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Watercolour Challenge 3 (Patreon)

Published:
2020-09-22 08:14:12
Edited:
2023-05-31 17:00:10
Imported:
2026-10
Tags:

Content

Happy Tuesday everybody and welcome along to our new Patrons.

Well done for powering through with the abstract art from last week's challenge. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but it's such an important exercise to try and focus less on the finished product and more on what happy accidents happen along the way. If you haven't already checked out the #dwpcchallenge on instagram to see each other's results I highly recommend you do so as it is so helpful to see how others got on with the task. 

Today we are looking at the best way to use colour so that it works harmoniously and enhances our paintings.  I used to avoid colour at all costs (I never enjoyed colouring in as a child) and found colour theory a bit confusing. This challenge is based around my first positive experience of using and understanding colour. 

This is a private youtube link which only you sweet pea patrons have access to.

There is a quick blending/graded wash warm up to start and if anyone feels they would like a bit of general guidance before tackling this challenge, please go and have a look at my Watercolour for Beginners playlist 

 You will need

1 brush (large or medium depending on your preference

Colours referenced in the video (these can be fairly down to personal preference or mixed from scratch if you prefer.

A few sheets of watercolour paper (cold pressed is my go-to)

jar of water

kitchen roll to blot the brush (particularly important in this challenge)

Pencil

Ruler

Compass or something round to draw round like a side plate.

Washi tape/low tack masking tape (optional)

After watching the video...

1: Create your own colour wheel following the steps in the video. For help on colour mixing watch my youtube tutorial. If you would like to know more about the vast potential of colours you can mix from a limited palette you can watch this youtube tutorial. 

2: Create your own colour palette using two complimentary colours on the colour wheel. This may take a few attempts to get comfortable with the idea of what colours work and what don't. This is down to personal preference but remember, as well as different colours, think about different shades of light and dark within one colour. 

I can't wait to see how you get on. I reference my colour wheel almost every time I start painting, it is such a useful tool to have and creating your own means you really get to know the colours.

Comment below with your findings, and if you are sharing your work on Instagram, use the #dwpcchallenge and tag me @dewintonpaperco.

 I can't wait to see how you all get on! Enjoy the process and have as many goes as you like. 

Have a wonderful week.

Harriet

xxx

Files

Patreon Challenge 3

Comments

Erin Watson

Your sliding scale of complementary colors was a wonderful “oh, now I understand” moment for me. Of all the lessons on palette choice I have heard and read, this explanation was perfect! Thank you very much! ❤️

Anne Ridley

I also learned something here about how useful experimentation with complimentary colours is. Thank you so much, Harriet. The explanation of how to graded colours on the wheel was really helpful too.

Ina Beeston

Colour theory - oh my goodness the hours of reading a researching and then there are 12 different makes of the same colour and sometimes they look nothing alike!! And which colours do you put in your palette anyway? Are you a purist and only have 3 and mix everything from there?? A very good starting point is Stephen Quiller and his book Colour Choices. He also does a porcelain palette in the shape of a circle. A definite Christmas list item though! It's also very heavy but I love you can wipe the surface and it does not stain and you have your colours in a permanent wheel.

de Winton Paper co.

haha, yes colour theory is something I have always struggled with so this video sums up how I like to simplify it. I'm definitely going to look at your book recommendation, thank you!

de Winton Paper co.

Also folks, we were trialing a bit of an underscore this week but I fear it may be a bit distracting so I think we'll remove it for future videos. I've already seen a few colour wheels looking lovely on instagram, great work!

Lewisia Larke

Colour theory is always a fun, I love to mix violets and yellows for those mushroom browns and golds when looking for a lovely light brown wash. I had the St Petersburg white nights 36 pan pallete as a birthday gift back in July as an upgrade from my koi 24 pan set so this challenge was the perfect excuse to make the colour wheel. I'm currently using Canson montval paper which I'm not loving too much but practice is practice after all and practice makes progress :)

de Winton Paper co.

Ooh it sounds like you've got some lovely paints to use. This is an ideal exercise to use up less than perfect paper.

Shirley M

First colour wheel done! It was a good process to go through, and I can see how it helps develop palettes for paintings

de Winton Paper co.

I'm so pleased. Yes I just saw your wheel on instagram, great work. How did your paper fare with the graded colour blending?

Shirley M

Surprisingly well as it is my Canson practice paper, dabbing the brush of excess water helped.

Amélie Dullstein

This colour wheel is a struggle for me. It looks like a mess and I wasn't really sure which colours to use... I really enjoyed the circles though. It's a nice way to discover new shades and how they might work together.

de Winton Paper co.

Thanks for your honesty Amélie, it means you're making progress if you step out of your comfort zone. I'm glad you're enjoying the colour blend circles, they are usually what people find harder than the colour circle so you're all good!

Kerry Persing

In this week’s challenge, Harriet, I especially appreciated your tips on graded washes. Once concentrated color is applied, found it critical to move the clean brush slowly from side to side giving it a chance to pick up color from above and draw it down. I have struggled with getting smooth washes in past attempts. It may seem like a small thing, but to me this was an “a ha” moment and a confidence boost. Thank you!

de Winton Paper co.

I'm so glad this was a breakthrough for you Kerry. For a long time I had assumed the more water the better for these kinds of washes so I was excited to pass on my discovery!

Katherine Campbell

As easy as this looks, it's a bit challenging for me. I found that my color wheel is not very smooth. I'm wondering if it is my water control. I don't think I've quite got that down yet. And often my circles dry before I can paint beside them, so it was difficult to get the color bleed that I wanted. My suspicion is that my paper is not what it should be. Harriet, what kind of paper are you using? I don't mean to sound whiny, of course I'm enjoying all of your challenges :)

DeePee

I loved this challenge, the colour wheel was so therapeutic. I am tempted to do some more with different hues, just because they are pretty!

de Winton Paper co.

Not whiny at all! There's a reason these are called challenges, and the whole point of them is to find the things we can improve on. Colour blending depends on a few things. 300gsm cold pressed paper is important and I find it takes some experimentation with how much water you are using before getting it right. It's taken me a long time to feel comfortable with it. It sounds like you're making discoveries and that's the best thing! Don't be disheartened, and keep going!

de Winton Paper co.

I think it's a great idea, more colour wheels means even more reference for colour palettes and more opportunities to practice blending.

Emilie

Hello Harriet! Loving your videos! Going slowly as I'm sort of new to this. As I do the color wheel, it seems to me some colors "draw down" more easily than others. Is that so? I have trouble getting burnt umber to go very far, yet my permanent sap and quinacridone gold go most of the way down the triangle of the color wheel. Is this so? Or am I, indeed, challenged!? Just curious.

de Winton Paper co.

Hi Emilie, yes you are correct in your observation, it is down to the genetic makeup of each colour. For example, any paint with the word 'cadmium' in the title is naturally more opaque than the others. I've found in the past my brown tones are a bit slippery and behave slightly different to the other colours. Therefore, it's not simply a case of your painting technique, some of these colours like to make life a little difficult!

Emilie

Thank you, Harriet.

Amy Lilley

Harriet your colour wheel is beautiful! I was a bit confused, do I mix the secondary colours from the primarys here? I’ve seen these wheels done a few different ways. 🙈

de Winton Paper co.

Hi Amy, I didn't mix them from the primaries but it's a great thing to try and see what you come up with