I have listed the first 3 posts in this series the bottom of this post in case you are joining a tad later :)

OK- so in the last thread we talked about the color wheel and you might think, great…so what am I supposed to do with this round thing of colors? Well well…don’t forget, I am a Kraut…so this is an organized series- LOL. First things first.

Now…sometimes when you have a paint media – things get a bit confusing – like when you buy PanPastels:

OK- so Phthalo Green – and then the same color in a tint and a shade- but what the dillio- what does it mean?

Here is a simple explanation:  A tint is any mixture of a bright “pure” color with white. A shade is any mixture of a “pure” color (also referred to as a hue) with black. A tone is a mixture of gray (white + black) and the “pure” color. (source Wikipedia)

So that actually means if you would just buy PanPastels in the colors Phthalo Green, White and Black- you could actually mix four other colors with those colors:

And because I am a lazy girl- I buy sometimes often the Shades and the Tints too. But if you are totally into mixing or you are on a budget….this is quite good to know, isn’t it?

So now…if you take into account the last post on Colors Are You Friends:

When my students for the PanPastel Class ask me, which colors they should buy for the class – what do you think my answer might be?

Exactly – I tell them to get for the beginning five colors: Yellow, Blue, Red, White and Black. Because…they cannot only mix all the Secondary Colors and the Tertiary Colors with those colors- no no….they can also mix all the Shades and Tints and Tones with those colors. That leaves them with how many possibilities?

Exactly- LOL- I have no clue- but it is a lot ;)

BTW – if you are interested in my Über*Media PanPastel Online Class- you can find it here.

Now that we have talked about the attitudes of our friends, their relationship on the color wheel and their tones and shades behind us- we can really turn our mind to more fun things – and try to answer the question:

But hey- this post today and yesterday was a lot to take in, wasn’t it? Tell you what, I give you a little break and come back next week, singing for you ;)

Have an amazing day with lot’s of tints and shades :)

Nat

RELATED ARTICLES

• Colors Are Your Friends or let’s talk a bit of “my” Color Theory I
• Colors Are Your Friends or let’s talk a bit of “my” Color Theory II
• Colors Are Your Friends or let’s talk a bit of “my” Color Theory III

Nat

Now we have talked about our friends in the last two parts…they are quite a handful, aren’t they? I also got introduced to your friends…Loved what I was reading:

Sue Clarke: Purple…so royal and yet playful!…

Dottie: Loved your posts on color! Made me think that black and white are sort of like the adults. All the other color children are running around on the canvas displaying all their glory and exuberence in their own personality and style, The adults come in to offer a little containment and accent…

Caroline: you could do white, even if it is a bit the same as black some people say it’s not a color. But there are a lot of other voices that are saying that white is the color that means pure, hope, innocence, clean, …Then there is pink that is totally “think pink” Red the color off passion and warmth…

So now that we have thought a bit about their personality we might wanna study our friends a bit more. Kind of like the CSI of colors ;)

Remember the Color Wheel?

Good old color wheel – that is how I started years ago exploring colors. I made one for you…actually the plan was that you could download it…but you know…smarty-pants forgot that her scanner is not THAT big – so the color wheel is bigger than the size of my scanner…and …oh well…

BUT- you can definitely make your own …*snigger* or you just google color wheel if you are lazy and you will find thousands and can just download one of them.

So let’s start with some basics here and we talk about pigment colors…because color theory is so much more complicated (just open your printer and look which colors are in there to be mixed- different world!)…we keep it easy, ok?  – for most of you it is a refresher I’m pretty sure- but it is never bad to get some refreshing, right?

Primary Colors:

Your friends Red, Blue and Yellow carry the last name Primary. Those guys cannot be created by mixing any of the other colors out there. But- they have super powers ….they can be mixed to create all kinds of other colors on the color wheel.

Check out where they are located on the color wheel.

So what does that mean for you if you love to play with Paint Media?

