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Mastering the Art of Using Color: 30 Steps for Beginners | Instant Access!

Learn all about how to work with color. Color theory has never been this fun! 

In this video series, artists Melissa Forman and Paul Richmond break down the fundamentals of color into thirty bite-size lessons so that you can work more comfortably with color in your artwork. Broken up into 10-minute exercises, this course will help you learn the terminology, concepts, and strategies that artists and designers use to choose the most effective color schemes. Students will create multiple quick paintings in this course, each one demonstrating a different color concept.

Understanding color is important for artists at every stage, from beginners to advanced. Learning the basics gives artists a foundation to build on. Rules are made to be broken, especially in art, and this course will go over the “rules” of color theory so you can decide how to incorporate them into your own work.

The concepts covered here are relevant for artists in many different fields - from fine art to commercial illustrators, designers, and more.

  • At the beginning, we will create a color wheel, which is the foundation for many of the concepts that we will be going over in this course.
  • From there, we will learn how to break down colors into different shades, working with saturation, neutrality, and value.
  • Next, we will go over different types of color palettes and how to choose color schemes that work.
  • Then we will explore different approaches to color, including finding color inspiration, imaginative color, using color to create a mood, color matching, and more.

This course is unique because you get to observe how two artists approach each color concept. Alternating lessons, Melissa and Paul will follow the same overall format, but you will see the differences in their styles and approaches to color. This makes for a one-of-a-kind learning opportunity that will encourage you to develop your own artistic sensibilities too. Melissa and Paul truly believe everyone is an artist, and want to make the creative process accessible to as many people as possible.

This class is for everyone - from beginners to more experienced artists - with an emphasis on foundational skills. As professional artists and teachers, Paul and Melissa have met many artists who commonly face a lot of the same issues with understanding color.

Learn how to master the art of using color, and have fun along the way!

How It Works

Immediately after purchasing this course, you will receive a pdf by email containing the link to watch all of the course videos. You have unlimited access to these videos.

Materials

You are welcome to work with any materials you'd like, but here's a list of everything Paul and Melissa will be using in this series:

  1. Drawing pencils
  2. Paper
  3. Acrylic paint 
  4. Paintbrushes
  5. Palette
  6. Palette knife
  7. Paper towels
  8. Cup of water

Lessons

  1. Primary Colors
  2. Secondary Colors
  3. Tertiary Colors
  4. Warm Colors vs. Cool Colors
  5. Saturation vs. Neutrality
  6. Creating Neutral by Mixing Complementary Colors
  7. Value and How It Affects Color
  8. Tints and Shades
  9. Types of Color Palettes: Complementary
  10. Types of Color Palettes: Split Complementary
  11. Types of Color Palettes: Triad
  12. Types of Color Palettes: Tetrad
  13. Types of Color Palettes: Analogous
  14. Color in Context 
  15. Finding Color Inspiration
  16. Using Color Inspiration
  17. Local Color
  18. Perceived Color
  19. Imaginative Color
  20. Color Mood
  21. How to Color Match
  22. How to Use Only Primary Colors to Mis Every Color You'll Need
  23. Color Correcting - Where Have I Gone Wrong?
  24. Working with a Limited Palette
  25. Mixing Flesh Tones
  26. Working with a Plein Air Palette
  27. How Lighting Affects Color - Natural vs. Artificial Light
  28. Layering Color in Transparent Media
  29. Color Thumbnails
  30. Finding Your Color Personality

Questions? Email us at info@artmakesus.com.