You're so right
 

Thanks Michelle. What an inspiring idea. I've got a date with myself this weekend.

Let us know how it goes!

Here is a book available at http://www.gotcs.com/

It lists every color of every brand of paint on the market. It gives the formula for each and is cross referenced.

For example, you can take your favorite Winsor Newton Naples Yellow and it will give you the formula for mixing this exact color using Genesis. Ditto for Rembrandt's Greenish Umber, etc.

The point I am trying to make is that although I use Genesis, I do still use my original palette of colors.

Thanks again!
 

Dear Michelle,

I put down color on a gessoed canvas pad this weekend and it really warmed me up to color and the oil medium in general. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. In fact it got me down right excited to get started.

Many thanks,
Ramon Deslauriers

P.S. I owe you one.

Great resource
 

Dear Karin,

I just checked out the resource you suggested and it is worth its weight in gold. I've added the site to my "favorites". Thanks so much!

P.S. Was the oil brand you used, before switching over to Genesis, W&N? (so I can have as a cross reference to Genesis).

Sincerely,
Ramon Deslauriers

That book really is wonderful isn't it! I'm keeping a copy near my easel until I completely get the hang of mixing Genesis colors...it is such a different system. In working with their system, I have actually come to the conclusion that it is not only logical but brilliant.

My palette was mostly WN colors. I have them all listed in detail in a post called "My Old Master Palette".

Color study - my way
 

Hi!

Much can be learned from reading and studying and I am always buying and checking out new books about virtually everything about artists/history/technique. I refer to all my magazines (especially International Artist) and a backlog of American Artist magazines daily as I paint. Many times I can find a color scheme within a famous work of art by a favorite painter, such as Edward Burnes-Jones or Rossetti (wonderful Pre-Raphaelites) or any of the Italian or Dutch Renaissance artists to emulate either vaguely or closely.

One of the best ways to get your colors right is a preliminary color swatch study on a sheet of drawing or pastel paper. Sometimes I use bristol board or illustration board. Of course, I keep all my studies for reference (ha).

I may choose 3 or 4 colors (known as a limited palette) usually 2 complementary and then another neutral one and put 4 or 5 loosely painted squares side by side in a row leaving a space between as well as above and below. I then overlay with the other colors (one over each square halfway (half red/half green for example). Push the combination with white added and try to create as many values of the combination as you can. This should be a progression of little stripes (or as big as you choose to make them!) of color from darkest to lightest.

Do this until you have exhausted all possibilities with the 3 or 4 colors and you will see all your choices that you can make for the painting. In so doing - you have created a congruent scheme which you can either premix to paint with - or mix as you go.

I don't always do this but have found it to be most helpful if I just want to try something new (like cobalt blue, pthalo green, alizarin crimson and raw sienna) or find just the right combination that "pops" with complementary color.

Two favorite books of mine on color are definitely "Making Color Sing", by Jean Dobie and "Color Choices", Steven Quiller. In college, we studied Joseph Albers.

Remember, paint and paint every day -- even if you only have an hour!! Good luck!

Denise, if it is possible, could you post a picture of one of your preliminary color swatch studies?

Color Study pictures
 

Hi Karen,

As for a picture of my study -- I will take some pictures and have a disc made -- then I will post some pictures.

I did color studies most of this afternoon as a result of posting last night (hehehe) I found a wonderful article in the new International Artist magazine by an artist who is color blind and relies on his charts for everything. This is the June 2002 issue (by the way, I am not afilliated with IA -just a satisfied customer).

Even though we keep all these color rules in our head - actually "doing it" redeems our sense of color and also builds confidence.

By the way, I have read so many of your posts, especially the ones with grisaille technique instructions, and I appreciate your taking the time to share with all of us in this forum. Your work is beautiful!

Color study sheet
 

Finally, I have the color study example for you, Karen. It really isn't that unusual and I'm sure lots of us experiment this way before painting.

I also have painted boards with one color as the primary color mixed with all colors on my palette, mixed in different degrees with white as Richard Schmid has done in his book, Alla Prima, Everything I Know About Painting.

I hope this image is OK. It's a little dark and I also have tried before to post this and the pixels were too large. I'll try.