The most important thing I learned about Color:

In my early years at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, I was confounded by color. Even though we did several exercises involving color charts and small studies involving complementary and triad combinations, when it came to painting, the formulas were either too rigid, and got in the way of my creative expression, or just not applicable to what I was trying to express. My paintings lacked the vibrancy of color the upper classmen seemed to be able to achieve. It was a frustrating puzzlement all the more compounded by the fact that my schooling did not delve into any more color theory than the rudimentary application in the first year.

I remember pulling one upper classman aside who exhibited refined talent in color harmonies and asked him how he did it. He couldn’t answer me, threw out a few helpless comments even though he earnestly tried to help, and left me feeling that this is a mystery I may never understand.

In retrospect, I now see the wisdom in why my instructors didn’t drill me with complex color theories. They knew creativity could easily be stifled and that personal color interpretation could be bruised by the shackles of formulas. However, there is one principle I learned from my life-drawing teacher that I have made my mantra when it comes to color. This principle has liberated me in color interpretation and works every time. Frequently he would say, “Color can be anything as long as it is reasonable, but your values must be strong.” (Values are the relationship of your dark-light pattern, like a black and white TV. Like an armature to a sculptor, it is the underpinning to the painter.) The implications are tremendous: I can use any color I want or feel like using, and as long as my values are strong, the painting should hold up. Tired of always painting blue skies or red barns? Then make a blue barn and raw sienna sky.

The “as long as it is reasonable” part of my instructor’s quote is really quite straightforward. Basically he is saying be careful about isolating an intense complementary color. In other words, it will destroy your warm-toned painting if you throw in a patch of Thalo Green all by itself. I think any of us would agree to that.

In more practical terms, the way I solve my color selection is by doing a value study beforehand. I determine where my lights, midtones, and darks go; keeping them simply constructed the whole time. Or better yet, I may do a one-color, monochromatic (Burnt Umber) painting. Many times I’ve told my students “Do a monochromatic painting and you’re on your way to solving your color problems.” (A big hindrance to feeling comfortable with color is the problem of too many colors on the palette. I have about 13 colors on my palette.) It can also be very helpful to limit the palette colors to two, three, even up to six. Many beautiful paintings are achieved my limiting the palette (Velasquez) and it once again reinforces that the value structure is more important than color selection.

Even though I have a broad, general idea of the color harmonies when beginning a watercolor (yellowish-warm ground with an intense blue sky: these thoughts usually come out in the value study) I still leave the painting wide open to sudden impulses in color selection as it progresses. This is exhilarating to me, and yet I keep my painting strong by watching the value pattern.

I hope this basic principle frees you up like it has done for me.
Keep your brush wet!
-Eric