Mastering colour

Robert, I too attended Art Center School in Los Angeles and I too totally hated the color and design class there! It was a contibuting factor to my quitting the course and deciding to become a fine artist. Making endless color swatches until 3am in the morning taught me nothing. Today I am known as a “colorist” producing paintings and teaching workshops centered in colorist expression. My best advice to all artists is to learn from those whose color theories are understandable and experiment with your own response to color. Enjoy it and celebrate it!

However, (isn’t there always an “however?”) Even before color theory or practice comes shapes 101. The frame of any piece of art is it’s composition. If that’s not first all of the color, texture, depth and detail is like hanging the living room drapes before the foundation is poured. The drapes are important, but later!

I could cry right now ! You have totally expressed my feelings to a T when it comes to colour. I do think of it like a math problem so I’ll get the info you just passed on and thank you so much for making me feel like i’m not the only one !

Imagine my surprise to see that there is another book titled ‘Mastering Color’ besides mine. I clicked on the link and was pleased with Richard Robinson’s approach to color as well as his learned information. My book is presently published in Russian also. This is a full circle of my past. My Grandfather was a Russian immigrant at the turn of the century. He became a proud American citizen and did well here in the states. I immediately emailed him to let him know that I would be in his area this October visiting my Aussie relatives. Mom was a WWII Australian war bride.

I really enjoyed this video. I actually purchased the second lesson.

As much as I would like to agree with you, I must say that the alternatives to understanding colour has been ignored in an irresponsible fashion. There is a world out there full of promise in the zone of Intimately understanding colour, the journey of remembering the ancient dialogue God had with its 1st prototype, imprinting the rules of nature into our emotional DNA. Yes, it is important to understand colour, but, I think, only so we can immediately put it aside in order to let our soul venture through our instincts. I call and urge everyone to improvise, to let the unknown show its way through our temporary entities.

I have a one-hour lecture that covers the technical matters (source of colorants, the action of light on them and the eye) the theoretical matters (Munsell and the 50 other systems), and the practical matters (color management). Academics have made color difficult so it’s become part of the academy’s special language — too arcane for us outsiders, so we stay outside. There is no need for that malarky.

It’s a shame that color theory has to be taught in a boring way. Like mathematics or history, it can be extremely boring when all that is taught is memorization of theories, facts and formulas without applying it to real things in the world. Like math or history, it can be fascinating when you explore it as it applies to the world.

Wow. I’m not sure you’ll understand this, but I am SO happy to read this letter… I am a mural painter of 25 years now. A red-green colorblind painter. My daily frustrations with color are a constant battle, frustration, and source of stress. To even find out that someone who can SEE color can have trouble with it as well as someone who cannot. My eye’s palette is primarily made up of blues, yellows and grays, yet my murals reflect the full spectrum of colors. I primarily work with values as opposed to hues, and often have help from various people in my life, people I TRUST that is. I know that color will continue to be a source of frustration for me, but I wake up every day and welcome the challenge. It is so wonderful to read everyone’s input on this subject. Thanks for all that you do, Timm

Hi Timm, This is for you. My husband is colorblind, well he is called color deficient. The eye doctor told him he could have glasses made to correct the problem. Maybe this could be help for you. Susan

Having some troubles with everyone trying to download at once – the server couldn’t handle it so I’m in the middle of fixing that now and am keeping everyone informed of the progress, so hopefully there won’t be too many annoyed people out there.

Well, I am one of the few who actually enjoyed math, geometry and color theory – but I can’t say that my love for those disciplines made the learning process any easier. It’s still a long process to learn how to create harmonious paintings.

Dwight Williams (2nd comment) has it right. Composition, tone and value, warm and cool, takes priority to hue. There is way too much garishness out there.

I know what you mean about the tedious exercises in colours. I tried to get through Itten’s theories of colours but couldn’t. I read what he suggested however it is the method that is thought is art schools that got me through it. Sometimes I wonder when people comment on the beauty of the colours in my work lf the other qualities that make a good painting are noticed as well.

