COLOUR PALETTES. HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN.
COLOUR PALETTES. HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN
CREATING YOUR OWN COLOUR PALETTE
In my post on ‘Colour Mixing for Artists and Aspiring Artist’ we touched on colour palettes. Let’s now delve into the myriad advantages that artists reap when they take the initiative to craft their own unique colour palettes. The colours you use become an extension of your voice as an artist. This allows you to convey the emotions, mood and atmospheres that you want. Your own colour palette is an unparalleled avenue for self-expression.
I keep a record of different colour palettes that I like when I see them. These might be in paintings, magazines, fabrics, interior designs, gardens or just walking in the countryside. The easy way I do this is with an album on my phone of screenshots.
INSPIRING OURSELVES WHEN WE CREATE
In my art classes we work a lot with layering paint. Layering builds a richer feel and more depth to our work. When you are painting and creating you rely on being inspired by what you have just done. This then sparks your imagination for the next layer and next stage of the painting. One of the biggest ways that we inspire ourselves, is in the colours we use. I started to truly understand this when my heart was beating a bit faster as certain colours appeared on the canvas in front of me. If you just bash out the under layers using up paint you have and without care or thought then your creative spark is not ignited to proceed.
I am a huge fan of playing in paint. If you have a small amount of time to do some painting, you can use this as a window of opportunity to play with some colour combinations. It helps you to practise your colour mixing. Just by making little patterns you start to get experience in creating different colour combinations.
THE VALUE OF THE UNNOTICED COLOUR IN YOUR WORK
It took me a long time in my own work to really appreciate the value of dark, sludgy colours and neutral tones. I was so taken with beautiful colours that I used too many of them in early paintings. What I now know is that the bright colours that we notice first are set off by the less impactful colours around them. A bit like a comedy duo of the comedian and the straight man.
Joseph Albers of the Bauhaus wrote a ground breaking book called ‘The Interaction of Colour in 1963. He taught us that ‘Colour is the most relative medium in art’. This means that one colour sets off another colour. The light colours in a painting are creating by the dark ones around them. If every colour was light then they would not have the same impact. His book is full of mind boggling examples of how any colour can appear quite different depending on the colours next to it and surrounding it and elsewhere on the page.
The focal point of a painting is often created by a very light colour next to a very dark colour. The surrounding colours are more mid tones.
So, once you have completed the colour mixing sections of the course, give thought to the colours you use in your next painting.
Good luck and enjoy experimenting. We will go into different colour palettes in later posts.
Recognized as a distinguished professional artist and educator, Emma Burnett brings decades of experience to the world of art education. With an exceptional talent for simplifying intricate concepts, Emma Burnett is a seasoned course creator renowned for making complex topics approachable. Her thorough understanding of art and keen ability to convey it in a relatable manner have empowered countless students, establishing Emma Burnett as an authority in teaching art. A driving force in the industry, she continues to inspire both novices and experienced artists alike, shaping a new era of artistic excellence
