MTM Classroom: Limited Palette Colour Mixing and Practical Techniques

[noodle1]

Hi Chris I'm here just been a little preoccupied but I'm going to print out everything to catch up. Everyone is doing such a great job, agree with Maureen first step is thinking not really much one can do about the differences in printers or screen displays. Second step would be giving it a go regardless, third step is for me to shut up and get busy ...LOL

Hope you both feel better Kate!

Really fine class Chris! I'll be back.

Hugs,
Elaine

[Artchrispy]

Thanks Patti, Maureen, and Elaine!
See what you mean Maureen, our mixing attempts only need to match our own references. But wait a minute, it's easier to cheat too. We can paint our colors and then adjust our references to match or own mixes.
Take your time Patti and Elaine. These three palette mixing exercises are the only time consuming and challenging exercises. The final , super fun exercise, will take no time at all and you won't even have to mix even a single color.

[Charlie's Mum]

you won't even have to mix even a single color

- no? - only multiples eh? Hehehe.

I used to do a lovely exercise with the 11yr olds when getting them to enjoy paint - they ended up with very colourful chrysanths, light centres and going through glorious tints to pure colour for the petals. It also made them use the brush shape for the petals so getting the shape was easy-peasy
It's a great relaxation and enjoyment exercise!

[Artchrispy]

From the previous exercises we can see probably 80% or more of the colors we needed to mix fell somewhere in the middle value range and were not pure in saturation.
(See attachment- The majority of the value equivalents of the previously mixed palettes belong somewhere near the middle of the scale.)
Since adding grey is an option for reducing color saturation, and since most of our colors need to be adjusted to a middle grey value, another possible mixing option is to start our mixures by mixing into a pile of middle grey paint. Middle grey tube paints are sold for this purpose, or you can mix your own. This works by first mixing the top level hue and then added it in small quantities into your base of middle grey. You will might have to make micro adjustments for value. Saturation is controlled by the amount of hue you add into your neutral grey. Try this too please when you are mixing your palettes!
It's a very fast way to arrive at your mixture. Of course this won't work for the lightest nor darkest needed values- but usually those values require fewer adjustments in saturation.
When your mixing your palettes see if you can mix a few of the same colors with a middle grey base.
I promise only one remaining exercise, and it's fun! For that exercise, if you don't own any, please pick up some cheap colored pencils. No need to get the expensive kind. Only one color per hue family needed. These won't be mixed, so no need for a blending pen. But you do need to buy an expensive electric pencil sharpener, preferably at Staples.

[Charlie's Mum]

I've sussed it Chris - you have shares in Staples!!!!!!!!!!

Keep the exercises coming I say - we're not letting you off early, no way!!

Where's Susan when you need her eh? - better get the whip out

[Artchrispy]

Hey Maureen, Sorry I posted over you. Hey -I forgot to mention the multi phase final exam too- not technically an exercise.
Do you think I should have started with the grey pile mixing or the traditional hvs? Adding a complement to a mixture to neutralize it to me still seems like witchcraft.
Snuzin Susan, sleeping in class again. Come on Susan. I pulled the part about having to paint in the contour drawings. All you have to do is mix the palettes, but now with the added challenge of incorporating a mid grey base.

[PattiLou]

Question for the teacher??? What do you use for your mid-grey base? Are you mixing yours or do you use a tube paint? If you use a tube paint which one? Just curious what your preference is. At one time I had some neutral grey tube paint... will have to check it out and see if I still have it. I had some paints that I threw out because they were old, yukky, and some got frozen. It may have been in that batch.

If you mix your grey what do you use (meaning what particular colors) to make sure it is neutral and not leaning toward warm or cool?

Just had to give the teacher some homework.

[Kathrin G.]

Sorry for having been missing a couple of days
But my knee was bugging me too much to get comfy in the studio so I chillaxed with my book on the couch instead
But I am back now and going to get mixing tonight and tomorrow ..... BIG promise

[Artchrispy]

Thanks Patti and Kathrin

Sorry to hear about your knee Kathrin. Take your time. No hurry. Now don't try mixing on any knee pain medication. I don't want to be responsible for any mishaps. Don't operate any heavy machinery either.

