour, often applied seemingly with abandon. Don’t be fooled by the inherent looseness though, Charles Reid was invariably careful not to overwork and many of the effects are carefully thought through. Look for example, at the extent of white space (untouched paper) in many of his paintings – invariably used for contrast and also design.

Whilst developing my style, I often wished that my work would channel a little Charles Reid and was surprised that what came through was something different. There’s the rub: in the end, work will reflect you more than your influences!

Colour and Colour Mixing

Whether you’re new to colour practices, or want a refresher, a great start is to investigate the mixing of colours in a colour wheel. Using your own colours rather than those any website or book might recommend is where the real value lies. There’s no theory that can replace the experience of how your tubes mix together – it’s a tangible, real-world experience.

Firstly, become comfortable with the basics of the colour wheel. Most art books have something sensible to say about this and a good summary is contained in the first couple of sections on this website: http://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory

Secondly, watch the following video, which summarizes my approach to colour and mixing:

Exercises

1. Now see if you can develop a colour wheel along similar lines – repeat the video, pausing as you go. My approach is to follow a variation of a palette based on 2 versions of each primary, in “warm” and “cool” versions. This aids more predictable colour mixing.
2. When you have finished following the video, prove to yourself that you can “decolour” each of the primaries by mixing in a little of the complement: what tonal colour does each give?
3. Finally, take one of your tonal colours: burnt or raw Sienna, yellow oxide/ochre, burnt or raw umber…it’s not really important which – put out a small squirt and then see if you can replicate the same colour by mixing just the primaries together…as you see, that same target tone will appear…perhaps a little magically!

Exercise

1. Now see if you can develop a colour wheel along similar lines – repeat the video, pausing as you go. My approach is to follow a variation of a palette based on 2 versions of each primary, in “warm” and “cool” versions. This aids more predictable colour mixing.
2. When you have finished following the video, prove to yourself that you can de-colour each of the primaries by mixing in a little of the complement: what tonal colour does each give?
3. Complete a  quick study using a complement pair for lights and shadows. The following study, for example, is predominantly formed through a yellow-purple complementary contrast.

 

 

Skin and Tones

During every term, I used to dread covering skin tones because everyone is looking for guidance and of course there is no such thing as “Skin Colour” and no simple answer. I solved my dilemma recently by talking about skin and tones, in a more open and I trust creative approach to the subject. Take a look at the following video in which I outline an approach that uses a simple, primary-based palette and equally, gives plenty of opportunity to explore aspects of colour in portraits.

 

Method

My approach to skin and tones is as simple as I can make it, so that I can concentrate on painting rather than all the colours that I “should” be using.

A cool red (Alizarin) and a cool yellow (lemon) (mixed with white in acrylic and oil (titanium) or using  translucency in watercolour) to get colours for mid-tones (and lights). Both colours have a little blueness to them …that’s why they are cool. This prevents the tones becoming too “band-aidey”. With darker tones I may add a little blue (but not always).

In watercolour shadows, I use the same two colours and often add a touch of blue: cerulean and yellow for greenish darks and ultramarine and Alizarin for purplish darks. I’ll typically wash on transparent blues, greens and purples without much mixing.

Exercise

1. Mix variations of ultramarine, then cerulean into separate yellow/red skin washes, mixing on your palette and applying to your paper (wet on dry).
2. Repeat with the same colours, this time dowsing the blues into wet washes that are already applied to the paper (wet on wet). Quite different effects, eh!

Glazed colour grid

Washing one colour over the other is often an excellent path to vibrant watercolour effects – note that over-mixing can create somewhat deadened effects. In the following video, I build a glazed grid of swaths of colour to show how pigments behave, one over the other:

Try to achieve mid-value swaths, ideally using a brush that is the same width as the band – the fewer brush marks the better! Remember to wait for the first pass to dry before completing the grid. A single pass for each application of colour is best…if you move your brush back and forth too much underlying colour will lift!

Exercise

1. Create a glazed colour grid with your colours as in the glazed colour grid video. You don’t have to have exactly the same tones. In fact, that’s where the value is: seeing how your colours combine.
2. Quiz questions – which is better for glazing, Yellow Ochre or Hansa Yellow? Likewise, would you choose Alizarin Crimson or Burnt Sienna?

 

Wow, there’s a lot to cover with colour – Give yourself a well earned pat on the back!