Well…I would recommend to really have those three colors, because you simply will never be able to create them on their own with other colors. I know, sounds like obvious….but sometimes the obvious is hidden ;)

Secondary Colors:

Now these guy’s last name is ….Secondary…Ding Ding Ding Ding ;)

Not the coolest name right? Always the second…never the first….LOL. That doesn’t make them less attractive or nice though. In fact I love the Secondary Guys :) mmmh- why my friends are all of a sudden guys, no idea..let’s roll with it.

So they are Secondary because they come out when you mix the Primary Guys.

Yellow and Red = Orange

Blue and Yellow = Green

Blue and Red = Purple

So check out where they are on the color wheel ? EXACTLY :)

And because you see it- you know already who is missing on the color wheel and you might assume right why they are called:

Tertiary Colors:

So Tertiary are those colors that are the result of mixing a primary and a secondary color. Those friends are Yellow-Orange or Blue-Green and so on. That is why they are located in between the Primary Colors and the Secondary Colors. Pretty nifty those friends- just as in real life- sometimes your friends fall in Love with each other and produce a new little one ;) LOL- sorry- couldn’t resist.

Now off to you:

If you take one paint media you own – say all your acrylic paints colors or waterbased spray paints or one company for example, which of the colors on the color wheels do you have covered and which would you be able to mix if you take in account what we already said about mixing?

Now if you think about this way- you might realize that you have way more options then you thought you would have – or you just figured that you definitely need some more colors to cover your possibilities. What you think do you need more or are you good to go?

Next time we talk about how we make colors sing :)

Have a gorgeous colorful day!

Nat

Related articles

• Colors Are Your Friends or let’s talk a bit of “my” Color Theory I
• Colors Are Your Friends or let’s talk a bit of “my” Color Theory II

Nat

Here is a little sneak at the Hello Sunshine Kit by Cocoa Daisy coming this June :)

The name says it all this month. Happy colors of reds and yellows, sprinkled with blues and greens will greet you when you open your June kit, Hello Sunshine. Exclusive Ormulu Flappers and Cocoa Daisy stamps meet up with paper and embellishments from Jillibean Soup, a just-released, brand new Simple Stories line, Lilybee, and Basic Grey, to name just a few of the many manufacturers represented in this kit. You’re going to want to sit back and soak it all up come June, it’s time to say hello to creativity!

 

And even though Hello Sunshine is packed to the brim full of scrappy goodness, once you see the FOUR add ons this month, you’ll want to get a couple of those too.

Check out the patterned paper add on, Shades:

Then there’s Wide Brim, because you might need more of the new Summer Fresh from Simple Stories, frames from American Crafts, and bits and pieces from Jillibean Soup and Lilybee.

All this sunshine leads to Freckles, but not the sunkissed variety, instead the add on has lots of Pink Paislee and a dash of Basic Grey and American Crafts.

Finally, there’s the Embellishment Pack featuring more Basic Grey, some Echo Park and, well, we’ll let you try to figure out the rest. We promise it’s fabulous!

And a little peek at the June Stamps:

Can’t wait to dig into the kit and start playing :)

Have a wonderful day and see you Monday for a new episode of “Colors Are Your Friends”

Nat

Nat

If you missed the first part of this series – you might want to check out this post first, so you know what me crazy girl is talking about ;)

So I introduced you to my friends Yellow, Blue and Red…let’s see who else is there.

My buddy Orange  is pretty social and communicative. Most of my friends like Orange. Orange also makes other friends stand out, Orange pushes them, but in a good way. Orange is warm and fun.

Next up is

Green is actually one of my very best and oldest friends. It is variable and contradictory at times. Green likes to blend in with my other friends, which makes it very easy to get along with green. Green doesn’t like conflicts and it is a good mentor to ease things. Green stabilizes. It is my most constant partner :)

Now next

I know, I know…some evil tongues say Black is not a friend aka color. Pah…that is bullying! Black is an awesome friend. It is all friends! Black is serious, and sometimes a bit humorless, but Black can be such a great supporter if you do not take Black to serious. Black also has this amazing ability to make other friends shine. Black in doses is awesome….but if you are around Black too much it might make you depressive so you have to pick your time with Black wisely ;)

Well…now that I introduced you to my friends- I will be talking about mixing and matching in the next “Colors are Your Friends” Post. Hope you enjoyed the first two parts :)

Now…is there a color I didn’t introduce that you think has a certain personality?