It is that I received a D- in the only art class I ever took (the teacher confided in me that he had passed me only because he did not want to see me come through his classroom ever again!) I also love to mention that years later an art professor from the University brought a color theory class to my studio as a field trip. After looking around my studio he asked: “Have you ever taken a color theory class?” I confessed that “No, I hadn’t”. “Don’t” he immediately shot back; “It would ruin you!”

I was among the many who took the plunge and bought Richard Robinson’s video. Richard is an excellent artist and teacher. I figured I could use some professional development in my teaching and thanks to Richard I am ready to try out some new things. Like any good teacher, Richard has figured out what he does intuitively and created a system where he could pass on that information to others. It’s no ‘magic bullet’ but to a student ready for his insights, this info is the proverbial gold mine. My feeling is that these videos are a great fit for the more advanced painter. The beginners will obsess on the details and exercises and miss the big picture. This always happens with beginners. The veterans , like skilled prospectors with their pans, will rapidly sift the pebbles and find the sparkling nuggets at the bottom. The beginners will quickly realize that Richard has gained his skills through years of effort and that will be what they will have to begin the same journey. He only offers to help cut the learning curve. Most will become discouraged but others will become hooked on the potential Richard offers them. They will be hooked on the magic of painting. For grizzled veterans like me, listening to Richard and seeing his work, is a thrill. I’m psyched and ready to play

It would be valuable to hear the comments of others regarding the Robinson Colour Video here in these live comments. I found it excellent. I learned a lot of things I did not know.

I am thinking about buying it and would also like an honest opinion if anyone found it disappointing.

Sure hope Richard’s free stuff turns out to be helpful……..rural high school art teachers need all the free stuff they can get their hands on!

This is good and presses my buttons. There is no “right” or “wrong” colour. It’s up to the artist. Van Gogh’s colours are all “wrong.” That is the secret of his work’s magnificence. He did it HIS way. The colours came from him.

How timely was your latest letter on color! Thank you, I will definitely follow up on the video. Also, I took a college course on design in the late 60s that has been a foundation to my work ever since.

A good write up on color theory. Kaden can read about how important this is with his art.

One, Matthys Röling, a master in oils, had his students paint stripes of colouring gouache on strips of paper, then fold the paper so that the stripes remained horizontal, aim a spotlight at it and paint the whole scene, the folded paper and the shadows it cast on a white sheet as precisely as we could. It was an exercise in observation, in seeing what light does to colour and what shade does to colour. He also had us mix every hue we saw on our palettes, also a tedious exercise. Once we’d finished our studies and they’d been criticized he’d swap the yellow spotlight for a blue one and we had to do the whole thing all over again.

Thanks for reminding and highlighting the importance of color works. I’ve been painting using colors by instinct. I never go to art school or having the benefit of being taught using colors the Munsell way. But I don’t mind going through the strict discipline of learning to understand colors. I just need the structure to do it. Thanks again. (Malaysia)

It gave me a chuckle that you are like the Oprah of Painting..heaven help anyone if they are not ready for the influx once you promote them. I was one of the first to download the program.

To be fluent in the use of colour would be a great benefit and joy. But at the same time , to discover , the hard way, by yourself, the properties of colours is a more creative approach. Which adds to the recognizable signature style that each person should have. I am focusing on my creativity and personal style, I would like to learn all the “proper” art techniques, but I instead I think I will do it my way. And no, I haven`t sold a painting in 13 years. But I feel good about what I do, even though it is lacking.

Here I thought I was the only one with this colour quandary and trying not to “come out of the closet”. Kind of unrealistic isn’t it, as anyone gazing at my paintings can figure that out. They may not be able to put their finger on it , but something will most likely not sit right with them as they view my work . There are two that I hoping must be all right because I always get comments on the colour and the feeling in invokes. But, in the end, the whole thing is subjective don’t you think?

