Wednesday, September 24, 2014

How Do You Choose Colours to Accompany Orange-Yellow?

How do you choose colours to accompany a 'mother colour'?
In this case it is a long, narrow antique cabinet door painted golden that I am painting a floral on. I thought I would share with you how I go about choosing a colour palette. You may have your own ideas and I would love to hear about them. Joen Wolfrom's 3in1 Color Tool is shown in the photos.

Watercolour Painting - Clothesline Series: 'Kaslo Campground' is off to it's new owner!
A complementary colour scheme was used primarily here with much of the painting having  a variety of greens along with the pop of the red here and there.

Antique cabinet door

Identifying the colour. 23-5 on the orange-yellow colour swatch. It shows it having some white added to the pure colour.

Complementary colour scheme.

Triadic Colour Scheme. Note the three colours that have the number 5. 25-5, 15-5, and 7-5. They all have white added to them. Wouldn't they be lovely in a quilt. Amounts of each colour? The 'daddy bear', 'momma bear', 'baby bear' guideline works for me. Have mostly one colour with a medium amount of another colour and a small amount of the last colour.

The Orange-yellow is central and for a harmonious colour scheme the colour on either side of it are added. 5 colours makes a nice combination so two others in succession could be added.

Split complementary identifies the colour opposite on the colour wheel which is the central blue. Leaving it out, the 2 blues on either side could be included.

This is the colour scheme I have choosen, a harmonious run of 6 colours that are side by side on the colour wheel. Note that the yellow and chartreuse, when black or grey is added, give a variety of greens.  

Can you see the new green-gold tube of Golden's acrylic paint? I can't wait to try it!
I best put blogging aside and get started. How do you choose your colours? Many people describe using an intuitive style and some people say their spouse picks out the colours!

5 comments:

Win Dinn, Artist said...

Very clear post, Eileen, and I love the photos with the explanation. And you're going to LOVE that green gold...I can't get enough of it!

Gloria said...

I love the 3 bears description....I will for sure put that in my "colour toolbox"!

Thank You!

HollyM said...

What a wonderful watercolor! You are so organized with your Color approach. I have the tools and think they're great, and that I must use them. Then when I go to do a project, I forget all about it and do my own thing, and not always to the best results.
I work most often by tuition with my knowledge working in the background. You know how that goes.

Laura Leeder said...

Congratulations on your sale Wileen!

I like to make these strips with my paint colours. You've reminded me that I need to do so again adding my new colour tubes.

I can't wait to see the finished door!

MoMents said...

Beautiful Eileen and as Laura and Holly said, so clear in describing your process.