Earlier this year, I launched a SkillShare class on Colour Mixing. A part of prepping for my Skillshare class involves trial painting. This is where I try out or practice the piece I’ll be painting during the class. In this case, it was oranges in their stem with the leaves.
I decided to shoot this process so you can get an idea of how I go about mixing colours to achieve the exact shades I want to bring my vision or inspiration to life on paper.
The Process
In the video, you’ll watch me start from a sketch. Before I paint anything, I like to roughly sketch out what I want to paint. This step does not have to be perfect. So if you’re not great at drawing or sketching, you don’t have to let that stop you from painting. I then prep the sketch by erasing most of it so it’s more of a guide than an outline for my painting.
Next, I start painting. I start out blocking out the background for each of the oranges (since they are the primary subject of this piece) and work forward by adding details. This could include highlights, shadows, and textures among other things. You’ll see me mix red, orange, and green to achieve the shades I want to bring what's in my head on paper.
I mix greens and blues for the leaves and stems, again starting from the background layer and working my way forward by adding details till I achieve the colour, shape, movement, and effect I want for them. Finally, I added the background to the piece.
For you
If you found this process interesting and if colours intrigue you as it does me, then you definitely have to check my Skillshare class on colour mixing where I walk you through colour theory and mixing, help you understand the pigments, how to avoid muddy mixes, and basically achieve any shade you want with just a few colours in your arsenal.
This is not only great for your art practice but can also help you save a tonne of money because you won’t have to purchase too many paint colours! Of course, by the end of this class, you’ll have painted a piece similar to this so you get to explore colour harmony hands-on.
I hope this video helped you get a peek into the art of colour mixing and inspired you to start playing with colours!