Thank you for the quick response. I understand what you are saying. I guess it will take practice and time.
Again, thank you very much.

Hi Didier,

You are forgetting about the secondary and tertiary colors. Analogous schemes are made up of 3-5 colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. Let’s say you start with green and want to use an analogous scheme with five colors. Using your example, starting with green and moving clockwise (using the color wheel in this lesson) – the colors would be green, yellow-green, yellow, yellow-orange, and orange. Colors that remain on the color wheel but excluded in this scheme are red-orange, red, red-purple, purple, blue-purple, blue and blue-green. If you went counter-clockwise with five colors, starting with green (using the color wheel in this lesson) – the colors would be green, blue-green, blue, blue-purple, and purple. The colors excluded would be red-purple, red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, yellow, and yellow-green. I hope this helps.

Hi Matt, in addition to the watercolor workshop color mixing lesson, I found the Live Lesson: Color Theory and Mixing helpful as well – Link: https://thevirtualinstructor.com/members/color-theory-and-mixing

Thanks Matt! The reference you provided will probably answer many of my questions about mixing colors. Your answer helps explain why some of the color wheels I googled showed multiple reds, blues, and yellows in the primary positions on the same color wheel, as though any of these variations of reds, yellows, or blues could be considered primary for that particular color. I’m gathering that some of these variations mix better depending on what color your trying to achieve – this topic is probably covered in the watercolor mixing lesson. Thanks again! I’ve enjoyed your lessons and drawing projects.

Hi Barry,
Yes, it can be confusing. I’ll try to explain. The concept of primary colors, secondary, and so on deals with color theory. We use color theory to determine color mixtures and color relationships (color schemes). Actual colors that we use are created by pigments or pigment mixtures. As a result, we have many different blues, yellows and reds (all primaries). An artist can choose which of these variations they use to create different colors through mixing. Here’s an example – An artist may choose to use Ultramarine, Scarlet Lake, and Canary Yellow as “primaries”. Ultramarine and Scarlet Lake, when mixed, will produce a purple (a secondary color). However, a different artist may choose True Blue, Crimson Red and Yellow Ochre as their “primaries”. When this artist mixes True Blue and Crimson Red the result is also a purple (a secondary color). Both mixtures of red and blue produce a purple. But these purples are different due to different pigmentation in the “primaries”. Nonetheless, both purples are complements to the “yellow” directly across from it on the color wheel, even though the yellows differ in pigmentation. This means that there is a broad variety of secondary (and tertiary) colors we can mix. So there are many different color wheels that we can create using different variations of “primaries”. This doesn’t change the concept of color theory. Any “blue” that we choose, when mixed with any “red”, will always create a color considered “purple”. And purple will always be found on the opposite of the color wheel from yellow. Essentially, we use color theory to determine which colors should be mixed to create secondary and tertiary colors, even though there can be great variety in colors created. We also use color theory to choose colors, based on relationships or color schemes. For example, if we want to use complements in our art, we know that these colors should be opposites from each other on the color wheel. Since purple and yellow are complements (according to color theory), any purple that we use can be used in contrast with any yellow to accomplish this. You may want to check out this lesson (https://thevirtualinstructor.com/members/the-watercolor-workshop-color-theory-and-mixing) from The Watercolor Workshop. In this lesson, several different color wheels are created using different primaries. The lesson also makes the distinction between color theory and actual color mixing. I think it will help you in clearing up the confusion between the two.

How do we know when to use the colorless blender?

Great course!

Regards,
Victor

Hi Elsie,

You’re in The Colored Pencil Course right now. Have you had a look at Oil Painting Master Series here…https://thevirtualinstructor.com/members/oil-painting-master-series/ There are also several lesson series (like mini-courses) on oil painting here…https://thevirtualinstructor.com/members/learn-live/