Artist’s Back to Basic – July 2019

will be where you are painting.
Initially you will have completed
a tonal drawing of your subject,
which enables you to determine
where the shadows and highlights
will be on your painting.

Colour Matching
An accurate method is to paint your
own colour charts. Working with a
limited palette, use 3 warm colours
and 3 cool colours to produce
450 colours. The warm colours
are Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium
Red and French Ultramarine. The
cool colours are Cadmium Lemon,
Permanent Rose and Cerulean Blue.
Painting the colour charts also
helps with brush control, the amount
of water to pigment required and
the process of achieving smooth
transparent washes. When painting
in watercolour, many washes are
applied to achieve intensity, rather
than several thicker washes.
When mixing colour always
begin with the lighter colour and
add the darker colour to this.
Use a small piece of watercolour
paper to check the colour before
applying it to the colour charts.

Notice each colour on the chart

has three separate boxes. The

first colour is the strongest, below

that is a dilution and under that

is a further dilution. These are all

important when matching colours.

Check the colours by applying them

to the edge of the same watercolour

paper you are using for your painting.

Hold the test piece against the subject.

The Colour Study

Before you begin painting you need

to do a colour study of your subject.

This entails accurate colour matching,

and a “practice” of the various

components in your work. Nothing

should be left to chance. When you

begin working on the final painting

you will be confident in all aspects.

Record the colours used on

the colour study and any other

information that is important, such

as the number of washes. This

will make it easier to complete

the final painting especially if you

want to do it at a later date.

Limited Palette

Try to use two colours for your main

mixture. A small amount only of another

Above left: Example of a green

colour chart with subjects

indicating paint colour matches

Above right: Colour matching

Agave attenuata