COLORS

    A basic lesson in mixing paints.

    MATERIALS NEEDED
    • Paper
    • A paper plate
    • Water based acrylic paints:
        cadmium red,
        cerulean blue,
        cadmium-yellow-bright and
        white

    • Brush
    • Water

    OBJECTIVES
    • Learn about primary, secondary and complementary colors.
    • Use complementary colors to add vibrance to your work
    • Examine how master artists use color in their work

    Color Theory

      There is a difference between color in "light" and color in "paint" When LIGHT is passed through a prism it is split up and we see all the colors of the rainbow. This is what happens when LIGHT is passed through raindrops. So, the colors are "subtracted" from each other.

      But, when we MIX PAINT we have to "add" colors to each other and mix them. This makes new colors. For example, when we mix the primary colors of blue and yellow we get green. The combination of yellow and red is orange And, the mixing of red and blue makes violet.

    Here is an example of an artwork about a red barn by Roy Lichtenstein which uses the primary and secondary colors to create a wonderful landscape.

    DIRECTIONS

    The Color Wheel

      STEP ONE

        Take a paper plate. Divide it into six equal pie shaped pieces.

      STEP TWO
        Put red in one, leave the next one white, then put yellow, leave the next one white and put blue.

      STEP THREE

        You now have a color wheel of primary colors. In between the red and yellow, mix the red and yellow to get orange and paint that white space orange. In between the yellow and blue, mix the yellow and blue and make that slice green. Finally, between the blue and red mix those two colors and make this slice purple or violet. You now have a color wheel that has both primary and secondary colors,

      STEP FOUR

        Look at the colors opposite each other on the color wheel. One example would be red and green. These two colors are called the "complements" of each other.
        Look at how Andy Warhol uses the complements of red and green to create this self portrait.

      Look at how some other artists have used color to create paintings. Some artists like to paint paintings in mostly one color. Here is painting that is mostly red by an artist named Matisse. Here are two famous paintings done with just red and yellow. The first is also by Matisse and the second is by Picasso . Now look at how Monet has used mostly blue. Look at how this second blue painting called the "Grand Canal" by Monet is more vivid because Monet has added just a little blue, purple and green. If you add just a little of the complement of your most important color, it will make your colors appear more vivid. Van Gogh was a master at the use of color. Notice how Van Gogh has just used tiny spots of red to draw your eye into the foreground. In your own work, a small splash of a complementary color will draw the viewer's eye to your focal point or something you want to emphasize. Here are some other examples of Van Gogh's work. Look to see how he used to complementary colors to emphasize his main idea.

    Another Color Mixing Project

      If you mix the primary colors together (just use a tiny dab of blue)you will get a rich chocolate brown. If you then add white little by little, you will eventually get a perfect match for your skin. You can do this and pretend that you are at the makeup counter in a major departmet store. Try this again and match the skin colors of your friends. You are all made up of some combination of red, blue, yellow and white.

      Try putting thumbprints of all the different skin colors on your paper. Then add arms and legs as well as facial features for a truly wonderful, multicultural image.

    Resources


      Here are some other artists who used color in different ways. Look for the primary and secondary colors in their work.


      GEORGIA O'KEEFE
      JASPER JOHNS
      FRANK STELLA


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