Couches and Color Palette Studies

acrylic in 5 x 7 inch sketchbook

I get the Pottery Barn catalog in the mail.  I can't afford to buy too many things from there, but their beautiful rooms full of pretty furnishings sure do provide a source of inspiration.

I think couches have their charm just as much as chairs do.  As it turns out, they are just as fun to paint.

The other night I spent an hour and half just mixing colors and then writing them down.  That is how I came up with the colors in this couch sketch.  I have never taken the time to really study color that way and right away I could see the benefits of doing it.  You can see the colors I mixed in the photo below...seven colors in all...kind of an odd combination.  When I painted the couch, I just referred to my chart and it saved a lot of time because I knew ahead of time what colors were going to go where and how to mix them.  

I knew I could do this, but I have been too lazy to spend the time.  However, after the ease of the sketch, I will be making more color charts from now on to help with future paintings.

color study in a sketchbook

A few weeks ago I watched Paul Taggart's video on basic color mixing.  I painted the below painting using the primary colors he uses in the video.  The colors did seem to provide more cohesiveness in the painting.  

Bird painting using Paul Taggart's color mixing lesson
acrylic and oil on 9 x 12 inch paper

Interesting stuff this color mixing business is.

What are you working on?