Nat

Related articles

• Colors Are Your Friends or let’s talk a bit of “my” Color Theory I (nathaliesstudio.com)

Nat

Some very good friends of mine have a new addition to their family  – I am sooo excited for and with them :)

For the little one I made this Lullaby Canvas – truly hoping they will like it…cause …I am sure the little one will not start throwing its rattle against it…or maybe it will? LOL

The canvas was inspired by the amazing Sue Pelletier and an old German Lullaby song “Weißt Du wieviel Sternlein stehen?” which means translated “Do You Know How Many Stars There Are?”

Here is the song for you…please do not listen to it before you finished your day tasks- LOL- remember it is a Lullaby song and I don’t wanna be responsible for your head falling down onto the keyboard…;)

weisst_du_wie_viel_sternlein_stehen

ah …you know…I better make this post an evening post ;) …oh wait…evening in which part of the world? ….LOL

I used heaps of paint media – eager as always seeing how they work together ;)

PaintMedia: Liquitex Gesso, Derwent Inktense Blocks and Derwent ArtBars, Liquitex Acrylic Inks, Liquitex Heavy Gel Medium, Liquitex Super Heavy Body Paint  – FUN!

It was fun to work a bit more with burlap – I love that material and a new material for me: paper clay- which is what Sue Pelletier is very well-known for. Love the possibilities of this. The rest is old news…some tissue paper, metal pieces, wire, ephemera, fabric, canvas fabric and yet putting it all together and getting excited each day as a project evolves is fun. And my fave is thinking I make this for friends I love during the process. This canvas is full of fun memories of times I spent with the amazing parents of the little one. I so miss them here! Now hope they don’t read my blog- LOL- because the package is still traveling overseas.

Speaking of Lullabies…which comes to your mind?

Wishing you sweet dreams tonight :)

Nat

Nat

Are you ready to take the second floor this time? If you have no clue what I am talking about- read all about it here  The Second Floor Challenge

So today is our fourth Second Floor Challenge: Circles

Click here to see what Julie did

Whatever that means to you or however it inspires you.  The prompt is simply meant to get you started.  The level of challenge you aim for is entirely internal and up to you.

Circles…I love circles…Circles are a big part of my creating ….I use them often…hand drawn, cut out of paper, made with markers. Circles are just such an amazing form to tie elements on a layout or project together. And so I decided I would this time just start with circles, instead of adding them later to my work and see where those circles would lead me to.

I started out on some water-color paper, drawing circles and adding some Derwent Inktense Blocks to it. Then I grabbed my Derwent ArtBars and added some more colors to the circles- simply just playing.

I liked the outcome but what to do with it?

So I decided to take those circles to the 2nd Floor. I chose a paper- a Pink Paislee Mistable Paper – which I would usually transform, as this is what they are made for. Those papers are giving you permission to play with water based paint media on top to change the color of the background to your liking and reveal through a resist some nice patterns on the paper. But I decided to let the background be as it is….and added the circles.

I added some marker circles and then I decided to actually go also a different design route. I wanted to place the photo in a for me unusual way – so I placed it in the right corner and I also wanted the circles to be part of the focal point even thought I kind of clustered them. So I formed my visual triangle, that leads the eye including the circles as a part forming the triangle.

(photo credit: helene larsson)

I really love this – although it is a bit different from what I usually do

What I learned from this challenge:

1. Circles are a great starting point to warm up and then do something new with them.
2. I like hand cut circles more than perfect cirlces…I think it just fits better with my style
3. It is fine to leave a paper that is made for changing the color as it is
4. Breaking habits on where to place stuff is fun – it lead me to something I really like
5. I like how the Derwent ArtBars and Derwent Inktense Blocks work together
6. playing with watercolor paper and including that into my projects is a new passion of mine- there is just something about this paper that makes me think “you deserve to be used more often because you are beautiful!”
7. This challenge also lead me to thinking how much I love what I do – how happy it makes me to teach and see students be inspired and that inspires me….the circle closes…..

