The Element of Color in Art

Do you love the element of color in art - but somehow you seem to have got stuck? Maybe you feel your work is in a rut and you need some fresh ideas?

Or perhaps you're just starting out on your artistic adventures and want some colorful pointers.

Isn't she having a great time! Remember the feeling? The times when you felt the joy of color like this? Or if you never have, wouldn't you want to?

Let's see what we can come up with together to get those creative juices flowing again. There's a fascinating, colorful world out there. Let's go and find it!

Maybe you've visited the Rainbow Village yourself but if not, and even without the added bright yellow of the dress in this photo, we can still enjoy Huang Yung-Fu's marvellous and exuberant use of color here.

He held nothing back, did he?! He obviously LOVED the element of color in art - wanted to shout it out. Couldn't wait to paint it all over the walls! And his primitive style works so well with those colors too.

Want to try something like that?

Choose a motif  - say, trees, birds, sun, flowers, animals or whatever means something personal to you and have a go.

I'm not suggesting you tackle a whole wall right away (but if you feel like breaking out and you have a spare wall, go for it! Do a few roughs first to get your hand in.) 

A smaller painting would be striking too, or even something as small as a greetings card using one or two of your motifs.

We don't have to go far afield to enjoy color. We only need to go as far as the kitchen to see unbelievable color combinations. Yes, we've seen it all before, but now we're going to be seeing it through our artist's eyes!

If you use your artist's eyes combined with a little knowledge of how to use color too, you'll be amazed at how your art will be transformed (see The Eye of an Artist)

Let's look at complementary colors. They are the ones that sit opposite each other on the color wheel -  red/green, yellow/violet, orange/blue.

You can see the red/green combo in the bell peppers photo above. A couple of those would make a great still-life.

Or the bright yellow peppers on a lavender blue plate. Oh my!

And think about how a bold, orange poppy would simply leap off the canvas against a blue background.

So using complementaries in the right proportions can really give your work zing!

Complementary Colors

How about analogous colors?

These are colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel. With their shared hue, analogous colors make fantastic neighbours, their subtle harmony giving us even more ways of getting the 'wow' factor in our work.

Consider, for example, a gorgeous sunset. The luminous reds, fiery oranges, and delicate yellows melding seamlessly into one another. That's the power of analogous colors; they can bring the beauty of the setting sun right onto your canvas!

But if you feel even the sky is not enough for you, you could add some silhouettes of birds crossing it in the distance. Not black though - that would be too harsh and would take away from the brilliance of the sky which is the main interest.

Perhaps a very pale muted blue-grey for the birds? Or metallic gold? Or even gold leaf? Gorgeous! 

Of course, if you decided on metallic gold for the birds, they would stand out and then they would be the main interest, and that's also fine!

Or you could forget the birds and the sky completely and just go wild on an abstract in those colors - yay!

  Analogous colors

Something quieter?

Of course, the element of color in art isn't always about being very bright and 'in your face', is it?

Sometimes we feel something quieter would suit the subject matter better.

In this watercolor I used more subtle analogous colors to help give a feeling of mistiness and tranquillity.

Blowing Hot and Cold!

Now let's think about color temperature - those warm and cool colors. 

We've seen quite a few hot colors on this page. Think of fire, sun, volcanoes, hot golden sand and then think of cool or cold colours - lakes, ocean, ice, snow, icebergs.

We need to choose the blues and greens for these on the cool side of the color wheel. Think jade, turquoise, emerald and cerulean blue. Beautiful!

Say it with Color!

Bursting to say something and words just won't cut it? Let color say it for you!

Load your brush with the intense drama of a deep plum color or the pure exuberance of a bright sunflower yellow.

Or take yourself and your audience to the turquoise depths of the ocean or a cosy scarlet bonfire on a chilly evening.

Color is personal though and the impact can vary according to who is looking at it - and when. 

Sometimes I like to think of it in terms of Ayurveda;

Think about Red. Red can cheer people up in the depths of Winter when they might be feeling a tad depressed. (Holly berries, red scarves, robins etc.)

On the other hand, it can aggravate people in the Summer if they are already feeling hot and bothered.

But Blue is calming at that time of year. (floating blue fabrics, lakes, ocean.)

Green can have a settling effect too when people are feeling anxious or harassed. (Leafy trees, soothing green decor or paintings.)

So, the element of color in art is a fantastic tool to voice your inner sentiments and to create your desired effect. Ah, the possibilities!

Weaving your magic!

Are you a perfectionist? Don't be! Try things out, experiment with color, see it in different ways - it's all part of the journey to your finished piece, and fun!

If we're too tightly controlled we might miss that very event that artists love - happy accidents!

Or worse, you might miss out on the very thing that catches your breath when you look at what you just did. Yes, you! 

"Did I really just put that heart-lifting dash of light pink in the area I DEFINITELY decided would be only turquoise and emerald?

Yes, I did, and it looks AMAZING! "

See what I mean?

So, perfectionism is out at this stage. Hey, nobody else is looking; nothing is set in stone; it's an ongoing process. Nobody is judging you, even YOU are not judging you! You're just messing about with some colors and see what, if anything, turns up.
 
Inspiration is all around us. Look closely at your surroundings; observe the cerulean blue skies, emerald green leaves, or the soft blush on an apple.

Love the colors of our world and never stop looking and seeing. I tell you - you'll see magical stuff others won't even notice.

So, dig out your painting shirt, load up those luscious colors and let loose the magic! Have fun!

More on analogous colors.

More on complementary colors

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