Everyone has there own color theory. Lets take a simple color and change it up a bit to make it work in a new environment… lets take the skin and let us see what makes skin that color … theory goes that De Vinci used a basic three color process and then went on from there. What are the three colors he used you ask? They were white, red and green. He used a form of zinc white, crimson red and permanent green to make a beautiful skin tone to start with. He embellished later with the cool colors such as blue for under tones and under the eyes. He would use some orange to highlight the cheeks to make them pop. His color palate was simple and perfect. He knew the process of layering whether he used oil paint or acrylic or pastel, the process is the same and it works. As it turns out the old is always new.

Take the color green; you can make over 40 colors by just adding one color out of the color spectrum. You can go one step further and add another color to the lineup and see what happens, it can be very inspiring.

When shadowing anything, the cool colors work best. Try purple for a dramatic effect. Try the blue hues to cool it down with a much softer effect such as in the underneath brush of a bush.

Never choke up of the brush, it is a very bad habit and can make you frustrated. The more you choke up on the brush the less you are able to flow with the paint. When using lines in your painting, you want a thin brush, in acrylic use water and water it down and in oils use linseed oil or turp to thin it down and do not choke up on the brush and you will be able to flow with the paint and make the full line and be happy with your approach and technique.

Someone once said to me, “color is in the eye of the beholder” meaning you the painter. Almost anything goes, except muddy colors. It takes time and patience to not muddy up a painting especially if you have overworked it. Always try to follow the simple process that “less is best” and always have 3 basic colors for each painting. Always, I mean always make sure you incorporate all the colors you choose throughout the painting, it makes it so the eye will travel the canvas and make it a pleasing piece of art to enjoy.

Please do not be afraid to try something new, even if you fail in your mind, remember you tried and learned something in the process. You can always start over by using gesso on the canvas if acrylics are your paint medium, and then, there you are back at square one. The gesso could be a combination of colors mixed together just to cover the canvas, no matter it will clear the mind for you to start over again. Remember mistakes sometimes make the piece of art, go give it a try.

There are some famous artists who believe that you must finish a painting the same day you start because of your emotional state and that you will not be in the same frame of mind the next day and so on and so forth. Some painters work on a piece for months, put it away and when the mood hits they pick it up and start painting on it again. The time it takes to do a piece of art is all about you, no one else matters when art is created, you are the creator. Enjoy the moment and the fact it is all yours and no one can put across what you have in your mind except you, the artist.