Monday 23 September 2013

Watercolour Challenge : Matching Colour to Subjects

Colour Matching Challenge
Bracelet, Apricot and Mint Leaf

Whenever I teach watercolour workshops I, without fail, will come across at least one painting that is fantastic but the colours selected for the composition have been way off from the subject. It often doesn't matter if you are deliberately aiming to paint something with a more unique result. But there are times when the exact colour choice can make a huge impression in the simplest of watercolours.

For example the right hue for florals can really contribute to a realistic result even if the style used to create the painting has been aimed at being loose.

I have a personal challenge each week of taking three simple subjects and taking time to match their colours perfectly. Just for fun. This improves my eye for colour selection in larger paintings and also is a great way to warm up in my studio each day. Its' an addictive game that takes a few seconds but often leads to even more exciting challenges.

We so foten get wrapped up in racing to complete paintings minus  allowing ourselves time to simply learn more about colour and pigment qualities.

So give yourself a coffee break and find three subjects that would be fun for this  challenge.

Have Fun!


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4 comments:

Colours and Textures said...

Great idea, I may use it with my students. Something similar that I have done with them is on the lines of Design Seeds (on Facebook) to make a swatch of the colours in an image or from an object.
Tessa Spanton

Anonymous said...

Hi Jane, What an excellent exercise and fun way to improve color recognition skills. I may have to try this.

PS. I love to see how artists go about mastering their medium. Thanks for sharing.

Sarah Sullivan said...

I'm new to watercolor painting and often have a difficult time correctly matching the color to my subject. This is a great exercise that I plan to try out--thanks for sharing!

Sarah Sullivan said...

I'm new to watercolor painting and often have a difficult time matching my paint color to my subject. This sounds like a great exercise that I plan on trying out--thanks for sharing!