An Easy Tip for Color Studies and a Cyber Monday Treat

'A Walk on the Beach'           8x10        pastel        ©Karen Margulis
available $150

 I am home from a wonderful trip to California. After the laundry was done I couldn't wait any longer. I just had to paint. I was so inspired by the gorgeous scenery and I wanted to paint while it was all fresh. I printed out some photos and selected one from our stop in Santa Barbara.

Before I start a painting I always like to select my pastels. I want to have a limited palette. But how does one decide what pastels to use? I like to see how my color choices will work. It is better to see this BEFORE starting the painting rather than testing and potentially overworking the painting. The more you test and try colors on the painting the more you risk getting muddy and dull results.

Using a Sticky note pad for color notes

I like to do small color studies before I start a larger painting but sometimes I am anxious to get started and don't take the time to do a mini painting. I have a solution.....I make color notes. I make a mark with the colors I think I want to use. This way I can see how my color choices work together. It saves a lot of frustration...and paper. IMPORTANT: Color notes need to be done on the same color paper as you will be using. For example making color notes on white paper when you will be painting on black will give you conflicting information. For today's painting I was using a middle value tan paper so my color notes need to be done on the same color paper.

TIP: Sticky notes make a great surface for color notes. I was excited to find a pad of tan sticky notes the same color as the tan that I used to tone Uart paper. It was the perfect size and color for my color notes. The bonus was that I could stick the note next to my painting for reference. I got my sticky note pad at the Dollar Tree.

My Thankful Sale is still on! Please note that the coupon code is THANKFUL50. I had the wrong code in yesterday's blog post. Have a look at the paintings....I just added more to the event.

www.etsy.com/shop/karenmargulisfineart