Art School Vol. 001: Mixing Colors With Paint

Art School is essentially a series of posts curated to inspire, aid and cultivate creativity in all fields from painting to writing. True mastery in any form of artistic expression feels so far from attainability for most of us, but Art School is here to ease some of that anxiety. With input from artists in different stages of their career, we plan to assist readers by catering to all stages of their creative growth. At least for now. 

In the first installment of the series, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss one of the most challenging processes in painting, mixing colors. Without an understanding of which colors work well together in portraying an image, you're prone to a lot of trial and error that will disturb your creative process. Tattoo artists Saadiq Tafari and Andrece Brady (A.K.A Qolden1) weigh in from their perspective. Also, portrait painters Anisa (A.K.A Ohlafemi), Foxymoron and Gradeint chime in from their viewpoint as well. 

Saadiq Tafari's Star Wars Collection

Q1: How do you consider color mixing before starting a new piece?

Saadiq: I mostly consider color mixing when I'm thinking about my backgrounds, my highlights, and my skin tones. I typically have a precise way of seeing my idea so matching colors exactly is important to me.

Drece: I've been working with charcoal which is black, but recently getting into color with paint, I usually think about mood and the image i'm trying to convey. With skin complexions there's so much you can do with color, so I use the primaries to build a skin tone and work from there.

Anisa: Lately I've realized you can't really go wrong with using pastel colors against dark and muted colors. Ex. Pastel peach against a dark almost grayish green or vice versa. Especially in portraiture I think the two work well together. 

Gradeint: I like warmer/lighter hues mixed with darker/cooler hues when it comes to color schemes. i feel as if it brings balance. in most cases cooler hues go best with with light and dark hues in my opinion, i love the contrast! it almost seems random and unthinkable but looks very appealing when done.

(Untitled) by Foxymoron

'Kelela' by Gradeint

Q2: What are some things about blending/mixing colors that you've recently learned but wish you knew in retrospect?

Saadiq: The biggest thing I learn constantly is to not be afraid to apply black and white into my mixes. As I grow I strive to put more depth in my art. The best way (IMO) to show depth is light vs dark, however white and black are very overpowering hues so it took me awhile to really learn and love them like I do.

Foxymoron: I work from references mostly so I already have a color scheme in mind but a always try to bring in a contrasting or analogous color if I wanna create a background. The tones in the portrait dictate what additional color schemes I go for

Q3: What are some of your favorite triad color palettes?

Gradeint: my favorite color triads are: red, blue, and green.
Pink, yellow, and blue. The primary colors of course. Burgundy, tan/sandy color, and purple. Olive/forest green, navy and yellow. Light pink, light green, and yellow.

Anisa: My favorite triad color scheme is the primary one. Firetruck red, cobalt blue, and lemon yellow. I know that's basic but to me it's the most visually pleasing combo. Reddish orange, cobalt blue, and lime green is cool too. To be honest I kind of hate all the others.

Saadiq: Green + Orange + Violet and yellow/orange + red/violet + Blue/green.

'I Know What I Said' by Olufemi (Anisa)

For more on each artist, follow their Twitter handles:

Drece: @qolden1_

Saadiq: @SaadiqTafari

Anisa: @ohlafemi

Gradeint: @Gradeint

Foxymoron: @Foxymoronn