Thanks Patti.
I'm still just experimenting but I like this method so I don't have enough experience to recommend a brand yet. This technique is new to me but I love it as it sort of guarantees you won't over -saturate. Plus, you are already in the correct value neighborhood of the majority of your target colors.
So far I've only used student tubes of neutral gray -a Talens brand (from a Christmas gift set) and an Americana slate grey which I purchased just to experiment. All those threads about craft brands made me want to try it. Just kidding, but I loved the Americana! - wish it was artist grade. Maybe a student grade neutral wouldn't really matter if your tube hues are artist grade? Don't want to start a debate here.

I also mixed liquitex gesso and black which works fine. I've usually mixed my own greys to tone my canvasses, usually with a gesso and mars black, or a black mixed from french ultramarine and burnt umber. Sometimes I would then add some color into the grey to tone the canvas to the general color harmony of the painting. The gesso and black always worked great! I recently watched a painting video by Scott Christensen. He buys his neutral greys only to save time in mixing them himself. However, he is an oil painter, but we can mix with gesso which is relatively inexpensive.

I was in Michaels Art Supply a few days ago and noted liquitex has a neutral grey which I will try, but I was satisfied with the gesso plus black for mixing and canvas toning.

If desired, to beat the temperature issue of a mixed grey, one small drop of either cad yellow or ultramarine will bend the neutral to the desired direction. If your subject is warm you can even bend the neutrals warm before you start. I didn't have to modify the Americana nor my own grey mixture in terms of temperature.

I guess, since we are mixing with warm and cool primaries, by the time we add our top level hues, any temperature issues in the neutral will be resolved just in the adding of those hues.

Before this method I tried a way of painting more transparently on a neutral grey support. Works a little the same way I guess- the painting is already in the correct midvalue neighborhood. The saturation is determined by how sparsely the pigments spread, like in watercolor. A loose dispursement of pigment is another way to reduce saturation. I once read some of the early watercolorists used to paint on grey paper and would then "heighten" with white.

[Charlie's Mum]

First, what you're doing is fine Chris - good practice!
I'm looking forward to trying your 'grey' method because it's not one I've used before- see, never to old to learn!!

I did my pinks and yellow mixes this afternoon - had problems scanning to get the sample palettes you set and my painted ones to look right - I promise you that the mixes are much closer in reality than they seem to be on these scans!
I used the more saturated pinks palette rather than the first paler one.





I'll be back tomorrow

[Artchrispy]

Fantastic Maureen. Noticed how you also combined two primaries in some cases. Using one primary to modify another is a great technique. Perfect score here! Looks great! They say that mixing two tube colors together automatically reduces saturation. The closer the hues on the wheel, the less the reduction in saturation. Using two primaries together in a mixture is a grey way to diminish that reduction if necessary.

[Artchrispy]

Here's a link to Scott Christensens site. From one of his videos I learned he uses a limited palette with only three primaries and relies heavily on a neutral tube grey. He says his limited palette ensures color harmony since all the colors are usually mixed into one another. The tube grey is always on his palette. Please check out his gallery.
http://www.christensenstudio.com/Art...&Akey=TVKNT9F5

[Charlie's Mum]

Thanks Chris - I'll take a look at that link/site.

Mixing primaries is bound to reduce saturation levels when you think about it - neither one can dominate if more or less mixed in equal amounts - so it makes sense!
I always try to add touches of the other colours on my palette throughout a piece - as you say, it gives harmony and colours are always related to each other. Doesn't stop exciting things happening either

I need some Tit white, so I think I'll push the boat out and buy some grey too - that'll be a first, but it will save me mixing it when I try out this method .... looking forward to that!

********

Kathrin - hope the knee's improving.

[Genlisae]

I am tucking all of this away for study in a few days. Actually I am downloading it to the laptop. My brother has suffered an aneurysm and they won't let me set up my easel in the ICU waiting room (cause they are no fun! lol) while we wait for surgeries and test results so I have been scanning the homework when I get home each night/morning.

I am anxiously awaiting the upcoming coloured pencils assignment, they will let me use those while we wait!

[Artchrispy]

Hi Kate- so sorry to hear about your brother! We will pray he is going to be ok! (I'll try to have the exercise uploaded by tomorrow night to help pass the time.) Hope everything is going to be ok! Hang in there!