The Artist's Road Painting the World's Beautiful Places

The Educated Palette

What every painter should know about palette
layout and basic color mixing

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   This article is in response to the many questions that our students and other beginning painters have asked about colors, color mixing and palette layout. The basic rules of color underlie every color mixing decision an artist makes. Therefore, an understanding of color theory is mandatory in order to grasp more sophisticated color interactions which are often the most critical aspects in a successful painting.  We recommend that students investigate the many thoroughly written books on color theory, such as, Colour Harmony & Contrast for the Artist by Michael Wilcox. (Additional book resources are at the end of the article.)
 
   Without light there would be no color. The colors that we detect are visible because light is illuminating them. If the object we are looking at reflects white light, we see it as white. If it absorbs white light, we see it as black. The absorption and reflection of different colors within light are what create the resulting viewed color. This is the basis of the subtractive color system. Paint uses the subtractive system to mimic the effects of light. Theoretically, one can paint with only the three primary colors of red, yellow and blue (plus white) and successfully produce any color. Mixing equal amounts of the three colors should produce a black, which then can be used to accent, or deepen all other colors. The addition of white will create the tints, or highlight colors. In this way, one could reproduce any color of visible light, in theory. What actually happens depends on which hue of red, yellow and blue one uses, and to some extent, which brand of that hue is used. This three primary color method is an excellent way to begin studying color, and by thoroughly investigating all the possible mixes from these three, a student can gain an advanced knowledge of colors and their mixes that will serve him or her well throughout their painting lives.

    (An additive, as opposed to subtractive, color system relates to projected light, like that of your computer monitor, where the mixing of differing amounts of red, green or blue light create the visible spectrum. In that system, mixing equal full-strength amounts of RGB together produces white light, and zero amounts of RGB produce black. All other colors are produced by varying the amounts of RGB.)

     


The Color Wheel

    A color circle, based on red, yellow and blue, is traditional in the field of art. Sir Isaac Newton developed the first circular diagram of colors in 1666. Since then, scientists and artists have studied and designed numerous variations of this concept. Differences of opinion about the validity of one format over another continue to provoke debate. In reality, any color circle or color wheel which presents a logically arranged sequence of pure hues has merit.

Red, yellow, and blue are called the Primary Colors of the standard color wheel.
The Secondary Colors are formed by mixing equal amounts of red and blue, red and yellow, and blue and yellow, respectively.
The Secondary Colors are: violet, orange and green.
The Tertiaries are combinations of Primary and Secondary colors.
Tertiary colors are: yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green
. 

Color and the Palette

This is an example of mixing the three secondary colors from the three primaries. In this illustration, we have used cadmium red light (twice), cobalt blue and cadmium yellow light, all by Gamblin. The same red was repeated for simplicity.

Complementary Color Mixes

   The lovely grays and browns that Sorolla called “the money colors” are made from the mixing of opposite or complementary colors on the color wheel.  As Joaquin Sorolla aptly put it, learning to mix complements into a rich variety of grays is a "must-do" skill for any painter, not just to sell paintings, but to make our work have dimension, life and power. Black and white can make a kind of gray, to be sure, but complements can make the world. When you study great masterpieces in museums, you will see their secret: most of these great paintings are built up from layers of mixed colorful grays, barely accented here and there by brighter key colors of pure hue.

   Below we have illustrated some complement mixes to give you an idea of the vast range of colorful "gray" tones one can achieve with just two colors.

Cobalt blue to cadmium orange

   To see three more examples of colorful grays created from complements along with more information on hue, temperature and value, white and black, and additional useful painting tips and books, please join us as a Member of The Artist's Road.

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