If you’d like to show off your response to this Second Floor challenge, leave a link!

have a wonderful day

hugs

Nat

Nat

A couple of months ago, knowing that this would be a weekend without traveling and actually without my sweet other half (this time he was traveling)…I had signed up for a Collage workshop at the Hamburger Kunsthalle (art museum here in Hamburg). When the day approached I was almost ready to skip it…so much stuff to do – wouldn’t it be rather smart to stay home and just work?

Nope…I decided in the morning, after I had a nice breakfast…NOPE….I will go and enjoy this day!

Now, I can see beauty in this spider (my Australian mates may remember my fear of spiders ;) ) – this Maman by Louise Bourgeois ! What an amazing installation. Gotta go back before that exhibitions ends. Later in the day there was a couple dancing tango under the spider. It was a wonderful sight and very romantic.

Before the workshop started we all went through the museum and looked at the Exhibition which was called Exhausted Heroes. It featured the work of Ferdinand Hostler, Aleksandr Dejneka and Neo Rauch. The painting above- and no those cell phone pictures do no justice to those paintings, you have to see them in real live- is by Neo Rauch – love his work and color combinations.

We mostly looked at Neo Rauch’s Work as it is very figurative and it goes into collage painting. This above painting of him was the last we looked at and really inspired we made our way back to the museum’s workshop rooms.

It was amazing- there was no explanation needed on what to do, we had simply looked at those paintings, were totally inspired, nobody talked and we all just grabbed magazines and paints – and started working. Look at the first row of work….can you see how the last painting inspired most of us in the color choices?

It was fun to be in a total different place with different materials and just use what was there.

It was also very interesting to work on a totally different scale – this is appr. 12 x 17 inches.

We always talked about our work afterwards and it was interesting to see what the others had created and what they thoughts were. It was so inspiring and amazing.

For the last piece I forced myself to choose a different color combination from my usual ones…

And…shocking…hold on to your seats now…I love this one….yes I do …it makes me smile and I enjoyed creating it a lot. I call it “The American Dream” .Your interpretation to think why I chose this title- LOL.

And the moral of this story? Well…sometimes you need a ME-Day, relax, have a scrumptious breakfast, go out into the air, meet new people and do what you love in a different environment. I was in such a friendly happy mood when I came home – ahhhhh!!!! And it made working on sunday so much easier…I got twice as much stuff done then usual…so the “lost day” was actually well invested ;)

Looking forward to the next ME-day I penciled into my calendar.

What would you do if you had a Me-Day?

Nat

Nat

This weekend was reveal day at Cocoa Daisy and we adjoined it with a fun crop! The May Kit called Graffiti Bridge has amazing colors- I had a lot of fun playing with it

I found this photo in a thrift store. The Journaling reads:

Grete, Martha and Hermine couldn’t be more different and yet they loved and supported each other all the time. They knew Grete didn’t want to marry Wilhelm and they promised her to support her however her struggles with father would end up! 1913

supplies: Cocoa Daisy May Kit, Maya Mist, Ranger Dabber, Derwent Inktense Blocks, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L MyStik

The next layout was inspired by Anna Björklund (so looking forward seeing thisgirl the coming weekend at the Scrapbooking med Hjärta Event in Sweden), who challenged us to create a layout with a flap…like a picnic basket:

Besides the kit I used: Ranger Dylusions, Liquitex Ink, Eco Green Crafts Glass Glintz, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L MyStik and Crafty Power Tape

I used some Liquitex Ink of the Glass Glintz – easy to heat up because it is recycled glass – so no worries with the heat.

I just had fun using vibrant colors inside

I manipulated the photo by using also Liquitex Ink on top – so love the colors and possibilities of them!

The next layout was inspired by a color challenge by Lisa Saunders– she is amazing !

Just a little not to self…;) I used the Cocoa Daisy Stamps with Liquitex Ink- can you say addicted? LOL

What is your favorite paint medium lately?

Have a gorgeous creative day!

hugs

Nat

Nat