Color theory should be useful! I found early on in my career that I was going to need to have a strategy for developing a coherent color scheme in a picture rather than trying to just guess what would look best. This is the logic of why I choose what I choose in every single picture I paint and how to get to that color. This is not a how to mix paint video series. It is the explanation of how I know what paint to mix in order to get to the desired outcome.
Here are some earlier videos on color theory. I mix paint on the canvas/wall itself rather than using a pallet a lot of the time. Don’t hurt yourself trying to fit into my way of doing this. You can use your own methods. You’ll be better at doing it your way. What is important is to know the effects that paint colors have on each other.
Here you will see me applying the color theory to the faded, light colors of the sky, being careful to set up my painting with as much opportunity to add darker values as possible. Dark sky=dark picture and less color.
You’ll have to forgive the obnoxious music. This video is the color theory in practice. Identifying the color of the object I want to make and how to make it fit into the picture.
Once again, the music is a little much but hey, it’s a free video. How do you know what colors will create the effect of light and shadow? Know what the light sources in the picture are, how bright they are, what color they add and what direction/s they shine and your on your way. This is the thought behind adding snow to the mountains.