Color Everyone sees the primary colors i.e.: red, yellow, blue, and green. But life is made up of more muted colors. Grays if you will. And these are harder to see and much harder to define. Color is relative to what you want to paint. Color theory is only about being able to mix the correct color you seek for the particular thing you are painting. It isn’t about techniques and theories as such. Yes that is true to be able to mix the “right ” color, but color is relative to who is mixing it and what they want to achieve and say. What determines what color used is the painters point of view to the subject and it doesn’t have to even be what you see. Those who poo poo color theory never produce work of their choice. They are locked into painting what they end up with, with no control over content. Think of it as controlling the environment of the canvas. The results will be what you intended not what you happen to come up with. It’s having more control. The same as understanding design and form. If you don’t know carpentry, the house you build will be faulty and never right. It’s speaking without knowing the language. How many of us have listened to a foreigner speak and think them illiterate. They are not of course, but they have little control of the language. Same with color. Color expresses our feeling about a subject, tells the viewer our feeling about the subject. We can enhance or change with color. Change temperature of the piece even if it’s not in front of us. It’s well worth the study to overcome learning about color.

I am delighted to say that Richard Robinson untangled some messy assumptions I had regarding color mixing by presenting the simplest way to harmonize colors. His latest Mastering Colours DVDs is worth a look, particularly if you need a fresh approach.

I would like to highly recommend Mastering Colour – a set of videos and supporting materials produced by New Zealand artist Richard Robinson and mentioned in one of your posts. I have a few – relatively minor reservations (see below) – but I believe that this video course would be of great benefit both to beginners and advanced artists (e.g. those who have taken formal courses, say at art school). It is primarily aimed at those who want to paint in oils, acrylics or gouache (but watercolourists could get a lot from it to). So what do you get for your money? Just over 120 minutes of video instruction divided into eight chapters. Starting with two short introductory chapters it than moves through describing colour, values, colour mixing and concludes with chapters on manipulating colour, colour harmony (one of the most concise, lucid and useful presentations on this subject I have seen) and light effects. From the chapter on values onwards, each contains suggested exercises (between three and seven per chapter), many of which are demonstrated in detail on the video (which is ideal for the less confident beginner). Then you get the supporting materials. Each chapter is accompanied by a pdf which is a transcript together with most of the still images used in the video and some screen shots. Some people would regard these materials alone as worth the price charged. As well as these notes on each video (about 15 pages each) you get an assortment of goodies that you can print out – you’ll need a colour inkjet or laser printer and some photo quality paper if you want to make good copies. Richard provides a variety of colour wheels, value scales and geometrical figures – each of which comes in each grey scale value and twelve different colours. You get sets of cubes, cones, cylinders and dodecahedrons. Some of these are used directly in the exercises and the others make very useful additional material. Finally you get a colour harmony tool (gamut masks for special colour wheel provided) and the Ultimate Painter’s Tool which I find extremely useful in painting (or drawing) from life. Again you have to print this out onto photo quality paper, then cut and paste the tool together. Essentially it helps you with sighting, creating a composition, estimating proportions, getting angles and horizontals/verticals correct, and isolating and identifying spot colours and values. I would like to congratulate Richard on the very high production values of his work – both the video and pdf’s are of very high quality. This is not just a guy with his webcam shooting some footage at home. It’s comparable or better than a number of professionally produced art instruction DVDs I have. When you produce a course like this you have to decide how much colour theory you are going to include and how to balance this with the more directly applicable material. To my mind Richard has got this about right. He has avoided the one extreme of providing a massive amount of detail (like the Bruce MacEvoy’s colour theory website www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html) which few have the stamina to study and assimilate, or the other extreme of just showing a value scale and a colour wheel (as you’ll find in many of the mass market “art instructional” books). I can imagine a beginning painter, starting out from scratch, would gain immense benefit from the first five chapters alone which take you to being able to confidently mix any colour you see. The more advanced or experienced painter would find a lot to interest them in the final three chapters on manipulating colour, harmony and light effects. For those of his students who want more colour theory, Richard provides a list of references which includes the excellent site “Dimensions of Colour” by David Briggs (www.huevaluechroma.com). This gives you the sort of detail you’d get during an art school training (or maybe even a little more). I have a few minor reservations with the material, however: • To my mind, Richard doesn’t provide sufficiently clear guidance to the beginning painter on a suitable palette of colours (perhaps because no two artists can ever agree on this!); • For what it’s worth I would suggest they start with a split primary palette of six colours plus white: a warm and cool version of each of red, blue and yellow. Richard mentions this in Chapter 5 and says that this is his favourite palette. (If you want to know why this works so well and is probably the best “beginners” palette, get Michael Wilcox’s excellent book Blue and Yellow Don’t Make Green, 2nd Edition, 2001, ISBN 0967 9628 70, www.schoolofcolour.com.) • I would suggest that until a beginner gains some experience with this they should not try a more restricted palette of, e.g. just three colours. These restricted palette exercises are useful – and the sort of thing you’d do quite a lot of at art school – but until you have mastered the use of your basic palette they can just be confusing, especially if you are working alone. • Another minor point; in these videos Richard talks about the use of black. In my opinion guys, this is just lazy – we shouldn’t be using black! (Unless you want to make a value scale, and even then you’ve got to adjust it.) Unless you plan on doing your paintings in a physics lab or down a coal mine you won’t find true blacks in nature. What we might think of as a black is just a high chroma (highly saturated), highly subdued pair of complementary colours. If you can understand this you’ll be on the way to mastering colourful greys (and you’re colour mixing will be a lot better too; see Michael Wilcox’s book for more about this). These few quibbles notwithstanding, I do highly recommend this course for anyone who thinks they haven’t mastered colour and I’m eagerly looking forward to see what Richard produces in the future. Andrew Khabaza Epsom, Surrey UK

