Color Wheels, Color Swatches, Color Studies, what do they teach us? Besides being an introductory practice to art, what is its purpose, really? It is more than you think. I have discovered several things in my renewed zeal for painting and creating these kaleidoscopes of color. I would like to share a few with you here.

I really like making them

There is something very soothing about the repetition involved with creating a color wheel. It takes me back to my first lessons, it was exciting to be working on beautiful color mixing. Basic skill doesn’t equate to boring, there is something rhythmic to this practice.

I have gotten to know my color palette much better

Currently, I am working from a very simple palette. I never thought that this would be so magical another lesson more is not always better when it comes to art supplies, I know, how can I even say that but this is true for me right now and I am embracing this idea wholeheartedly.

I can actually make more colors than I thought possible

I am taking an online painting course by Marion Parsons from Jeanne Oliver Studios. I have been studying oil painting and have enjoyed learning about this medium which happens to be the opposite of watercolors. So, this challenge has been fruitful for me as an artist. Part of the practice of this class has been to do several color wheels using all the different mediums but the same color palette.

Training my eye to see color differently

Often our eye sees what it wants. One of the ways I practice art is to use a critical eye. Really trying to separate what I think I see from what I actually see. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. It is like saying the sky is blue, however, there are other colors within the sky too, grays, blue-grays, blue-greens, and don’t get me started on whites. One way I have been doing this with paint mixing is by trying new things. Below is a picture practice for landscapes and I concentrated on greens and blues trying to get a much fuller, richer, and old-world feel to the colors I am using in my landscapes.

Relationships between Colors

This is important, what happens when I add a burnt Sienna to an Aquamarine Blue and what happens when the amounts vary? This is an important practice for the growing artist. An artist needs to understand the relationship between the amounts of color and how to get the color they need is important.

It is a preliminary practice

Sometimes I just need to get going and doing a color study is an easy first step to finding your artistic mojo and inspiration. It will never be wasted time.