The last Challenge #12 we set you using only two colours – Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue, was a first of this type for many of you and, not surprisingly, caused a few problems. Therefore, rather than simply ticking this one off and moving onto something else, we have decided to carry on with this challenge, as understanding the principal of tone in painting is the key to “better” paintings!
We have therefore decided to produce this little guide to hopefully help you and bear in mind that what we discuss here will apply to all colour mixing! So try different colour combinations and see what happens – there is no better way than this to get to know them!
It may seem an obvious thing to say, but to successfully mix colours you first need to “know” your colours. This is not simply a case of knowing the basic colour chart with the Primary, Secondary colours etc., although that in itself is important.
Each manufacturer of paints, be it Daler Rowney Winsor and Newton, Schmincke etc. etc. each have their own recipes for making their paint, so you cannot rely on the name on the label. Burnt Sienna in one make will not necessarily be the same colour as Burnt Sienna in another – you have to work with your paints, and get to know how your colours react when applied to your surface and how they behave when mixed with other colours – this is the key to successful painting.