Painting is a means to apply color. Color is structured on the fundamental primaries Red, Blue and Yellow. Color varies depending on the manufacturer, quality organic or inorganic, chroma, and its relationship with another color. The relationship between two or more colors takes place by mixing them physically or mixing them visually. Mixing colors on a palette involves understanding color distinctions and how they respond to an influencing color. Once you mix a color, the union creates a new color that is unique according to the portions or formula. The attributes of the paint depend on the mass tone or its opaqueness, it's covering ability so nothing comes through and the undertone  the color is revealed when it is applied thinly. A color's undertone will look different then the mass tone. By tinting the color add white and the color will appear lighter. By changing the tone add black and the color will appear darker. Adding black and white in different proportions, you will produce shades of the color.

Positioning colors on the palette: The practical side of mixing colors is to organize the colors on the palette in a specific way so it makes sense and feels natural when you start mixing. The artist arranges the paint so it is accessible and relates to the kind of painting they are going to do. This also means all the important colors need to be out on the palette. Colors are squeezed out of the tube and lined up along the edge of the palette left to right. Beginning with a primary color like red the colors are positioned in an analogous order. The next color would be a cool red like magenta or alizarin crimson. See the palette list to determine how you may line them up. White and black are positioned below off to the left or right side. Colors are mixed together in a line moving toward the center below the dominant hue. Keep in mind it is a matter of mixing carefully by adding small amounts of dark colors to lighter colors slowly building the right color. These mixing combinations will very depending on the proportions of each color. Remember acrylic paint dries darker so you have to remember what the color will look like once it dries. It takes practice.

When mixing colors visually their unique combination creates differences in which we see the relationships, hue contract, complimentary contrast, light-dark, cold warm, simultaneous contrast, saturation contrast and extension. To compare colors is to think in situations in harmony or tension. Once there is more than one color on the support colors influence each other and visually change according to the relationship. Certain colors are hard to change while others are more susceptible to change. All colors are subject to proportion and composition. The composition of colors is seen according to light –darks, nuances and how they are alike, same or different. Shape is a better means of identification monochromatically but when colors are applied, we identify color in terms of brightness. The color brightness and the combination of those colors in a composition create a type of connection. In music, we could say the combination creates harmony in regards to tectonic, melodic and rhythmic values and relative weight. These are voices that add up to an organized whole and not a senseless, chaotic, incomplete jumble. Some color combinations mak the union brighter and others take away or are subtractive making the combination less bright.

Visual Color Harmony: The right combination of colors creates harmony or tension. These are ideas not formulas because any variation affects the outcome.1. Primary proportion harmony; using the primaries Yellow, Red and Blue in proportion, blue largest, Red 1/3 of the blue and Yellow 1/3 of the red.2. Primary saturation harmony using one intense primary, second primary subdued and third primary subdued.3. Saturation harmony; small areas of color brightest to large areas of subdued colors.4. Tri partition harmony two primaries and one complimentary color like Red, Green and blue or Yellow.5. Large areas of warmth and darkness opposed to small areas of light colors.6. Analogous harmonies, Primary plus a range of analogous of hues including the complimentary like Yellow, blue, blue violet, violet, red violet and red 7. Split Complimentary, Primary plus two hues on either side of its compliment.8. Analogous split Harmony, Primary to include hues on either side plus complimentary with hues on either side of it.9. Cool warm harmony includes any color, 2/3 warm to 1/3 cool or via versa.

Palette Lists:

These lists will vary depending on the artists painting process. It is up to the artist to discover what colors are useful and right for the for the painting they create. Over time the artist will try many different colors before settling on a palette that is best for them. Some artists use them all.

Old Masters Palette 14th Century-19th Century

1. Vermilion warm,  alternative Cadmium Red Lt 2. Magenta, cool, alternative Alizarin Crimson, 3. Venetian Red, brick red 4. Asphaltum, dark earth. 5. Burnt Sienna natural earth. 6. Yellow Ocher, earth. 7. Chromium Yellow, alternative Cadmium Yellow Lt. 8. Naples Yellow, light earth. 9. Terre Verte, warm. 10. Cobalt Green, cool. 11. Ultramarine Blue, warm. 12. Prussian Blue. 13. Cerulean Blue, cool. 14. Ivory Black and Titanium White replaces lead white.

Portraiture Palette

1. Vermilion or cadmium red Lt.2. Magenta or Alizarin crimson. 3. Venetian Red. 4. Van Dyke Brown. 5. Yellow Ocher, earth. 6. Naples Yellow, light earth. 7. Terre Verte, warm. 8. Ultramarine Blue, warm. 9. Prussian Blue. 10. Cobalt Green, cool. 11. Flake White replaces lead white

Landscape or Impressionist Palette

1. Chromium Yellow Lt, alternative Cadmium Red Lt or Hansa Yellow Lt cool. 2. Cadmium Yellow Med warm. 3. Naples Yellow Light. 4. Cadmium Orange. 5. Cadmium Red Lt, warm replaces Vermilion. 6. Alizarin Crimson, Cool replaces Magenta. 7. Ultramarine Violet. 8. Ultramarine Blue, warm. 9. Cobalt Blue, cool. 10. Prussian Blue, warm. 11. Manganese Blue, cool. 12. Cadmium Green, warm. 13. Cobalt Green, cool. 14. Sap Green, warm. 15. Viridian Green, cool. 16. Van Dyke Brown. 17. Titanium White. 18. Ivory black.

Classical OIL Painting Palette (THIN layers)

Master artist Jan Van Eyck's work represented the way to build paintings in the classical manner. He painted using a medium and oil colors made from scratch. The medium's ingredients were subject to the painting stage. The medium consisted of oil, solvent and varnish measured in specific proportions.  In a strict process, he changed medium mixtures with the paint according to the rule fat over lean. Lean is a mixture of 50% oil paint 50% solvent. As he builds layers, the mixture changed to a more fat consistency by adding varnish and oil to the paint. The fat over lean process prevents cracking as the painting dries over time.

IMPRESSIONISM PAINTING PALETTE (IMPASTO)

Claude Monet became known as the father of the movement and with many other artists he was less interested in building a painting over time and more captivated painting the fleeting moments of the light that emerge at different times of the day in a single sitting. Color is applied in quick brush strokes to define movement, light, objects in space, and textures, larger strokes in the foreground and smaller in the background. Color was painted wet into wet. He painted with new pre-made colors:

Oil Paint vs. Acrylic Paint

If you are using oil paint then you will need to include a medium to mix with your paint (see Classical). Although acrylic paint only requires water in which to thin the paint there are various products out there to slow down the drying process or make the paint appear glossy or matt. Acrylic paint is less toxic.

Artists paint in three distinct ways.

1.Apply paint according to a classical process (semi-flexible craft system often referred to as indirect). 2.  Apply paint according to a wet into wet process (intuitive approach often referred to as direct).3. Apply paint according to concepts, visual forces and directed tension (emphasis on intention using a combination of materials, new and old processes).

Definitions :

Chroma=Intensity or saturation,

Undertone= Thin color quality, semi-transparent,

Mass tone= Opaqueness of a color, that covers completely,

Hue=Pure bright color,

Tints= Light clear colors made by adding white to the hue.

Tones=Dark clear colors made by adding black to the hue.

Shades =Light, middle or dark dull colors made by adding both white and black to the hue.