It was a busy week. I have enough projects on my list to last a long time but without some kind of list and schedule I would be lost! I enjoyed trying the challenges on my Art Play Activity Guide but I admit I couldn't get to them all! So this week I am giving five daily prompts instead of seven. I hope you will join me and give them a try! Feel free to share them on the Patreon community page if you are a patron or tag me on Facebook or Instagram!
The first challenge is to paint using a monochromatic color scheme using your FAVORITE color. Here is a blog post from the archives for more information on this activity:
Color is everything. Or is it? Most of us are drawn to pastels because of the wonderful array of colors. They are all there in front of us. We don't have to mix them to see the possibilities. We want them all and we never have enough. But color can also be our downfall. You've heard it before:
Color gets the Glory but Value does the work.
If we don't get the values correct then all the colors in your box will not make the painting better. In fact the more colors we add to try to fix the painting the more we risk making mud. Value studies are good. Value block- ins are helpful. Lots of practice seeing value is important. I have a great exercise to try. Why not try limiting your palette?
I love painting with ONE COLOR....a Monochromatic color scheme. I pick a color and allow myself to use a full value range of that color. I give myself permission to use both warm and cool versions of my color. This gives me quite a few choices.
1. Working with one color helps the value challenged. If you have trouble simplifying a busy scene into a few values often adding color choices to the mix makes it even harder. Working with one color takes color out of the equation so that you can concentrate on getting the values correct.
2. Working with one color helps you become intimate with the color. Not only is it easier to see value within one color it is also easy to judge color temperature.....putting a cool yellow next to a warm one makes the difference between them more clear. Is one closer to orange? Is one closer to blue or green? It is easy to see when they are together.
3. Working with one color is manageable. Sometimes it is nice to keep things simple. Pick a color, any color and forget about all of the pastels in your boxes. Keep it simple and concentrate on your values or your composition or your strokes and mark-making. Give yourself one less thing to worry about!
2. Working with one color helps you become intimate with the color. Not only is it easier to see value within one color it is also easy to judge color temperature.....putting a cool yellow next to a warm one makes the difference between them more clear. Is one closer to orange? Is one closer to blue or green? It is easy to see when they are together.
3. Working with one color is manageable. Sometimes it is nice to keep things simple. Pick a color, any color and forget about all of the pastels in your boxes. Keep it simple and concentrate on your values or your composition or your strokes and mark-making. Give yourself one less thing to worry about!
2 comments:
I love it. Nice and moody and while and whites are useful studies to practice, the monochromatic moody limited palette is far more interesting. Getting to think about and working with warm and cool colors and values within a very limited range is good for all of us.
Thank you for these posts, especially the pastel paintings and how-to advice. I teach art to seniors in Tacoma, WA, and taught a two-day pastels class. At first, I had my students paint a landscape from a selection of photos. Then, on the second day, I challenged them to use a reduced color palette, much like your suggestion for the value-challenged. I am missing the interaction with other artists and volunteering with 5th-graders and doing art with seniors who have dementia. Now I spend my time blogging about art. Some day I'll get back into doing my own art. Blogs like yours are inspiring! Thanks.
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