Color Harmony and Discords - In the Same Painting?

Painting with harmony is easy to accomplish, but how do you achieve harmony and discord in a painting?

1. Select colors that harmonize with each other, using colors portraying a scene you want to paint. Will you use a Mono-chromatic color harmony? In choosing a Mono-Chromatic color scheme, you will paint with any shade, tint or tone of one color. Next try an analogous color scheme, using any shades, tints or tones or colors that are at 90 degree angles on the wheel. Let's choose a color scheme and work through it.

Ask yourself this question...what color is dominant? What color is seen most in this picture, in other words, which color will occupy the largest portion of your canvas? Let's pick green as the dominant color. What color of green? Yellow Green, now pick colors from the color wheel. Next find the compliment of yellow- green which is red-violet. This color will occupy the second largest amount of space on your canvas.

Now for the discords, using this scheme discords are red-orange and blue-violet. Use these two colors in equal and lesser amounts on the canvas. They are found two spaces away from the complimentary color on either side. And, will make your painting sing with contrast and sparkle.

2. Place each tube of paint where it's color is usually placed on your palette.

3. Make a chart - Start with colors chosen to represent this painting's colors. Start with one color and mix all the colors with it one at a time. Example, mix red plus yellow, in another spot mix red plus blue and continue until the colors are mixed. Next start with yellow and mix it with red, then blue and continue through each color until all colors have been mixed. Now there is a permanent record of how each color corresponds when mixed with another color. Were these the colors that were needed to mix yellow-green? If not, how else could the colors be mixed to get the right color. Try mixing the yellow with a different blue, or vise versa, try a different blue with the same yellow. Next try colors laid out for the compliment. Will this color give the desired color for the compliment?

Next and very important is mixing the discordant colors. These are important because they give a painting zing and energy. Using the same method as above, chart the discordant colors and save along with the other charts.

Mixing color is a skill all fine artists learn. Learn the fundamentals and your color choices will be easier.

Source : Ezinearticles