12 Watercolor artist | APRIL 2019
Watercolor Essentials
Color-Mixing Studies
Color-mixing studies are invaluable because they take a lot of the guesswork
out of color mixing, providing a road map for successful paintings. These five
exercises can be completed in a matter of minutes. You’ll need at least one
dark color and its complement; I used cobalt blue and orange lake. Take
notes and keep a journal for future reference.Wet-Into-Wet
Paint a 2x1-inch rectangle of
each color, leaving a 1-inch
space between them. While both
colors are wet, take a brush
loaded with clean water and join
the area between the rectangles,
merging the colors.Color Charging
Create a 2x2-inch square of each color. While the paint is wet,
use the opposite color and drop it into a corner. Does this look
different than glazing? Do the colors stay transparent/opaque? Making Transparent Colors Function
as Opaque
Create a 2x3-inch rectangle with a dark value
created by your colors. Let it dry thoroughly.
Drop pure color on top and let dry.Glazing
Paint a 2x1-inch vertical line
of each color. When dry, layer
each color’s complement in
three horizontal strokes: one
dark, one medium and one
light value.Mixing on the Palette
Mix a dark gray-black directly onto
the palette using the two colors.
Paint a 2x1-inch vertical rectangle on
the paper using a neutral mixture.
Next, create a warmer and cooler
version of the dark mix.