Sunday, August 26, 2012

THREE COLOR SCHEMES AND A CONTEST!

A Triadic color scheme is made up of three colors that are found an equal distance apart on the color wheel. The three primaries are a triad, as are the three secondaries. But don't stop there! In the example below, done by Geri Greenman, three intermediate colors have been used (red-orange, blue-violet, and yellow-green).
  
color harmony, colour, harmonious colors
Triads are equidistant on the color wheel.


Complementary color scheme, like the one below, uses the two colors that, uh, complement each other! They are pairs of colors found opposite each other on the color wheel. Below, the intermediate red-violet is complemented by yellow-green. 
color harmony, tutorial, art lesson
This example of color harmony was done in gouache.

 An artwork done in warm colors reminds us of fire and sunshine.
color harmony, color scheme, colour














Now for the contest portion of our program: If you're a follower of this blog, kindly leave a comment below this post if you wish to win a brand-new copy of the latest issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine! It's the September/October 2012 issue with my essay!


 mixed media

  

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Using Value in a Color Scheme

The Definition of Value
The value of a color is based on how light or dark it is. The easiest way to remember this is to picture a "grayscale," which runs from black to white with all the possible light, middle, and dark grays in between. The lighter the color, the higher its value. So a deep, royal blue is a lower value than a light, sky blue (a high value).
using values with color

Tip: An artist might find it helpful to use a variety of values in a single artwork, including white (or nearly white) and black (or nearly so).

Note: The scales below don't illustrate the lowest values (the colors with  lots of  black added).

high value, middle value, lower value, value scale
mixed media blogmixed media manic

Monday, August 13, 2012

Two Wall-Hung Pieces with Heaps of Texture

The first artwork is made of handmade paper, fibers, acrylic paint, and leaves.

texture
A natural twig is attached for hanging.

The second wall-hanging, below, consists of rusty metal, packing material, painted handmade paper, and wood.

handmade paper, rusty metal, found objects
This piece is made entirely of recycled materials.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Short How-to Video, a Painting Technique

I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch this, thinking kind thoughts since I was soooo pushing my envelope to do it. It's an imprinting method to use with watercolor or thin acrylics or inks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6GKGH06Q8U






               This method appears in the book, Painting with Mixed Media.