Choosing the right palette for your project is a skill that all artists must learn.
If you feel overwhelmed by the rainbow of choices, don’t worry.
However, as with all things, a bit of practice always helps.
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Here, we have compiledfour color theory exercisesthat will help you take your paintings to the next level.
Improve your painting with these fun and easy color theory exercises
Make a color wheel.
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Most creatives are familiar with thecolor wheel.
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An age-old tool, it essentially originated with Isaac Newton’s color circle that was published in 1665.
It shows the relationships between primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.
For the first exercise, you should familiarize yourself with the color wheel bymaking your own.
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Using a reference photo, you will first add theprimary colorsof red, blue, and yellow.
Practice mixing colors.
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Now that you’ve made a basic color wheel, you canpractice expanding it.
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Start again by creating a basic wheel with the primary colors.
Then, mix them until you create the secondary colors of green, orange, and purple.
As you create these tertiary colors, arrange them in the wheel.
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This is all for practice.
Match color swatches.
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The third exercise will develop yourcolor matching skills.
This will greatly improve your ability to capture colors from life as well.
Practice pairing complementary colors.
These combinations include red and green, blue and orange, and yellow and purple.
Pairing complementary colors will create dynamic visuals that can enhance your designs.
Be sure to allow an appropriate amount of time to dry and not let the colors mix.
Afterward, try other combinations using non-complementary colors and compare the difference.
Continue practicing.
Want to learn more about color?
