Monday 26 November 2012

Mixing Greens


We all know that Yellow and Blue together make Green, but I have experimented with some combinations of these just to see how different they might be:

 1.
                                   Aureolin                Ultramarine Blue

2.
                         Cadmium Yellow           Ultramarine Blue


Changing the Yellow, altered the Green - that was using the Yellow as the first colour with the Blue added to it.

but what happens when I use the Blue first

3.
                         Ultramarine Blue              Aureolin


4.
                              Ultramarine Blue     Cadmium Yellow


Subtle changes but certainly changes.

I then tried a different combination - this time with Prussian Blue.....

5.
                             Quinacridone Gold    then added        Prussian Blue


6.
                              Prussian Blue   then added   Quinacridone Gold

Quite a significant change with this.

So the moral of the story is - Try different combinations of colours - Experiment and have fun with them - make notes of what you have used, that way you have some useful colours to instantly fall back on when you are doing a painting.


Hope this has given you some ideas


Have a great week


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24 comments:

Unknown said...

Have a marvelous Monday Ann.
Best wishes Molly

Sharon Whitley said...

brilliant stuff and something I keep meaning to do myself! I often mix colours and like them and then forget the mix I used when I next come to paint!

ann @ studiohyde said...

Thanks Molly - hope your day is a good one.

ann @ studiohyde said...

Thanks Sharon - think this is something we all mean to do and make notes about. Hope this post helps.

Dana said...

Hi Ann! Very beneficial Post. Take care.

alarmcat said...

very good information. getting just the right green is important.

i keep a "cheat sheet" of colors that make good skin tones. like Sharon said above, sometimes I mix the perfect color and then forget what it was the next time I sit down to paint.

Christine said...

thanks for these tips! Amazing differences!

ann @ studiohyde said...

Thanks Dana

Thanks Alarmcat.

Glad to have prompted a reminder of this little tip.

Jane said...

The greens you can obtaine by mixing are infinite, and it is fun to experiment. xx

ann @ studiohyde said...

....your welcome Christine:)

ann @ studiohyde said...

...They are Jane, such fun finding them isn't it :)

robin cox walsh said...

I always forget to take notes, so inevitably can’t replicate a great color! LOL

ann @ studiohyde said...

:)

Judy said...

Funny that it makes such a difference what colour is used first! I like your blog decoration!

ann @ studiohyde said...

Surprised me too with the colours - I've done some other combinations too but didn't add them as I thought the post would go on too long! lol.
Nice to know you like the background decor - I'll keep it for a while, felt it brightens up these dull days of Winter!

Sinderella's Studio said...

reading Flora Bowley and trying to step outside my tight little zone - I need to experiment with color - thanks I needed this little extra push!
cheers, dana

ann @ studiohyde said...

....glad to be of help Dana:) I'm just going to pop over and look up Flora Bowley, great to find another artist to follow, thanks.

Threadspider said...

I love mixing greens, Ann, and enjoy seeing other peoples' experiments too. I like Cobalt and Aureolin as a mix, with a touch of Burnt Sienna.The blog is looking very festive already.

bohemiannie! art said...

I love to mix colors and so does Sophia. But....never write down what we've done. Need to have a notebook for that, huh?

ann @ studiohyde said...

Thanks Judith - I'll give that combination a try, thanks for the tip :)

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Thanks annie! - So nice that Sophia enjoys painting, I'm sure she will be artistic like you, your enthusiasm will rub off on her :)

Lisabella Russo said...

There are so many possible variations! I think color mixing is both an art and a science. Notes could definitely be of help on occasion!

Laura said...

Ann - Just love this post. Greens are so hard to get right as they are so varied and many. I think Vinita Pappas simplified greens for me when I did a course. Think of them as warms and cools, brights, dulls and neutrals. It depends what you want to do with them that determines which green to use, eg creating drama with a cool green and a warm colour next to it, etc... but I'm sure you know all this already. I find green fascinating as it is the most complex colour of them all ... so as I said loved this post. Take care.

Sonia Aguiar said...

Hola Ann :) Es muy inteligente por tu parte como has realizdo estos estudios de mezclas de colores. Pienso, que es básico que conozcamos muy bien nuestros colores de acuarelas para obtener los mayores resultados.
Un abrazo.

ann @ studiohyde said...

Thanks Lisa :)

Thanks Laura - I agree, the possibilities are so many and varied with greens.

Thanks Sonia :)