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
Comments (44)
Lisa Flaherty
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Oops! Forgot to mention that I subscribe to your blog via email! Definitely want my name to be entered twice for your lovely giveaway! I really don’t like gesso (trying not to be judgmental!) and I know it is because I do not know how to use it, so I KNOW I would greatly benefit from your class! Thanks again for the chance!
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Sue W
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congratulations! I am fairly new to your blog and enjoy it immensely. I subscribe through RSS so I don’t miss anything. Choosing your most dedicated reader is a great idea!
I would like to learn more about colour.
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Natalie Hall
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Congratulations Nathalie!! I love your heart!!!
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Rhonda Zamora
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Since Creative Jump Start, I have visited your blog every afternoon. Thanks for all of your instruction and inspiration! I would love to win a spot in your class. I would like to learn more about Gel Medium and Gesso etc..
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Anne-Mette
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Congratulations Nathalie…. I just recently discovered your blog (you had a fast forward post on Julies blog) and I’ve been by almost daily ever since :-) Right now I’m taking your acrylic class and I’m having so much fun learning all theese new tecniques and incoorporating them in my paintings. learning new stuff and putting your own spin at it is GREAT :-) If I had to choose a topic other than the ones you’re allready doing it would be composition. Looking forward to coming back….
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Anne-Mette
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oops… didn’t think my comment had been posted. sorry for the duplicate :-)
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Anne-Mette
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Congratulations Nathalie. I’m a fairly new reader of your blog, but have been coming steady since I discovered you (since you had a fast forward-post on Julies blog :-) ) I’m know taking your acrylic class and I’m enjoing it so much and have been incoorporating different techniques in my paintings. always great to learn new stuff and put you own spin at it. If i had to choose a topic other than the things you’re allready doing, it could be composition…. I would love to hear your words on that :-)
thank you for the opporunity to win a spot on the gesso-class. (also a medium a just discovered recently….)
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Angelika Westermann
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Hi Natalie,
I only recently dicovered your blog – Julie Fei-Balzer pointed me to you some weeks ago and I immediately subscribed to it. What I really loved so far was your discourse on colors. This leads me to the interesting question if you could also give some informal lessons on the integral parts of design – line, space, contrast etc. This is a topic which always seems to be thought of as “has to be known”, however, having no artistic education whatever it often leaves me confused.
Oh, and by the way: Congratulation to your anniversary and thank you very much for that giveaway. Would love to win it.
Angelika
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Maria Schmidt
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Wow, du altes Eisen! ;-) So lang bist du schon dabei und so lang les ich schon deinen Blog! Wahnsinn! Ich finds super das du Schritt in die Selbständigkeit gewagt hast und so erfolgreich bist! Jaja, auch ich gehöre zu den Leuten, die meistens nur lesen, aber leider keinen Kommentar hinterlass – schäm!
Ich gelobe Besserung! Ich trink dann heut Abend ein Gläschen an dich und wünsch dir weiterhin viel Erfolg und viele glückliche kreative Ergüsse!
xoxoxoxoxo Maria
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Lynne N
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Congrates. That shows dedication on your part. I love your blog.
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Lisa crofts
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Congrats on 6 years natalie. I love all the posts i have read this year. I might have to go back and check out vintage stuff.
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Nancy C
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Congratulations to Sue! How sweet, Nathalie, to recognize her so! And congratulations to you with your 6 year blogoversary!
As to topics? Hmmm…I’d love to learn more from you about texture, gesso, acrylic paints … ok, anything! (lol)
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Sue Clarke
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SIX years is a long time to be giving out free information to the crafty world.
I am so pleased that you are able to make it your career!
One day we will meet and I can not tell you how honored I am that you have picked me to receive the free class Nat!
{BIG HUGS}…your biggest fan:-)
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jjsobeyj
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COngrats on 6 years! I’ve been subscribed for a quite a while through google reader. I’m one of those ones who lurks a lot but forgets to comment. I enjoy your tips & tricks kind of posts, but I have to say… my favorite type are the ones when you show something you weren’t satisfied with and then change it to make it something you love. Thanks for all the great posts!
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Marjie Kemper
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How fabulous, Nat! Congrats on six years of this… bet you had no idea with that first post where you would be, how much in your life would change, and how influential you would be to so many artists and would-be-artists around the world. I am delighted to have met you in person as well as connecting this way on a regular basis! As someone who has taken your class in person as well as online I think my suggestion would be… any thing YOU want to teach, girlfriend!
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Liz Thayne
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Ni Nat, Happy Blog-aversary! I only discovered your blog a few months ago but I now eagerly await the Email with a new post. I have learned so much from your tutorials and find your post amusing and inspirational. Heres to the next 6 years and more. I must say your English is a million times better than my German! Keep up the good work.
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Patricia Huber
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Natalie!
I ALWAYS read your blog and often get a big chuckle from them. You have such a nice sense of humor! I’ve especially enjoyed the “color” stories this past week or so. It was good to get a little theory mixed in with your usual comments (not that I don’t like your usual comments ha ha).
I wish I could take one of your classes in person but unless you come to the east coast of the United States, that might be difficult. Keep up the good work with your blog!
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___Caroline___
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Congratulations Nathalie,
We love reading your post, they are always very inspirational. Thank you for sharing so much…
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christy comstock
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I have been loving your posts! The color tutorials have been awesome!!
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