Understanding Colour Theory
When faced with a blank canvas of any sort, it can stir up a little anxiety. If you have perfectionist tendencies it can even paralyse you into not even making a single mark for fear that the first colour, line or shape can make or break your entire painting, so you do some procrastinating in the name of waiting for inspiration to strike. To try and break this process and ease this feeling I began to brush up on how I could use my colour palette more purposefully and securely.
*photo-blank canvases and boards
Brush up on your colour wheel
Rather than choosing random colours as you go, take time out to be purposeful with your colour choices. Do this by A- understanding the various colour wheel combinations B- Looking at the examples given and how the colour combination is depicted C- Practice the colour combination yourself.
Awareness and Attention
I started by paying attention to what colours I was drawn to in other paintings, images or works of art. Make pinterest boards and save or screenshot anything that speaks to you, even if you cannot pinpoint what exactly that is for now. Warning! This is the passive part that can go on forever if you let it. It’s a good idea to continuously do this but let your practice not end there.
Experimentation
I experimented with different combinations on the colour wheel. Pay close attention to how colours lean warm or cool and where they fall in relation to one another when mixing. This is the active part and the most fun part. Over time you won’t need to think so much about this and it will become second nature and more instinctual. Perhaps I’m easily pleased but seeing certain combinations work to achieve harmony and speak to your personality at the same time feels like a little moment of magic!