I’d like to recommend Richard Robinson’s ‘Mastering Color’ course. It has helped me a lot in terms of understanding color, and how to effectively incorporate it into my paintings. I’ve seen my art improve significantly as a result of studying and applying what Richard explains in his course. I found it easy to follow and understand. I continue to refer back to it from time to time and I always hear something new. Very worthwhile for anyone wanting to understand color. Steve Kohr

My desire to study color has been with me for many years. After one color course that I did every exercise in the course, I still did not think I understood how to apply what I learned to my own paintings. Then I purchased Richard Robinson’s Mastering Color Course. Richard dealt with the same concepts as my first course, but his manner of presentation and explaining was so clear and easy to understand. I walked away with much more understanding of color and how to apply what I learned. His course, Mastering Color, is one of the best I have seen. The amount of information he covers is well worth the small amount charged, especially if you compare it with a workshop that you do and when you walk away you have nothing to review but your notes. His videos and PDFs can be viewed over and over. It is a really good course. roena-king.artistwebsites.com

I have bought the “Master Colour” dvd and found it very informative. As a beginner it was really full on but easy to follow and I think the information is priceless. Applying what is taught have made a difference in my thought process and how to approach a fresh painting. Thanks Robert!

I have been following Ricard Robinson’s full course along with others, it has been the best one of all. Really worth to listen to all his videos.

Over the years I have done a fair amount of research trying to learn more about color and how to apply it accurately to my paintings. Subsequently, I have found myself bored to tears and not really learning that much as I went along until I found Richard Robinson’s Color course. Richard has a wonderful way of taking all of levels of learning about color and pealing it like an onion, layer by layer until you get down to the simplest form- breaking it into a few easy steps using techniques that he has developed- then giving you practice tips to build your confidence along the way. The beauty of the program is that you can watch it over and over picking up something new every time you watch it. I learned more from the first time I watched the DVD that I had learned in years of workshops and self study. If you don’t try this program you are missing out! Matt Sisk, Grove City, Ohio, USA www.mattsiskstudios.com

I’m beginner and watch some free lessons. It is interesting the way he transmit his knowledge. I have several videos of Richard Robinson. They are fantastic, I learned a lot. I highly recommend it.

Richard, I have been following your free painting videos and have received a lot of really good information about color and a quick look into your use of color techniques. I’m tremendously enjoying your monthly painting challanges. and now I’m ready to invest in your “Mastering Color Video. Wish me luck. Herb Morgan

A couple of years ago Robert recommended Richard Robinson’s course on Color Theory, and I purchased it. An outstanding teacher, Richard clearly discusses and explains these intricate and difficult concepts with illustrative examples. I worked through all of the lessons and really saw color with new eyes. During the latter part of my teaching career, I taught high school art and truly wish I had access to these inciteful lessons then. I know my students would have had a much clearer idea if what color in art is all about.

I just started painting a year ago and Richard Robinson’s DVDs gave me a real push to continue and to enjoy painting. I learned so much in a short time! Thanks Richard. I also like all the extra video’s he keeps sending!